Scott’s men are 170 miles from the Pole.
Scott reorganised his team. He sent his second-in-command, Lieutenant E.R.G.R. Evans and two men back.
Teddy Evans’s support party returns to base and Scott takes one of his men, ‘Birdie’ Bowers, increasing the Polar party to five:
The four he chose to go with him for the final approach were
- Scientist – Dr Edward Wilson
- Captain Lawrence Oates, 6th Inniskilling Dragoons
- Lieutenant Henry Bowers, Royal Indian Marine
- Petty Officer Edgar Evans RN. (The only man of the five who was not a commissioned officer)
‘Evans’ party going ahead on foot. We followed on ski. Very stupidly we had not seen to our ski shoes beforehand, and it took a good half-hour to get them right…when we did get away, to our surprise the sledge pulled very easily, and we made fine progress, rapidly gaining on the foot-haulers.’ Scott
