polardandy:

Polar Explorer of the Day: Lawrence Edward Grace Oates (17 March 1880 - 16 or 17 March 1912)

Oates was born in Putney, a suburb of London and, as the eldest son of his family, was the heir of a great fortune. He struggled in school, most probably due to dyslexia and the fact that he was a very sickly child. In 1896 his father died and he became the head of the family. In 1898 he joined the British army and served in the Second Boer War, where he suffered a gun shot wound in his left thigh. As a result of this, his left leg was one inch shorter and he walked with a slight limp. Oates was promoted to lieutenant in 1902 and to captain in 1906. He spend the decade after the war in service in Ireland, Egypt, and India. While in India he read about Robert Falcon Scott’s Antarctic expedition plans and offered his service as horse expert (Scott planned on using Siberian ponies for the assault on the Pole) and, contributing with £ 1000 for the expedition’s expenses, was accepted into the crew. He disagreed with Scott on numerous occasions, but he still treated his superior with respect. Scott had chosen Oates for his last polar party, although the last ponies he took care of were dead by the time they reached the bottom of the Beardmore Glacier. The party reached the South Pole on 18 January 1912, more than one month after Amundsen’s team, thus being second to the Pole. After a month, one of the companions, Edgar Evans died and Oates had trouble with his legs (especially the shorter one, because the wound was reopened due to the horrible conditions). By 15/16 March he was in no condition to walk and, according to Scott’s diary, he said he wished not to wake up the next day. The next morning, he woke up and, according to “legend”, told his companions that he’s just going outside and it may be some time. He went outside and was never seen again.