The Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1953-58 organised and led by Sir
Vivian Fuchs and supported by Sir Edmund Hillary was one of the most
extraordinary exploits ever undertaken in Antarctica - but it has been
underappreciated. On the sixtieth anniversary of the crossing, this book
tells the complete story of this remarkable episode in the history of
exploration. The Crossing is illustrated with photographs from the Royal
Geographical Society, with the kind permission of Mary Lowe, widow of
expedition photographer George Lowe, and from Peter and Sarah Hillary
and the Auckland War Memorial Museum. Sir Ernest Shackleton had tried
unsuccessfully to cross the Antarctic in 1914. He called it the Last
Great Journey, but he and his men escaped by the skin of their teeth.
The new post-war expedition was therefore, with knowledge of what had
gone before, a brave attempt to conquer the vast frozen continent. For
this historic endeavour, planning had to be done at opposite ends of the
Earth, in the UK and New Zealand, and members of the expedition were
drawn from the Commonwealth. The plan was meticulous but flawed, and the
stakes were high: national, political and scientific interests all
depended on its success. John Knight's account shows how the expedition
was organised, from the scientific insight it relied on, to the voyage
to Antarctica and the choice of the largely mechanised transport
intended to carry the men across the ice desert - though the courageous
dog teams would be crucial as pathfinders. Survival at times was touch
and go, and controversies arose amid the pressure of the journey. This
book not only provides a technical insight into a ground-breaking
venture but touches on the human aspects of the challenge. Crucially,
did Ed Hillary exceed his remit by pushing on south, when his specific
instructions were to establish depots for 'Bunny' Fuchs's journey, not
to engage in a 'Second Race to the Pole'? The Crossing charts a unique
event in postwar history.
