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Dogs of the British Antarctic Expedition 1910–13

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 June 2020

Bill Alp Open the ORCID record for Bill Alp [Opens in a new window]
Bill Alp*
Affiliation:
Independent Researcher
*
Author for correspondence: Bill Alp, 16 Lakshmi Place, Khandallah, Wellington 6035, New Zealand, Email: bill.alp@xtra.co.nz
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Abstract

This article tells the story of the dog teams of the British Antarctic Expedition 1910–13. Its purpose is to establish an accurate record of sledge dog involvement in the expedition. It is not concerned with hypotheses about how a better outcome for the expedition might have been achieved, aiming simply to assemble and analyse verifiable evidence in chronological order. A substantial amount of research has been undertaken. Straightforward details about procurement of the dogs and their main Antarctic journeys have been summarised in tabular form as an accessible reference source for future work. A literature review has been undertaken, finding that none of the reviewed works accurately traces the evolving plans and instructions for the expedition’s dog teams. The story starts with Scott’s September 1909 public fundraising prospectus and goes on to the procurement and training of Huskies from Siberia. It traces the challenges, achievements, attitudes and management decisions that shaped the dogs’ main journeys. It finishes with Terra Nova leaving the Antarctic, with the last 13 dogs in January 1913. The dog teams and their handlers performed well in the Antarctic and successfully completed three of their four main journeys. They made a substantial contribution to the expedition.

Keywords

Antarctic sledge dogsCecil MearesCaptain ScottTerra NovaSiberian Husky
Type
Research Article
Information
Polar Record , Volume 55 , Issue 6 , November 2019 , pp. 476 - 496
Copyright
The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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Appendix A

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Supplementary material: PDF

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Appendix B

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