Antarctic: Westminster Abbey memorial for Sir Ernest Shackleton

Image source, Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Camb

Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton will be honoured by having a special memorial stone at Westminster Abbey dedicated in his honour.

Shackleton led three British expeditions to the Antarctic, most famously in 1914 on the Endurance.

The Dean of Westminster, David Hoyle, said the dedication on Thursday would help sustain Shackleton's "legacy of wonder".

The stone will be located in the Abbey's south cloister, close to a memorial to pioneering sailors Captain James Cook, Sir Francis Chichester and Sir Francis Drake.

Image source, F.HURLEY/SPRI

Image caption, The Endurance's ill-fated voyage marked the end of the 'heroic age' of Antarctic exploration

The memorial made by sculptor Will Davies, will include stones like Connemara marble and Kilkenny limestone to reflect Shackleton's Irish heritage.

It is also inscribed with the names of Shackleton's expedition ships and his family motto, fortitudine vincimu: 'By endurance we conquer.'

Who was Sir Ernest Shackleton?

Shackleton was born in Kilkea, County Kildare, in 1874.

Shackleton first set out to explore the polar regions as part of Captain Robert Falcon Scott's Discovery expedition of 1901-1904, but he was sent home early on health grounds.

In 1907, his Nimrod expedition aimed to be the first to reach the South Pole and although this was not achieved, it was the first expedition in history to travel within 100 miles of the South Pole.

Image source, Royal Geographical Society

He also managed to successfully climb Mount Erebus, Antarctica's second highest volcano.

Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914-1917 hoped to achieve the first land crossing of Antarctica from the Weddell Sea via the South Pole to the Ross Sea.

The expedition's ship Endurance, became stuck in pack ice and sank in the Weddell Sea in 1915 - but all of Shackleton's crew survived. Westminster Abbey said that this was a sign of his exceptional leadership.

The shipwreck was lost until 2022 when it was located by a British-led expedition, months after the 100th anniversary of Shackleton's death.

During his lifetime, Shackleton was awarded the Polar Medal and is remembered as one of the key figures associated with the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.

Why is Sir Ernest Shackleton being remembered in this way?

Video caption, Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew were stuck in the Antarctic ice-floes aboard Endurance for 10 months in 1915 before the ship was finally crushed and sank. He and the crew escaped to an island and were eventually rescued. The wreck has remained lost ever since

The Very Reverend Hoyle, who will dedicate the memorial at the abbey said he had helped create a "new excitement about science" and a "deeper reverence for the world in which we live".

He added: "Shackleton's name conjures up a little bit of an old and familiar narrative about a great man with remarkable courage and resilience. That is true but it does not do justice to his achievement.

"A pioneer in photography and film and an inspiring speaker, he planted the idea and image of the Antarctic in our imaginations."