FRANK WILD.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIII, Issue 421, 12 June 1922, Page 5

FRANK WILD.

FROM A.B. TO COMMANDER.

A LEADER OF MEN,

(Contributed.)

The cabled accounts of the voyage of the Quest have brought before the public of the Dominion one of the most experienced of Antarctic voyagers—Commander Frank Wild. Therefore, a short history of his splendid record should _ prove interesting. Born in 1873 in Yorkshire, ho entered the merchant service in 1889 and joined the British Navy in 1900. His mother was a direct descendant of Captain _ Cook, and one of his uncles was three times in the Arctic. He was a member of the British Antarctic Expedition of 1801-04 (Polar medal and clasp and Royal Geographical Society’s silver medal), and was at the Sheorness Gunnery School when the Admiralty consented to his appointment to the Discovery Expedition. It was early in the expedition’s history that ho showed tho qualities of a leader, notwithstanding tho fact that ho was only an able seaman. Shortly after winter quarters had been established in McMurdo Sound, an attempt was made to reach Cape . Crozior to leave a record to enable any possible relief expedition sailing to the south in tho following year to get into touch with tho shore party of the Discovery. It was to tin's party that Frank Wild was attached. Tho party failed to reach Cape Crozior and half tho men were sent back to the ship while the remainder made a final attempt to roach their objective. The returning half got into dangerous country in a blinding blizzard and one of the party— Seaman Vince —foil over a precipice into tho sea below and was drowned. The party reached the ship at winter quarters in an exhausted state and Captain Scott soon discovered that Frank Wild was tho only one who could give a connected account of the tragedy: and right- there early in his experience of the Antarctic ho was recognised as a man of outstanding ability. He rendered good service to the expedition in his lowly capacity. His next visit to tho Antarctic was with Shackleton's 1907-09 expedition. He was chosen as one of the southern party to attempt to reach the south geographical pole under the leadership of Shackleton. His party penetrated to within approximately 97 miles of their objective, or latitude 88dog. 23mia. S. It was Frank Wild who discovered coal deposits on tho slopes of Mount Buckley at the head of the Beardmore Glacier on the southern journey. Next wo find him as a member of tho Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-14 (Sir Douglas Mawson), as leader of the western base party (Queen Mary Land). Ho established his winter quarters on tho Shackleton Ice Shelf on the Coast of Queen Mary Land, and from that point conducted an extended sledge journev _to Gaussborg Mountain on tho coast of Kaiser Wilhelm Hr Land.

1915 saw Wild once again in the Antarctic, this time with Sir Ernest Shacklotem in the Endurance. The story is well known of how the vessel was crushed in the ice in the Weddell Sea and hov; the loader extricated his ship’s company in tho open boats and made a landing on Elephant Island. It was Frank Wild who, by his consummate skill as a loader and his unending chooriness, held the stranded men together until rescued four months later, after a most miserable existence on seal moat and seaweed. 1921 saw Frank Wild as second in command of the Rowett-Shackletoh expedition in tho Quest bound for Antarctic regions once again. On the death of Sir Ernest Shacklcton at South Georgia in January of tin's year he assumed command of the expedition, and to date has completed successfully a portion of the programme laid down. llis record is a magnificent one. From Frank Wild, A. 8., Royal Navy, to Commander F. Wild of the Quest; by sheer merit, perseverance, force of character, and those great qualities he possesses as a loader of men in the most dangerous of all exploration effort, his is a record which brings a glow to the hearts of all those who are proud to belong to the British race. Frank Wild’s brother, Ernest Wild, was with the Ross Sea section of Shaekleton's 1915 expedition, and was later killed in the Mediterranean Sea while minesweeping. Frank Wild served during the operation? at Archangel to help tho White Russians against tho Bolshevik!, His experience as an ice-pilot made him of special value m that region.