ANTARCTIC EXPLORER

Hokitika Guardian, 25 September 1930, Page 6

ANTARCTIC EXPLORER

DEATH ENSUES. (By Telegraph—Press Association) WELLINGTON, September 25. One' of the few who have taken part in two expeditions to the Antarctic, Harry McNeish, died at Wellington at the age of 64. He had been in Obiro Home for sode years. He went into a Hospital about a week ago. He was a member of expeditions to the Antarctic led by .Scott and Shackleton; and was born in Irvine, Ayrshire in 1866. McNeish served his time in a shipbuilding yard at Port Glasgow. The first ship in which ho. went to sea was the Barfillan, a threemasted square-rigged ship of *2508 tons. He joined the Navy and was a ship’s carpenter for twenty-three years. He went to Dundee and worked on the building of the Discovery, which was to go south with Scott. McNeish joined her as a carpenter, the trip lasting two years and three months, from Port Chalmers.

Scott got only as far as the Beardmore Glacier on that occasion. McNeish was on the Discovery at Hut Point until 'Scott returned, his party being too late to get the ship out, so they had to spend another winter there. For eight months they were cutting through miles of ice, and on tlie day that the ice disappeared the ships Morning and Terra Nova hove in sight.

Returning to England McNeish served with the Royal Mail line when lie was called to join the Endurance as a carpenter for another Antarctic! expedition with Shackleton. The Endurance sailed for the South Role on August 15th, [1914. McNeish shared in the adventure of the crew when she was crushed in the ice in Weddei Sea in October 1915, and when tlie crew dragged three of the best- boats over the ice for about twenty miles to open water; twenty-eight men then setting sail for Elephant Island. When, after a stay of four days at Elephant Island, six men set isail for South Georgia. McNeish was made sailing master by Shackleton. After landing Shackleton walked over to the whaling station for assistance and McNeish returned to England with the first whaler. He went to sea with the New Zealand Shipping Coy., and finally worked his passage to New Zealand with the intention of settling here. Later he became an iamate of Ohiro Home.