Birdie Bowers

Henry 'Birdie' Bowers (1883-1912) realised his life's ambition when he was selected for Scott's Terra Nova Expedition to the Antarctic, yet he was only asked to join the team that would actually reach the South Pole at the last moment. He died on the return journey, caught in a blizzard with Scott and Edward Wilson. Born to a sea-faring father and adventurous mother on the Firth of Clyde, Bowers' boyhood obsession with travel and adventure took him round the world several times and his life appears, with hindsight, to have been a ceaseless preparation for his ultimate, Antarctic challenge. Only 5'4",, he was nevertheless a bundle of energy: knowledgeable, indefatigable and the ultimate 'team player' - in Scott's words, he was 'a marvel'. This new biography, drawing on Bowers' letters and journals and previously neglected material, will shed new light on his achievements and tell the full story of the hardy naval officer who could always life his companions' spirits.