John F Mann has done some superb research on McNish’s and other member’s lives which can be found on his website here. His grave went unmarked until in 1954 the New Zealand Antarctic Society placed a headstone, they continue to tend the grave and in 2004 it was remodelled and a bronze statue of Mrs Chippy, McNish’s tom cat, rests on the stone.
In 1958 the British Antarctic survey named the larger of two small islands on the entry to King Haakon Bay, McNish Island, the smaller island is named McCarthy Island, a fitting tribute indeed.
Further Reading:
South by Sir Ernest Shackleton
Shackleton by Roland Huntford
Endurance, Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage to the Antarctic by Alfred Lansing
"Shackleton Death or Glory” 3 hrs, A film of Tim Jarvis’s 2013 Shackleton expedition to recreate the escape from Elephant Island
Harry McNish, An Insight into Shackleton’s Carpenter by Harry Leachman and published on the New Zealand Antarctic Society website here. http://antarctic.org.nz/pages/journal/articles/art33.php
Thanks to Seb Coulthard for his insights into the design and handling of the James Caird
John F Mann’s site on the Endurance Expedition. John has done some brilliant first hand research on the crew . and I am particularly indebted to him for the research on Harry McNish’s later life. His site can be found here: http://www.enduranceobituaries.co.uk/index.html
Charles John Green, the irrepresible cook renowned for his perpetual good spirits and much respected and loved by the men. John F Mann's site has some fascinating information on Green and his life. Green outlived all the other members of the crew, passing away in 1974 at the age of 85.
McNeish, Harry, 1874-1930. McNeish, Harry, 1874-1930 : Journal of Harry McNeish, carpenter on Shackleton's Endurance expedition. Ref: MS-1389. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. http://natlib.govt.nz/records/22375892
Right: The obituary and funeral notice pasted into the back of a folder that had belonged to Harry McNish and contained his journal of the expedition. It was donated to the National Library of New Zealand in 1935 and is reproduced here with their permission.
Words: Richard Palmer
Uncredited Bictures courtesy of the Bitish Library
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