But again my eyes are drawn to the polar medals.
Sir Ernest Shackleton |
Medals of A.H. Macklin, physician, polar explorer and soldier |
After the war, Macklin joined up with Shackleton again for a further expedition South, sailing in the Quest. He was attending Shackleton in the early morning of 5 January 1921 when the great explorer suffered a fatal heart attack and died.
Macklin settled in Dundee and practiced medicine, but his adventures weren't over - during the Second World War he saw service as a Lt-Col in the RAMC, seeing action in East Africa.
Mount Macklin in the Salvesen Range on South Georgia is named after him.
Medals of C.J Green, cook to the Endurance expedition |
Tom Crean |
Crean was a member of Scott's of both of Scott’s Antarctic expeditions and Shackleton’s 1914-16 expedition. This medal is for Scott's first expedition, where he made a great impression. On Scott's second voyage, Crean was in the running to be a member of the final polar party but (luckily for him) was not selected. Instead, it was Crean who found the abandoned tent that contained the bodies of Scot and his companions. In the meantime, Crean had saved the life of Edward R. G. R. Evans, the expedition's second-in-command. He was awarded the Albert Medal for his gallantry.
On Shackleton's Trans-Antarctic Expedition, Crean took command of one of ship’s boats in the epic boat-hauling journey that finally brought the team to open water - and their eventual arrival on Elephant Island. Shackleton selected Crean as one of the crew of the boat that he proposed to take to South Georgia, one of the greatest - if not the greatest - survival stories in the annals of Polar exploration. Shackleton later wrote:
Crean's polar medal |
One of the memories that comes to me from those days is of Crean singing at the tiller. He always sang while he was steering, and nobody ever discovered what the song was. It was devoid of tune and as monotonous as the chanting of a Buddhist monk at his prayers; yet somehow it was cheerful.On arrival at South Georgia in May 1916, the three weakest crew members were left with the James Caird, while Shackleton, Worsely and Crean undertook a momentous 36 hour trek, via mountain tops and glaciers, to reach the safety of the whaling station on the other side of the island - a journey never undertaken before. And after collecting their fellow crew members from the James Caird, as well as the boat itself, Shackleton, Worsley and Crean succeeded, after frustrating delays, in rescuing all 22 castaways on Elephant Island.
These are just three of the lots from the 1714 on offer. There's loads else to see - not least a lovely collection of lifesaving awards.
Edit - 14 Dec 2012
Macklin's group (estimate £18,000-£22,000) hammered for £31,000Green's group (estimate £4,000-£5,000) hammered for £8,000
Crean's medal (estimate £25,000-£30,000) hammered for £23,000
To these prices should be added about 25% to cover fees and taxes.
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