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In 1914, Irish explorer Ernest Shackleton embarked on the historic Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition from the UK, aiming to be the first to traverse Antarctica by land. However, the journey turned into a legendary disaster when his ship, the Endurance, was trapped and crushed by ice, leaving Shackleton and his crew stranded for months. Against all odds, every member survived, and now, a newly discovered diary from the expedition has emerged, as revealed in a recent Antiques Roadshow episode.
In the clip below, a woman shares pages from a diary with Antiques Roadshow expert Richard Price, claiming it has been in her family for years. The diary, reportedly penned by a crew member of Shackleton's Endurance, documents the expedition's start, the grueling months of survival on the ice, and their eventual rescue.
"We have no idea who wrote it," the owner explains. "My father received it about 40 years ago, and it’s been sitting in my mother’s attic ever since." She adds that the diary spent a considerable amount of time stored beneath her mother’s television.
The diary features a sketch of the ship trapped in ice, a recount of consuming the expedition's final surviving dogs ("their meat—a delicacy"), and other details. "It’s an extraordinary document," Price remarks. "However, the handwriting is unfamiliar to me." While he cannot verify its authenticity, he recommends the woman seek assistance from the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge, UK, to identify the author. If confirmed as a genuine diary from the Endurance, he estimates its value could reach approximately £30,000 (nearly $40,000).
If you happen to have any historical diaries tucked away at home, please avoid storing them beneath a warm television.
