View source for Robert Falcon Scott

{{Infobox person
| name           = Robert Falcon Scott
| image          = Scott of the Antarctic crop.jpg
| image_size     = 220px
| alt            = Man with receding hairline, looking left, wearing naval uniform with medals, polished buttons and heavy shoulder decorations
| birth_date     = {{birth date|df=yes|1868|6|6}}
| death_date     = {{death date and age|df=yes|1912|3|29|1868|6|6}}
| birth_place    = [[Plymouth, Devon]], [[England]]
| death_place    = [[Ross Ice Shelf]], [[Antarctica]]
| education      = Naval cadet programme, [[HMS Britannia (1820)|HMS ''Britannia'']]
| spouse         = [[Kathleen Bruce]]
| children       = Peter Markham Scott, later Sir [[Peter Scott]]
| parents        = John Edward and Hannah Scott
| occupation     = Royal Navy officer and Antarctic explorer
}}
[[File:Antarctic expedition map (Amundsen - Scott)-en.svg|thumb|right|220px|alt= Map of a segment of [[Antarctica]], identifying the polar marches of Scott and Amundsen. The track of Scott's journey shows the approximate locations of the deaths of the members of his polar party.|The routes to the South Pole taken by Scott (green) and Amundsen (red), 1911–1912.]]
[[File:Robert Falcon Scott by Herbert Ponting.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Scott, writing his journal in the Cape Evans hut, winter 1911]]
[[File:Scottgroup.jpg|thumb|right|220px|alt=Five men(three standing, two sitting on the icy ground) in heavy polar clothing. All look exhausted and unhappy. The standing men are carrying flagstaffs and a Union flag flies from a mast in the background. Scott's party at the South Pole.<br /> Left to right: Wilson; Bowers; Evans; Scott; Oates|Scott's group took this photograph of themselves using a string to operate the shutter on 17 January 1912, the day after they discovered Amundsen had reached the pole first.]]

[[Captain]] '''Robert Falcon Scott''' [[Commander of the Royal Victorian Order|CVO]], [[Royal Navy|RN]] (6 June 1868 – 29 March 1912) was an [[English people|English]] [[Royal Navy]] [[officer]] and [[explorer]] who died on an expedition to the [[South Pole]]. He is widely known as ''Scott of the Antarctic'', the title of a 1948 movie.

Scott led two expeditions to the [[Antarctic]] regions: the [[Discovery Expedition]], 1901–04, and the ill-fated [[Terra Nova Expedition]], 1910–13.<ref name="Cacho Gómez">Cacho Gómez, Javier 2011. ''Amundsen-Scott: duel in the Antarctic'' Forcola, Madrid. {{ISBN|978-8-41-517431-8}}</ref>
Before his appointment to lead the Discovery Expedition, Scott had followed the conventional career of a naval officer in peacetime [[Victorian era|Victorian]] [[Britain]], where opportunities for career advancement were keenly sought after by ambitious officers.

It was the chance for personal distinction that led Scott to apply for command of the ''[[RSS Discovery|Discovery]]''.<ref name=Crane>Crane, David 2005. ''Scott of the Antarctic: a life of courage, and tragedy in the extreme south''. HarperCollins, London. {{ISBN|978-0-00-715068-7}}</ref> His name became associated with the Antarctic, his field of work for the final twelve years of his life.

==Terra Nova Expedition 1910–1913==
During this second venture, Scott led a party of five which reached the [[South Pole]] on 17 January 1912, only to find that [[Roald Amundsen]]'s [[Norway|Norwegian]] expedition had got there first. On the return journey, Scott and his four comrades died from exhaustion, starvation and extreme cold. The tragic fate of his expedition is still remembered throughout the world.

== Scott's leadership ==
After his death, Scott became a British hero. His reputation suffered from several books written later in the 20th century.<ref name=Hunt>Huntford, Roland 1985. ''The last place on Earth''. London: Pan Books. {{ISBN|0-330-28816-4}}</ref> Still later, Scott's record was reviewed more favourably.<ref>Fiennes, Ranulph 2003. ''Captain Scott''. London: Hodder & Stoughton. {{ISBN|0-340-82697-5}}</ref> The main cause of the failure  of the expedition is now said to be the exceptionally adverse weather at the end of the return from the pole.<ref name=Sue>Solomon, Susan 2001. ''The coldest March: Scott's fatal Antarctic expedition''. London: Yale University Press. {{ISBN|0-300-08967-8}}</ref>

Scott took [[Pony|ponies]], motorised [[sled]]s and ordinary sleds, which he and his men pulled.  He thought that the number of animals overworked and killed should be held as low as possible and considered his rival Roald Amundsen's approach as cruel.<ref name=Cherry>Cherry-Garrard, Apsley 1970. ''The worst journey in the world: Antarctic 1910–13''. 1965 ed, Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin, p343 & 424. {{ISBN|978-0-14-009501-2}}</ref>  Amundsen, on the other hand, killed dog after dog to feed himself, the men and the rest of the dogs.  He did not feel bad about it. The ponies helped travelling part of the way to the pole, but some of them were so stubborn that the expedition members, especially [[Lawrence Oates]], lost much energy that was needed to get back from the pole. The motorised sleds (which worked well at the start) eventually froze up. The dogs, of which there 36, were left behind on the final attempt on the Pole.

One factor which has been re-discovered is that Scott gave the dog driver Meares  written orders before leaving for the final attempt on the pole. The order was for dogs to be brought up towards the returning party.<ref>Evans, Edward R.G.R. 1949. ''South with Scott''. London: Collins, p187/8.</ref> This order was supplemented by Scott asking Atkinson to make a similar attempt (Atkinson was one of those not chosen for the final attempt group).<ref name=Cherry/> In the event, neither of these actions took place.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Antarctica|state=collapsed}}
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[[Category:1868 births]]
[[Category:1912 deaths]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order]]
[[Category:Deaths from starvation]]
[[Category:English explorers]]
[[Category:Royal Navy officers]]
[[Category:British sailors]]
[[Category:Explorers of Antarctica]]