EARLY 20TH CENTURY

The National Antarctic Expedition of 1901-1904 was the first British Antarctic expedition since Sir James Clark Ross' voyage in 1840, led by the young naval lieutenant Robert Falcon Scott. Scott and his expedition sailed in the Discovery on 1 August 1901, reaching the Antarctic circle on 2 January 1902. On 2 November 1902, he set off with Shackleton and Wilson on the first great southern journey. during its three months' duration, the three men ran south along the western edge of the Ross Ice Shelf, breaking the record for farthest south by over 200 miles. But poorly-equipped and under-rationed, they made disappointing progress overall and failed to make landfall across the ice Barrier before returning to the Discovery on 3 February 1903. Shackleton's physical breakdown in the later stages of the journey was ever after a source of tension between him and Scott. Shackleton was sent home on the Morning and Scott met with a relatively quiet reception when he returned to England in 1904. However the achievements of the expedition were undoubtedly greater than the disappointments, and tragedy had not occurred.