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Scott (ROBERT FALCON an English)

ROBERT FALCON, an English Antarctic explorer and naval officer, born in Devonport, in 1868. He joined the navy, where he became torpedo lieutenant. In 1901 he was given command of the Royal Geographical Antarctic exploration, in which, with a base on Mc- Murdo sound, he made expeditions which resulted in important discoveries, including King Edward VII Land and Victoria Land. On his return he was promoted to be captain and received degrees from Cambridge and Manchester universities.

He was also awarded gold medals by several geographical societies. In 1910 he was appointed commander of the British National expedition, which also operated from McMurdo sound. Its chief object was to reach the South Pole, and this was accomplished after a continuous sledge journey of 1,842 miles. The pole was reached on January 18, 1912. It had, however, already been reached by Amundsen, five weeks before. On the return journey, the entire party perished. Scott SCOTT himself died from starvation and exposure on Mar. 29, 1912, within 155 miles of the home station. In 1915 a bronze statué CAPTAIN ROBERT FALCON SCOTT of Captain Scott was unveiled in Waterloo Place, London. He wrote "Voyage of the Discovery" (1905). "Scott's Last Expedition" was published after his death, in 1913.