Talk: The Grip of the Ice

To mark 125 years since Discovery’s first Antarctic expedition, historian of exploration, Ed Armston-Sheret tells the remarkable story of Scott and Shackleton’s maiden Antarctic voyage through the lives of twelve expedition members; unearthing forgotten stories of heroism, science, imperial ambition and the harsh realities of survival.Armston-Sheret's new book, The Grip of the Ice, sheds new light on how the British National Antarctic Expedition shaped exploration of the frozen south and British culture for generations to come.

The book features fresh insights from diaries, letters, and archival material, revealing lesser-known stories from the Discovery Expedition of 1901-1904.This fascinating talk is an opportunity to gleam insights from the author on not only his findings and research, but the processes behind bringing together narratives from a quarter of the expedition’s men into one book.Ed Armston-Sheret is a historian of exploration.

He is a Fellow at the Institute of Historical Research at the University of London and works at the Royal Geographical Society (with Institute of British Geographers).

His research focuses on diversifying the history of exploration in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.Before Robert Falcon Scott’s tragic race to the South Pole and Ernest Shackleton’s legendary Endurance, there was Discovery, the expedition that began it all.

Discovery was Britain’s first Antarctic expedition; both Scott and Shackleton were previously unknown and had no experience of exploration, but were soon to become household names.

On this first expedition, Scott, Shackleton and their crew battled scurvy, starvation and the brutal Antarctic wilderness in an audacious push further south than any human had gone before, but this is far more than a tale of adventure.Through the lives of twelve expedition members - from Royal Navy officers to sailors and scientists - exploration historian Ed Armston-Sheret unearths a forgotten story of heroism, science, imperial ambition and the harsh realities of survival.Image (c) Shoot Me Now Ltd