Discovery 125 Anniversary fundraiser

Join the Society to mark the 125th anniversary of Captain Scott’s British National Antarctic Expedition (1901–1904), the Discovery expedition, departing British waters for Antarctica. This event is part of our wider fundraising initiative to digitally preserve our historical collections related to the expedition.

This landmark expedition launched the careers of some of the world’s most iconic polar explorers, including Robert Falcon Scott, Ernest Shackleton, Frank Wild, Tom Crean, and Edward Wilson, and helped define the Heroic Age of Antarctic exploration. 

Discovery was a pioneering scientific venture, the expedition achieved major milestones, including discovering the Polar Plateau and King Edward VII Land, mapping the Transantarctic Mountains, locating the South Magnetic Pole, and reaching a new ‘furthest south’ of 82°17′S. 

Today, the Society holds an extraordinary collection of items relating to the expedition’s scientific work and daily life. These include photographs, handwritten manuscripts, maps, planning materials, artefacts, and artworks which with your help we seek to preserve.

Join us for a special day of talks, film, and displays celebrating this remarkable expedition and its enduring legacy. During the first part of the day (1.30pm to 7.00pm) we present some of the most knowledgeable speakers in the British Isles and beyond who will share their insights into this foundational expedition.

The second part of the day consists of a dinner followed by the remarkable one-man-show Tom Crean: Polar Explorer. All proceeds will go to the long-term preservation of the expeditions collection held here at the Society.

Day tickets are £15 (£10 members). An evening show and dinner ticket can be purchased for an additional £5.

Programme  

• 1.30pm – Display and talk: Anne Strathie on Antarctic exploration. Anne is a polar historian and author known for her work on the history of Antarctic and Arctic exploration
• 2.30pm – Great White Silence film screening. A screening of the original footage shot by Herbert Ponting during Scott’s second expedition – Terra Nova.
• 4.00pm – Talk: Dr David Wilson. David is a highly regarded polar historian who’s great uncle was Scott’s trusted companion Dr Edward Wilson.
• 4.30pm – Talk: Ali Gelatly. Ali is the Ship and Facilities Director at Dundee Heritage Trust – the charity tasked with the care and conservation of Captain Scott’s Royal Research Ship Discovery.  
• 5.30pm – Talk: Esther Horvath. Esther is an award-winning photographer whose work documents scientific research and life in polar regions.
• 6.00pm – Talk: John Shears. John is a polar explorer and expedition leader who has taken part in multiple Antarctic and Arctic missions. He is known for his involvement in modern polar exploration initiatives and leadership in extreme environments.
• 6.30pm – Talk: TBC
• 7.00pm – Dinner: Pizza and drinks. 
• 8.30pm – Show: Tom Crean: Polar Explorer. Aidan Dooley brings his remarkable one-man show of one of the great figures of polar exploration performed at the Society for the first time.  

Display of original materials and artefacts from the Discovery expedition will be on show throughout the day. From 1.30pm (Foyle Reading Room).

Bar open: 5:00pm – 10:00pm (Map Room).