Edgar Evans (polar explorer)
Edgar Evans (born March 7, 1876 in Middleton, Rhossili , Wales ; † February 17, 1912 in Antarctica , probably on the lower Beardmore Glacier ) was a Welsh naval sergeant in the rank of first class petty officer and participant in two Antarctic expeditions Robert Falcon Scotts .
Life
Evans was the son of the seaman Charles Evans (1839-1907). After attending St. Helen's Boys School in his hometown, he joined the Royal Navy in 1891 at the age of 15 . From 1899 he served on the HMS Majestic , where he met Robert Falcon Scott, who served there as a torpedo lieutenant. There Evans got his nickname "Taff".
From 1901 to 1904 Edgar Evans took part in the Discovery Expedition , Scott's first trip to Antarctica . Upon his return, he married his cousin Lois Beynon on December 13, 1904, and had three children in the years that followed.
In 1910 Evans was selected to take part in Scott's second Antarctic voyage, the Terra Nova Expedition . This had set itself the goal of conquering the South Pole. Edgar Evans, along with Scott, Wilson , Bowers, and Oates , was a member of the group that reached Pole on January 18, 1912. However, Roald Amundsen had gotten ahead of them five weeks.
Evans was no longer able to cope with the exertion of the return journey and died as the first of the expedition members. On the way there he had cut his hand while converting a sled. The wound probably did not heal because of the erupting scurvy , but instead became infected and festered. On February 4, 1912 Evans fell into a crevasse. He probably sustained a head injury in the process. As a result, there was rapid mental and physical decline. Weakened in this way, Evans, who no longer pulled along in the sled harness, collapsed near the Beardmore Glacier on February 16, 1912 . The other crew members had to turn around and load him onto the sledge. He died that night without regaining consciousness. How and where he was buried is not known as there is no record of it in Scott's diary and none of the other members of the group returned either.
The Evans Firnfeld and the Evans Glacier are named after Evans in the Antarctic .
See also
literature
- Isobel Williams: Captain Scott's Invaluable Assistant Edgar Evans . The History Press, 2012, ISBN 0-7524-5845-0 (English)
Web links
- Edgar Evans , short biography on the homepage of the Polar Museum at the Scott Polar Research Institute of the University of Cambridge
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Evans, Edgar |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Welsh polar explorer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 7, 1876 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Middleton on Gover |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 17, 1912 |
| Place of death | Antarctica (Lower Beardmore Glacier) |