|
Tom Crean: Unsung Hero
biography by Michael Smith
USA
UK
The Ice Man: The Antarctic Adventures of Tom Crean
for younger readers
USA
UK
Tom Crean's Rabbit: A True
Story from Scott's Last Voyage
for ages 4-8
USA
UK |
Thomas Crean
Able seaman
Discovery 1901-04
Petty officer
Terra
Nova 1910-13
Second officer Endurance
Endurance 1914-17
Tom Crean served both Scott and Shackleton and
outlived them both.
He was what is often described as "hardbitten"
tough, and determined, he had been disrated in the Navy for drunken
and inappropriate behaviour for his station and had a less than
satisfactory character reference from the Navy. He frequently came
across as heavy handed and tactless - forthright - to be more
charitable.
His first encounter with Antarctic exploration
came with Scott's expedition on the Terra Nova and was a somewhat
opportunistic accident. Crean was in Christchurch, New Zealand
serving aboard HMS Ringarooma when Scott's "Discovery" was also in
port and was in need of an extra crewmember. It was December 1901
and Tom left his own ship to join as a volunteer able seaman. He
played a full role in activities ashore including several sledging
journey's.
Scott was impressed with Crean's performance, he
was promoted to Petty Officer 1st class on his return. Five years
later, when Scott was assembling a crew for what was to become his
last expedition aboard the Terra Nova, Crean was one of the men he
chose first and was appointed as an expert sledger and pony handler.
Tom Crean had thought that he might have been
chosen as one of Scott's party to make the final push to the South
Pole, but was overlooked in favour of Bowers, a great disappointment
to him. As it was, Crean was one of the last men to Scott alive and
he was one of those who buried him and his companions in the snow a
month later. He accompanied the polar party up the Beardmore
Glacier, on the return journey he walked the last difficult 35 miles
alone for 20 hours in appalling conditions to get help for a companion (Teddy
Evans). For this life saving feat he was awarded the Albert Medal on
return to England.
On return from the Terra Nova expedition, he
resumed his Naval duties at Chatham, Kent until Shackleton began to
recruit for his attempt to cross the continent of Antarctica from
coast to coast via the South Pole. Shackleton knew Crean from the
Discovery expedition and had no hesitation in taking him south with
the expedition. He selected Crean to be one of the party of 6 to
make the crossing, it looked like Crean was going to have a chance
to reach the pole after all after his disappointment at not being
selected by Scott.
The crossing was never to be however, in fact,
like Shackleton, Crean was not to even set foot on Antarctica again.
The Endurance was trapped in sea-ice and sank leading to the crew
needing to reach safety which they did so partly when they arrived
at Elephant Island. Crean was one of the men Shackleton selected for
the epic boat journey to South Georgia and also to accompany him and
Worsley across South Georgia to the whaling station from where the
alarm could raised and help begun to be organized for the men
trapped on Elephant Island.
Tom was one of ten children, he was born on the
family farm at Annascaul on the Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry, Ireland. Life was
hard and so Tom joined the Royal Navy at the age of 15, by the age
of 22 in 1899, he had worked his way up to the rank of Petty
Officer.
Once again on his return to England, Crean resumed
his naval career at Chatham. He married Nell Herlihy in 1917 back in
his home town of Anascaul, Nell had been his childhood sweetheart,
though they were aged 40 and 36 by the time they married. For the
rest of the First World War, Crean served in the Royal Navy aboard
HMS Colleen. Shortly after the war ended, Crean was given early
retirement at the age of just 42 in 1920 following a bad fall on his
ship.
Shackleton wanted Crean to return to Antarctica
with him once again on the Quest expedition, but the offer was
declined and Tom settled down to married life and raising his family
of four daughters.
In 1927 Tom opened a pub in Annascaul that he
called "The South Pole Inn", he ran the pub with Nell until 1938
when after falling ill with stomach pains, he was admitted to
hospital in nearby Tralee. Acute appendicitis was diagnosed, but no
one was available for the simple routine appendectomy and he was
transferred to hospital in Cork 80 miles away. The delay led to
infection setting in and he died a week later on 27th July 1938 at
the age of 61.
He was interred in a tomb he had built himself in
the village of Ballynacourty near where he was born. Almost the
entire population of Annascaul turned out to show their respect for
one of their most famous sons.
The South Pole Inn is still in business as an inn,
it is decorated inside with Shackleton and Crean memorabilia. It can
be found in the village of Annascaul, County Kerry on the main road between Tralee
& Dingle.
Landmarks named after Thomas Crean
Feature Name:
Crean Glacier
Feature Type: glacier
Latitude: 5408S
Longitude: 03701W
Description: Glacier 4 mi long, flowing NW from
Wilckens Peaks to the head of Antarctic Bay on the N coast of South
Georgia. Surveyed by the SGS in the period 1951-57 and named by the
UK-APC. This glacier lies on the route of the overland crossing from
King Haakon Bay, to Stromness, South Georgia.
Feature Name:
Mount Crean
Feature Type: summit
Elevation: 2550
Latitude: 7753S
Longitude: 15930E
Description: Massive, rocky mountain, 2,550 m, forming
the central and highest summit of the Lashly Mountains, in Victoria
Land. Named by the NZ-APC.
