"Great God! This is a terrible place."
- Robert Falcon Scott, when surveying the South Pole 100 years ago today.
After 2 months of hardship, Scott and his team were the second team to navigate their way to the South Pole - narrowly edged out of first place by a Norwegian Team lead by Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen a month earlier. This was a tale of trials and tortures, as none of the brave 5-man team that departed from Cardiff in June 1910 would return; they would instead slowly perish one by one on their return journey - some just 11 miles from their final depot.
This was a story that entranced me as a child. How could one man lead a team into the depths of the wilderness, make an 800 mile trek across frozen wastelands, yet still be clear of mind enough to write letters to his wife and loved ones in the few hours before his death.
This man and his team were heroes and on this centennial anniversary they should be remembered. I know I'll be raising a glass to them tonight and remembering Captain Oates' immortal words "I'm going outside and may be some time..." - brave words of a man knowing he faced certain death, yet still though highly enough of his companions to give them some false hope that he would return.
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