LURE OF THE ANTARCTIC.

Otago Witness, Issue 3994, 30 September 1930, Page 74

LURE OF THE ANTARCTIC.

WITH SCOTT AND SHACKLETON.

INTERESTING CAREER ENDED.

WELLINGTON, September 25.

One of the few who had taken part in two expeditions to the Antarctic, Mr Harry M'Neish, died at Wellington aged G 4. He had been in the Ohiro Home for some years, and went into the hospital about a week ago. He was a member of the expeditions led by Scott and Shackleton.

Born in Irvine, Ayrshire, in 1866. Mr Al'Neish served his time in a ship; building yard at Port Glasgow. The first ship in w’hich he went to sea was the Barffilan, a three-masted square? rigged ship of 2508 tons. He joined the navy and was ship’s carpenter for 23 years. He went to Dundee then and worked on the building of the Discovery, which was to go South with Scott. Mr M'Neish joined her as carpenter, the trip lasting two years and three months, from Port Chalmers. Scott got only as far as Beardmore Glacier on that occa? sion. Air Al'Neish was on the Discovery at Hut Point until Scott returned, his party being too late to get the ship out, so that they had to spend another winter there- For eight months they were cutting through miles of ice, and on the day the ice disappeared the ships Alorning and Terra Nova hove in sight. Returning to England, Mr Al'Neish served with the Royal Alail Line, when he was called to join the Endurance as carpenter for another Antarctic expedition, with Shackleton. The Endurance sailed for the South Pole on August 15, 1914. Air Al'Neish shared the adventure of the crew when she was crushed in the ice in Weddel Sea in October, 1915, and when the crew dragged three of the best boats over the ice for about 20 miles to the open water, the 28 men then setting sail for Elephant Island. After a stay of four days at Elephant Island six men sail for South Georgia, and Air Al'Neish was made sailing master by Shackleton. After landing Shackleton walked over to the whaling station for assistance. Air Al'Neish returned to England with the first whaler. He went to sea with the New Zealand Shipping Company, and finally worked his passage to New Zealand with the intention of settling here. Later he became an inmate of the Ohiro Home.