The Discovery Expedition
William had just completed his first twelve years of service in the Royal Navy and about to sign up for ten more when he had the opportunity to join Captain Scott on his first expedition to the Antarctic.
The National Antarctic Expedition of 1901 grew out of a series of nineteenth century exploratory visits to Antarctic regions by American, European and British explorers. In 1895, an international geographical conference in London identified Antarctic exploration as an urgent task. A Polar Year was arranged for 1901 with British, German and Swedish expeditions working in different sectors of the continent. Britain was to work in the Ross Sea area.
The main individual driving force behind the idea was Admiral Sir Clements Markham, a controversial character who had experience of polar climates and was President of the powerful and influential Royal Geographical Society. As early as 1895 he had resolved to organise an expedition to explore the Antarctic. Its purpose was defined from the start as an essentially scientific venture to further knowledge of this still mysterious place.
Soon after Scott had been appointed to lead the expedition he set about choosing those who would go with him. As an experienced naval officer he was determined that the expedition would “not only be of honour to his country but to the honour of his service". Apart from those who had specialist scientific knowledge, most of the company were selected primarily for their skills in seamanship. The only member of the whole expedition who had been to the Antarctic before was Louis Bernacchi, an expert in meteorology and magnetic work who was on the Southern Cross expedition in 1898.
It was due to Captain Scott’s persistence that, apart from the expert scientists, most members of the ship’s company were chosen from the Royal Navy.
“From an early date I had set my mind on obtaining a naval crew. I felt sure that their sense of discipline would be an immense acquisition, and I had grave doubts as to my own ability to deal with any other class of men".
Senior people backed Scott’s request that men serving in the Royal Navy should be allowed to volunteer, justifying their decision on the grounds that it would promote a spirit of enterprise in the Service. So Scott was able to write to his officer friends serving in Navy ships to ask them to select one or two men from those who volunteered to save him from the impossible task of going through what he anticipated to be a very long list.
William Lashly was one of those chosen and joined the Discovery in London on June 30th 1901. Why William volunteered for such a risky venture is not clear but when in retirement people asked him why he had gone his reply was, “What should we know if we did not go adventuring?".
A month later the ship sailed for Spithead. William had two days leave at home then on August 6th, in the words of his diary, “I said good bye to wife & Child went on board proceeded to Cowes & was inspected by the King and Queen.”
William Lashly top row, 7th from the left in the back row
The objects of the Expedition
a) to determine, as far as possible, the nature, condition and extentof that portion of the South Polar lands which is included in the scope of your Expedition; and
b) to make a magnetic survey in the southern regions to the south of the 40th parallel and to carry on meteorological, oceanographic, geological, biological and physical investigations and researches. Neither of these objects is to be sacrificed to the other.