Wilson, papers regarding Edward Wilson

This material is held atScott Polar Research Institute Archives, University of Cambridge

  • Reference
    • GB 15 Ida Wilson/Papers regarding Edward Wilson
  • Dates of Creation
    • 1915-1962
  • Name of Creator
  • Physical Description
    • 1 scrapbook and 2 postcards

Scope and Content

  • MS 715/5;BJ Scrapbook, 1915 [Contains mainly published obituaries and some postcards sent from the British National Antarctic Expedition, 1901-1904] 1 volume
  • MS 975/2/1-2;D Postcards (2) to Mrs Dorothy Irving Bell, 2 January and 27 June 1962 [Regarding the 50th anniversary service at the Edward Wilson memorial, Cheltenham on 27 March 1962]

Administrative / Biographical History

Ida Wilson's brother Edward Adrian Wilson was a member of Robert Falcon Scott's two Antarctic expeditions (1901-1904 and 1910-1913). During the British National Antarctic Expedition, 1901-1904 Wilson with Scott and Ernest Henry Shackleton achieved a furthest south of 82.28° on 30 December 1902. On the British Antarctic Expedition, 1910-1913 Wilson led a party consisting of himself, Henry Bowers and Apsley Cherry-Garrard to the emperor penguin rookery at Cape Crozier. This winter journey was recounted in Cherry-Garrard's The worst journey in the world. Scott chose Wilson as a member of the polar party which reached the South Pole on 17 January 1912. He perished along with the others (Bowers, Evans, Oates and Scott) during the return journey. Search parties discovered his body along with Scott and Bowers in 1913.

Arrangement

Chronological

Related Material

  • MS 715/7/1-4;D Balcon M and Bromhead R C Letters (2) to Ida Wilson [Regarding film on Scott and Pole Party and her presentation to the Queen] 6 sheets
  • MS 715/8/1-2;D Brewer C Letter to Ida Wilson, 24 February 1951 [Regarding BBC talk on Edward Wilson, 1952 (repeated 1955)] 1 sheet
  • MS 1007/1;D Drake F Letter to Ida Wilson, 30 September 1913 [Regarding expedition photographs]
  • MS 715/6/1-10;D Letters (10) to Ida Wilson, 17 September 1928 to 20 April 1932, 17 sheets
  • MS 861;D Wilson E A Letter to Ida Wilson, 26 May 1897 [Regarding British birds] 2 leaves
  • MS 1007/4;D Wilson E A Letter to Ida Wilson, 7 July 1901 [Arrangement for seeing ship (Discovery)]

See also GB 015 British National Antarctic Expedition, 1901-1904 and GB 015 British Antarctic Expedition, 1910-1913 for a fuller list of archival material held by the Institute on these expeditions.