Army officer reaches pole 100 years on 21 January 2009
A century after Sir Ernest Shackleton gave up hopes of becoming the first explorer to reach the South Pole, three descendants of the explorer and his team, including an Army officer, have successfully completed the expedition.
Almost three months after setting off on the 900-mile journey, Henry Worsley, a Lieutenant Colonel with The Rifles and a descendant of Shackleton's skipper, Frank Wild; Henry Adams, great grandson of Shackleton's number two Jameson Boyd-Adams; and Will Gow, great nephew of Shackleton's wife, Emily, arrived at the South Pole after hauling 300lb sledges for up to ten hours a day and braving temperatures as low as -52 degrees centigrade.
A century ago, Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1908 Nimrod Expedition were forced to turn back 97-miles from the Pole. On Sunday, 18 January, the Matrix Shackleton Centenary Expedition safely reached the Pole at 0900 GMT.
Speaking via satellite link, expedition leader, Lt Col Henry Worsley (47) said: "We're absolutely ecstatic.
"The past 65 days have been physically gruelling and mentally exhausting, but this moment makes it all very, very worthwhile. Ever since I was a child, completing this journey has been my lifetime ambition.
"To stand here, with Shackleton's own compass, which never made it to this point all those years ago, is a humbling experience."
The men crossed the vast Ross Ice Shelf, ascended the formidable 120-mile-long Beardmore Glacier and completed an arduous 300-mile trail across the high Polar plateau. Only two previous expeditions have ever succeeded in reaching the South Pole along this route - Captain Scott's in 1912 and Robert Swan's in 1985.
Left to Right: Henry Adams, Will Gow, Henry Worsley at the 97 Mile Point, Shackleton's 'Furthest South'
As part of the expedition, Henry Worsley and his team were greeted by a second Matrix group at 97 miles from the Pole (where Shackleton's team turned back).
The group, David Cornell (38), another great-grandson of Jameson Boyd-Adams and Tim Fright (24), the great-great-nephew of Frank Wild and Andrew Ledger (23) who won his place in the group as part of a public competition, are expected to arrive at the Pole in the next few days having trekked from 97-mile point.
This centenary expedition was completed to raise awareness of the Shackleton Foundation, a new charity formed to celebrate the legacy of Sir Ernest Shackleton.
The Foundation aims to raise £10m over the next five years to support individuals of all ages, nationalities and backgrounds who exemplify the spirit of Sir Ernest Shackleton: inspirational leaders wishing to "make a difference", in particular to the less advantaged.
