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Tom Crean
last update: Sep 04, 2009 03:04 PM
Born: 20th July 1877 Gurtachrane, Annascaul, Co. Kerry, Ireland Died: 27th July 1938 of complications following a burst, infected appendiy. His grave is in Ballinacourty, nr. Annascaul Married: Ellen Herlihy on 5th September 1917 (stayed married till his death). Three children; Mary, Katherine ("Katie" died age 4), and Eileen
Trivia
- There is a Tom Crean Society: http://www.tomcrean.com/
- A bronze Statue of Tom Crean is standing in Annascaul, not far from his pub, "the South Pole Inn"
- Joined the British Royal Navy at 15
- Was one of 10 children
- Was a modest and humble man who never gave interviews to the press or bragged about his Antarctic adventures
- He was amongst the 11-man search party which found the remains of the Scott polar party in November 1912
Biography
Tom Crean was born in 1877, on a farm near the village Annascaul, Co Kerry, Ireland. He shared the same birthday with the great adventurer Edmund Hilary. At the age of 15, he signed up for Boy Second Class in the British Navy. Later, Tom Crean ended up being on three of the four major British Antarctic expeditions: he was on the "Discovery" (1901 - 1904), the "Terra Nova" (1910 - 1913) and on the "Endurance" (1914 - 1916). Despite a personal request from Shackleton, he rejected the chance to sail on the "Quest" in 1921. He spent more time in the Antarctic region that either Scott or Shackleton, and lived longer than both of them.
"Terra Nova" Expedition
For this expedition, Scott wanted only people that he could trust - mainly Bill Lashly, Edgar Evans and Tom Crean. During the expedition, these three men had to get to Hut Point to rescue the rest of the expedition. Evans began to show increasing signs of scurvy - he broke down and was unable to continue travelling. Crean and Lashly refused to leave him behind. 35 miles from Hut Point, the two men placed Evans in a tent. Leaving Lashly to nurse him, Tom Crean volunteered to walk the 35 miles to Hut Point. He set off with nothing but two sticks of chocolate and three biscuits, and nothing to protect him. Somehow he managed to make the 35 miles, even through a blizzard. After 18 hours he collapsed through the hut's front door.
"Endurance" Expedition
According to Shackleton's biographer, Roland Huntford, Frank Wild and Tom Crean were the only men Shackleton could trust during the expeditions worst times. After their ship, the "Endurance", sank, all the men launched three lifeboats to sail for Elephant Island. Tom Crean ended up in the smallest one - the "Stancomb Wills". Somehow, this boat was the first to land at Elephant Island. After they landed there, Tom Crean volunteered to make the 800-mile crossing of the Southern Ocean to South Georgia on the "James Caird". After 17 days at sea in the 22-foot boat, the three men arrived on South Georgia. When Ernest Shackleton went back to Elephant Island to rescue the rest of the crew.
Later life
After all his heroic exploring, Tom Crean too part in the First World War right after the "Endurance" expedition returned from Elephant Island. He lived through the war, retiring from the Navy in 1920 after serving for 27 years. In 1917 he married Ellen Herlihy and had three daughters - sadly, Katherine ("Katie") died at the age of four. But his two other daughters, Mary and Eileen, are still alive today. Tom Crean also opened his own pub, naming it the "South Pole Inn" - it still exists today and in use. Inside the pub, one can find lots of photos and other memorabilia. You can even get a sense of how the wind sounded in Antarctica when you open a shutter at the back of the pub.
However, his live came to an end in the summer of 1938. He complained of stomach pains and was rushed to hospital due to a burst appendix. Tom Crean died on 27th July of 1938, at the age of 61. In remembrance of this brave man, there is Mount Crean in Victoria Land (rising up to 2550 meters) and on South Georgia there is the Crean Glacier, extending more than 6 kilometres. Tom Crean was a selfless, humble man - he never spoke about his exploring in public, and never gave a single interview to a writer.
