Captain Scott’s final expedition photos saved for the nation

Two poignant centenaries – the Titanic disaster and Captain Scott’s ill-fated Antarctic Expedition – take place in 2012. 

Commemorating the second of these, Scott’s Terra Nova Expedition of 1910-12, is a collection of 109 photographs newly obtained by the Scott Polar Research Institute which show Scott and his team as they attempt to be the first to reach the South Pole.

Sadly, having reached the Pole early in 2012 (on 17 January 1912), Scott and four of his companions discovered that they had been beaten to the prize by a competing team led by the Norwegian explorer, Roald Amundsen. On the return journey, Scott and the others (Edgar Evans, Henry Bowers, Edward Wilson and Lawrence Oates) died and remained undiscovered for months.

Scott’s photographic collection was thought to have been lost for many years but was secured by the Scott Polar Research Institute (in partnership with the Heritage Lottery Fund) from private ownership.

Professor Julian Dowdeswell, Director of the Scott Polar Research Institute, said: "Scott's photographs bring to life, in vivid detail, his party's sledging journey into the interior of Antarctica.

"From men and ponies struggling through deep snow, to panoramas of the trans-Antarctic mountains, the images are very powerful.

Robyn Llewellyn, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund East of England, added: "This stunning collection provides a fascinating insight into Captain Scott's ill-fated Antarctic expedition.

"Although he was never to return, the research and records that were undertaken by his team are of historic and scientific importance."

Following a conservation process, the entire collection will be digitised and made available online.