Ghost Memoirs of Robert Falcon Scott by Ken Derby

The Ghost of Robert Falcon Scott must tell his story, before he is allowed to pass into the beyond. He tells it to CyberRat through the internet. His history of his quest for the South Pole is compelling and sheds light on the motivations of all explorers, those individuals who desire to learn about the unknown, no matter what the odds of their own survival.

Scott (1868-1912) always was a dreamer. Since childhood, he wanted to join the French Foreign Legion, be an exotic explorer, but as manhood approached, his family cast him into their mold of the Royal British Navy. In addition to wanting to please his father, Robert determined to make the best of the situation, to rise to the top for personal honor and for the salary increments. Family bankruptcy and his father’s death soon put the family’s total support squarely on Robert’s shoulders. He was quick to accept the offer of Sir Clements Markham, president of the Royal Geographic Society, who was organizing and equipping a British Antarctic expedition to the South Pole. As commander of the expedition, Robert’s wages would rise and his rank would be Captain. Captain Scott’s command would be England’s first purpose-built ship for scientific work, the Discovery.

Through the internet dialog the reader learns about both of Scott’s expeditions. The first, lasting from 1902-1904 failed to reach the South Pole. Conditions were miserable. Early on, he had to shoot the sled dogs. Scott’s team survived, and he returned to England to become famous for his trek for as far as it went. In 1910, determined to win the prize of success for reaching the South Pole for the British Empire before the United States, Germany, France, Japan and Norway, Robert Falcon Scott began his second expedition. It was a disaster from the beginning. The motor driven sledges broke down fifty miles from base, the cargo ponies that he had chosen instead of dogs were completely wrong for the job and had to be shot, and blizzards wrecked havoc on his timetable. His team arrived at the Pole to find a note from Norway’s Roald Amundsen, and on the torturous way back, Scott’s team froze to death in agony. They’d made it back to within 55 miles of One Ton Depot and life saving provisions.

The technique of the ghost purging himself of his story allows all details to be revealed. Scott kept accurate diaries until the last day. The author did thorough research.