- Frank Wild
John Robert Francis Wild (born in 1873 in
Skelton, North Yorkshire to †19 August 1939 inKlerksdorp ,South Africa ), known as Frank Wild, was an explorer on several expeditions to Antarctica including:
* In 1901 he was a member ofRobert Falcon Scott ’s crew as a seaman on the ”Discovery”, along withErnest Shackleton who was then a sub-Lieutenant.
* Was with Shackleton on the Nimrod Expedition 1908-1909 and was a member of the team that crossed the Ross Barrier andBeardmore Glacier at a record latitude of 88º23’S.
* In 1911 he joinedDouglas Mawson ’s Aurora expedition and was in charge of the western base on theShackleton Ice Shelf .
* He served as Shackleton's second-in-command on Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition (1914-1916).As second-in-command, Wild was left in charge of 21 men on desolate Elephant Island as Shackleton and a crew of 5 made their epic rescue mission to
South Georgia aboard a lifeboat. FromApril 24 toAugust 30 ,1916 Wild and his crew waited on Elephant Island, surviving on a diet of seal, penguin and seaweed. They were finally rescued by Shackleton aboard the Chilean ship "Yelcho". Point Wild on Elephant Island is named after Frank Wild, with a monument dedicated to the Chilean captainLuis Pardo who rescued him and his men.Sources
* Leif Mills, "Frank Wild", Caedmon of Whitby, 1999, 350 pages
* Endurance, "Shackleton's Incredible Voyage" by Alfred Lansing
* F.A. Worsley, "Shackleton's Boat Journey"External links
* [http://www.visitandlearn.co.uk/enduranceobituaries/Wild.asp Frank Wild Obituary]
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