Matrix Shackleton Centenary Expedition
Place at the Pole
...following in Shackleton's footsteps
Matrix Group were the title sponsor of the Matrix Shackleton Centenary Expedition which recreated history by crossing Antarctica precisely 100 years after Shackleton attempted the same feat in 1909. The journey saw Shackleton fall short of the Pole by 97 miles, at which point he turned back to preserve the lives of his men. The Expedition had much historical resonance as the team completing it was made up of the descendants of Shackleton’s original team of explorers.
Matrix Group ran the Place at the Pole competition back in August 2008 to find a seventh member for the expedition. Back in September 2008 Andrew Ledger, 23 from Sheffield, managed to beat all the other 3,000 applicants to win a place to go to the pole with the six descendants.
Andrew departed the UK at the end of December 2008 and traveled to meet the expedition team to start their Antarctic journey on January 6th 2009 at the 97 Mile Point – the date and spot where Sir Ernest decided to put the lives of his team ahead of glory exactly 100 years earlier. Accompanying him was Shackleton’s great-grandson, Patrick Bergel (36), a great-grandson of Jameson Boyd-Adams, David Cornell (38) and Tim Fright (24), the great-great-nephew of Frank Wild, the only explorer to accompany Shackleton on all his missions.
These four explorers then met up with their three other team mates who, having began their own Antarctic journey on October 29th 2008, had already covered 803 miles from ‘Hut Point’. Using Shackleton’s personal compass to navigate the icy wastelands, the team had already crossed the vast Ross Ice Shelf and ascended the formidable Beardmore Glacier.
The trio is was led by Lt Col Henry Worsley (47), a descendant of Frank Worsley (Shackleton’s skipper). Accompanying him was Henry Adams (33), another great-grandson of Jameson Boyd-Adams and Will Gow (35) who, inspired by a desire to unite Shackleton’s descendants at the Pole, first came up with the idea of re-creating the voyage. Gow is related to Sir Ernest by marriage.
Together, the combined team of seven, finished the journey that their ancestors began and “Closed the Pole” on behalf of the 1909 Team.
The Expedition launched the Shackleton Foundation, which supports those who exemplify the spirit of Sir Ernest - a fierce personal commitment to succeed, a willingness to take intelligent risks and an ability to inspire others to do their utmost.