This statue of Captain Robert Falcon Scott commemorating his ill-fated second expedition to the South Pole, stands at the western end of The Porter’s Garden of Portsmouth Dockyard, just inside the main entrance.
Sculpted by his widow, Lady Kathleen in 1915, the Grade II listed bronze statue of Captain Scott with one of his faithful dogs, looks out across the harbour. Research relates that the statue came to Portsmouth following its commission by the then Commanding Officer of HMS Vernon as a tribute to the great explorer with all the ship’s officers helping to fund the project. Below his feet is inscribed this incredibly moving extract taken from his journal in the South Pole:
“The gale is howling about us, we are weak, writing is difficult but for my own sake I do not regret this journey, which has shown that Englishmen can endure hardships, help one another and meet death with as great a fortitude as ever in the past. We took risks, we knew we took them. Things have come out against us and therefore we have no cause for complaint but bow to the will of providence determined to do our best to the end.”
Contributor and photographer: Sue Lowry
Portsmouth Dockyard is on twitter @PompeyDockyard and on Facebook/Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
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