Manuscripts on 1907-1909 British Antarctic Expedition [Tannatt William Edgeworth (TWE) David] (Series 1444)

This series consists of annotated typescripts of the "Narrative of the Northern Party" (5cm), original handwritten folios (1.5 cm) comprising meteorological notes made on the northern journey to the Magnetic South Pole; the latter are dated 10 October to 27 November 1908. The series also contains a manuscript describing the ascent of Mount Erebus; this includes records of barometric pressure readings dated 5 to 9 March 1908. The British Antarctic Expedition of 1907-1909 was described by Ernest Shackleton in "The Heart of the Antarctic" Volume 1 as "entirely my own venture" (Page 5).

The Expedition was funded by the governments of Britain (20,000 pounds sterling), Australia (6,000 pounds sterling) and New Zealand (a ship), by the proceeds of public lectures and the sale of the book "The Heart of the Antarctic" describing the Expedition.

The Northern Party comprised TWE David, Douglas Mawson and Alistair Mackay. The Party left the Expedition's winter quarters at Cape Royds on the west coast of Ross Island on McMurdo Sound (latitude 77.5 degrees south) on 3 October 1908 and walked north along the coast of South Victoria Land to Drygalski ice barrier (latitude approx. 75.5 degrees south) and then north-west to latitude 72.25 degrees south and longitude 155 degrees 16 minutes, estimated by the Party to be the location of the South Magnetic Pole. The Party returned to their depot on Drygalski Glacier on 3 February 1909 where they boarded the ship Nimrod at nearby Relief Inlet. The Party had trekked a distance of 1260 miles (over 1700 kilometres), dragging their sledges by hand. The objectives of the journey as specified by Shackleton were to carry out a geological survey of the coast of Victoria Land and to prospect for minerals of economic value in Dry Valley, to determine the position of the South Magnetic Pole and to journey to the pole if resources permitted, and to take possession of these lands for the British Empire by hoisting the British flag.

It is assumed that David kept papers relating to Antarctica together. Some of the papers had been boxed by subject, viz, 'Antarctica', 'Funafuti', 'geology of Australia', 'fossils', 'War', 'lecture notes', and 'maps and plans'.