Dundee has seen the unveiling of a poignant memorial to polar explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton. The Hope Cross was constructed by his crew following his death in 1922. The 3-metre memorial had previously been based at King Edward Point, South Georgia, near Grytviken, before being replaced with a replica in 2018. It has now been placed on display beside RRS Discovery which first took Shackleton to Antarctica in 1901.
Sophie Hinde, heritage manager at Dundee Heritage Trust, spoke of the cross’s significance, saying that “There were thoughts that his body would be taken to England for a funeral, but it was actually buried in Grytviken and the crew put up the cross because they wanted him to be memorialised.”
Few had been able to visit the memorial because of its remote location. However, interest in Shackleton’s adventures remains high over 100 years after his death. Dundee’s Heritage Trust intends to keep the Hope Cross there on long-term loan from the South Georgia Museum.
Shackleton was born in County Kildare, Ireland, in 1874. In 1901, he and explorer Robert Falcon Scott got closer to the South Pole than any other European explorer. His most famous journey was his plan to cross the South Pole on board his ship, The Endurance. However, in 1915, the boat became trapped in ice, and his crew abandoned ship, crossing onto floating ice. In April 1916, Shackleton took five crew members in a small boat in search of help for the others, travelling 807 miles before reaching South Georgia.
Shackleton died in 1922 on board his last voyage on board the Quest. He had planned to explore Alaska and surrounding islands but lost his funding, so he headed to the South Pole to explore around Antarctica but died of a heart attack aboard the ship aged 47.
Shackleton’s granddaughter Alexandra will attend a private rededication ceremony to the cross later, expressing her appreciation that “the cross [is] here in a city that my grandfather knew so well. Our family is very grateful to all who have made this possible.”
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