“My name is Franky Wild-o and my hut’s on Elephant Isle.
The wall’s without a single brick and the roof’s without a tile.
Yet, nevertheless, you must confess by many and many a mile,
It’s the most palatial dwelling place you’ll find on Elephant Isle.”
— composed and sung by Reginald James, to the tune of “Solomon Levi”
(For those that don’t know it: Solomon Levi:)
McIlroy has conducted this poll: if you were allowed only one dish right now, but it could be any dish, what would it be?
Clark: Devonshire dumpling with cream
James: Syrup pudding
McIlroy: Marmalade pudding and Devonshire cream
Rickenson: Blackberry and apple tart with cream
Wild: Apple pudding and cream
Hussey: Porridge, sugar and cream
Green: Apple dumpling
Greenstreet: Christmas pudding
Kerr: Dough and syrup
Macklin: Scrambled eggs on toast
Bakewell: Baked pork and beans
Cheetham: Pork, apple sauce, potatoes, and turnips
Blackboro: Plain bread and butter
“Frank Wild was a placid little man whom nothing ever upset… we always called him Frankie, or Frank, nobody ever called him anything else, the lower deck always called him Mr. Wild. They were never required to but they did automatically. He was a man who exercised a wonderful control without any outward sign of authority.”
— Alexander Macklin
“I know that our food reserve is critical. I cannot reconcile myself to the happy go lucky hand to mouth style of saying ‘Oh it will be all right.'” “But of course, some of [Wild’s] remarks dont bear much analysis and he ought not to try & dupe me over the meat supplies for… it is truly a case of ‘telling it to the marines’.
“One cannot help but be a bit anxious about Sir Ernest. One wonders how he fared, where he is now and how it is that he has not yet been able to relieve us. The subject is practically taboo; everyone keeps their own counsel and thinks different, and no one knows just what anyone else thinks about it, and it is quite obvious that no one really dare say what they really think.”
— Thomas Orde-Lees
“We want to be fed with a large wooden spoon and, like the Korean babies, be patted on the stomach with the back of the spoon so as to get in a little more than would otherwise be the case. In short, we want to be overfed, grossly overfed, yes, very grossly overfed on nothing but porridge and sugar, black currant and apple pudding and cream, cake, milk, eggs, jam, honey and bread and butter till we burst, and we’ll shoot the man who offers us meat. We don’t want to see or hear of any more meat as long as we live.”
— Thomas Orde-Lees
Skinning penguins
“The cook & his firekeeper for the day turn out between 6 & 7 & light the bogie with penguin skins. Breakfast [of penguin steaks] was not usually ready till 9 or 10 according to the temper of the fire, or the ability of the fireman.” — Reginald James
“When things are cooked, Wild rouses all hands with a lusty “Lash up & stow!” We then take our places, moving on one place at each meal so that all may get a fair share of the heat in due course.” — Reginald James
“With the welcome cry of “Hoosh oh” the “peggy” from each mess (there are four) takes his pot to the galley, where Wild officiates in the “Whacking out.” The… “grub” is divided into individual portions as accurately as possible & “Whosed.” This method of [sharing was] instituted by Sir E. After the grub has been measured our by the mess “peggy,” one of the members turns his back & in reply to “Whose,” announces the name of the person for whom he intends the ration. His announcement is final. After breakfast… Wild allots various occupations.” — Frank Hurley
Lunch at 12:30. Then, unless there were penguins to be caught, afternoons were “spent round the fire talking & doing personal jobs. It gets dark too early to do too much.”
Evening meal 4:30.
Afterwards, the blubber lamp was lit for a bit. Reading, singing. Lights out.
“It was a weird sight. The light thrown up by the lamp illuminates the smoke colored faces like stage footlights. The sparkling eyes & glint on the aluminum mugs, the stream of flickering light thrown out from the open [stove] door, making weird dancing shadows on the inside of the boats makes me think of the council of brigands… after an escape in a chimney or a coalmine.” — Frank Hurley
“After Smoke oh the decks are again cleared by stowing the “box seats” to form the Cooks bunk, the tenants of the attic bunks swing into [them] with monkey-like agility & the “ground plan” is spread with sleeping bags into which the owners retreat.” — Frank Hurley
Crew of the Endurance, Elephant Island, 1916
“The most motley & unkempt assembly that ever was projected on a plate.”
— Frank Hurley
“Hudson was still suffering from what is generally described as “nervous breakdown.” [His] breakdown is remarkable for a man of such fine physique; but it is often the case that powerfully built men do not endure hardship & exposure very well.”
— Thomas Orde-Lees
The surgical team: the two doctors McElroy and Macklin, Wild and How as assistants, Blackboro of course, Hurley as “stoker,” and Greenstreet and Hudson because they were invalids anyway. Hudson kept his face averted, but Greenstreet, perched in the thwarts, peered down and “took a lively interest in the proceedings.”
— Alexander Macklin
Drawing by Frank Hurley of inside of hut
The Dudley Docker and Stancomb Wills overturned for shelter on Elephant Island, 1916.
Shackleton. 