A historic union jack flag has been donated to the Scott Polar Research Institute’s (SPRI) extensive collection of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s artifacts and documents.
A historic union jack flag has been donated to the Scott Polar Research Institute’s (SPRI) extensive collection of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s artifacts and documents.
Queen Alexandra presented the flag to Ernest Shackleton, who took it on his ‘Nimrod’ expedition to Antarctica (1907-09). It was on that trip, on 9 January, 1909, that he and two colleagues reached to within 97 nautical miles of the then still unattained South Pole.
Dr. John M. Levinson of Delaware, USA, purchased the flag at Christie's in London in April 1997. Until the Christie’s sale, a member of Shackleton’s family owned the flag.
Dr. Levinson has kindly presented the flag to Cambridge in America and, through them, to the SPRI for care and display in the Institute’s polar museum.
Dr. Levinson was a Colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, and worked as a surgeon on tourist ships, cruising largely in Arctic and Antarctic waters, for 35 years. His concerns on the safety and medical care of tourists in Polar Regions led to the world’s first conference on the subject, held at SPRI in October 1995. Subsequently he published ‘Safe passage questioned: medical care and safety for the polar tourist’. He has been a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and was President of the Explorers Club in New York City from 1985-87.
Professor Julian Dowdeswell, Director of the SPRI, said:
“We are delighted with Dr. Levinson’s kind donation. Our Institute is the home of a number of Shackleton’s artifacts and documents and we are very happy to have another, such important addition.”
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