Information kindly supplied by George Marston's distant relative, Mrs Margaret Galloway:
As a child Mrs Galloway's grandfather, Stephen Marston (born 1876), a watchmaker and repairer who lived and worked in Swadlincote, Derbyshire would often recount the story of a man on the fateful expedition who brought his toes home in a jar!
Due to the severe conditions the men faced in their struggle for survival on the ice, many lost fingers and toes through frostbite. It's well recorded that George Marston had his frostbitten toes amputated. Mrs Galloway believes Marston, who was the official artist on two Shackleton expeditions, was cousin to her Grandfather. After reading about Marston's survival story at the exhibition she believed it validates this connection.
'Camp on ice'. Painting by George Marston (S0026050)