NavList:

While browsing the navlist archives I found a comment that copies of Worsley's diaries were in the Alexander Turnbull Library in Wellington. I have not (yet) found replies indicating that someone has had a look at these diaries. The relevant document is

Date: 1916 By: Worsley, Frank Arthur (Commander), 1872-1943Shackleton, Ernest Henry (Sir), 1874-1922

Ref: Micro-MS-0632

Entries made while on Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1914-1917 under Sir Ernest Shackleton. Includes diary of voyage of the `James Caird' from Elephant Island to South Georgia, 24 Apr-20 May 1916; diary relating to rescue of Elephant Island party, 16 Jun-25 Dec 1916; manuscript entitled `Shackleton's great boat journey', 1916.

Quantity: 1 microfilm reel(s) positive (ca 200 pages).

Physical Description: Holograph (microfilm)

Provenance: Donor/Lender/Vendor - Donated by the Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge, England, 1967

Access restrictions: No access restrictions

Format: 1 microfilm reel(s) positive (ca 200 pages), Diaries, Manuscripts, Holograph (microfilm)

I note that the original is in the Polar Research Institute, Cambridge. Has anyone viewed this diary - either the original or the microfilm?

I quick check shows that the Alexander Turnbull Library is about 18nm SW3/4W of where I am writing this. It is about five minutes walk away from a spot I regularly visit to view/ride on Wellington's trolley buses before they are replaced with noisy, smelly diesels in six months time.  So much for clean, green NZ (-;   (Then there is the radio documentary I heard this morning about badly degraded rivers, mainly due to intensification of dairying, but that is another matter).

If no one has viewed the diary I am happy to have a look at it although I am not making any promises about how soon that would be.

There are no access restrictons so I should be able to do something that Brad is prohibited from doing - give you an example of Worsley's hand writing.