Sledge & flag from Shackleton’s Nimrod expedition at risk of leaving the UK

Arts Minister Helen Whately has stopped the export
of iconic items from this famous expedition

Ernest Shackleton's Nimrod expedition, 1907 - 1909was the greatest advance to the South Pole in history, until Amundsen and Scott's reached the Pole three years later in 1912.

The flag and sledge placed under an export bar were hauled, first by ponies, then the men, to within 97.5 miles of the Pole and played an integral part in the practical and patriotic nature of the ground-breaking mission.

Shackleton's team left London in August 1907 and finally docked in Cape Royds in February 1908.

They established a camp and undertook several missions throughout the winter as well as printing and binding books chronicling their journey and findings.

This was not Shackleton's first trip to the Antarctic, having been a junior officer on Scott's expedition there in 1903.

Five years later, Shackleton returned to the Antarctic with his own team having secured funds from a range of private investors.

The expedition, which failed to reach the Pole, was met with mixed reviews at the time and considered a failure by some but the journals, photographs and mapping the team returned with have ensured their rightful place in the history of extreme expeditions.

Arts Minister Helen Whately said:

"Shackleton’s expeditions to the South Pole are legendary. The sledge and the flag were part of his ground-breaking Nimrod expedition.

Together, they help to tell the story of one of the most daring moments in the twentieth century.

The UK has a proud history of discovery, and it would be a terrible loss for the nation if these unique items did not stay in the country."

The items at risk of export belonged to Dr Eric Marshall (1879 - 1963), a surgeon and polar explorer and a crucial member of the Nimrod team, acting as surgeon, surveyor, cartographer and principal photographer.

The Chairman of the RCEWA, Sir Hayden Phillips said:

“This sledge and flag, belonging to Eric Marshall, are evocative objects but it is the story around them which gives dramatic and historic resonance to the items.

The story behind these objects is a riveting saga. Generations to come will be prompted to discover it if the sledge and the flag can be on public display in this country. We need to keep them.”

The items are valued at £227,500 plus £8,750 VAT and are at risk of export unless a UK buyer can be found to add the items to the national collection so they can be enjoyed by the public.

Sledge & flag from Shackleton’s Nimrod expedition at risk of leaving the UK

Shackleton's team left London in August 1907 and finally docked in Cape Royds in February 1908. They established a camp and undertook several missions throughout the winter as well as printing and binding books chronicling their journey and findings.

Shackleton's team left London in August 1907 and finally docked in Cape Royds in February 1908.

They established a camp and undertook several missions throughout the winter as well as printing and binding books chronicling their journey and findings.