Pictures of Captain Scott's first trip to the Antarctic discovered in Leeds Library

The story of Scott of the Antarctic’s treacherous and ultimately fatal trips to the Pole are well known, but now a book has been unearthed in Leeds library which shows a Yorkshire link to the saga. Connie Daley reports

A classic case of not judging a book by its cover took librarians in Leeds on a fascinating photographic journey through a daring Antarctic mission to rescue Captain Scott.

During routine cataloguing in Leeds Central Library’s strongroom, special collections librarian Rhian Isaac found what appeared to be an unassuming family photo album tucked away on a shelf.

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Despite its drab 1990s binding, inside she discovered an enthralling series of images documenting the mission of The Morning, a relief ship to Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s first expedition to the Antarctic between 1901-4.

During routine cataloguing in Leeds Central Library’s strongroom, special collections librarian Rhian Isaac found what appeared to be an unassuming family photo album tucked away on a shelf.During routine cataloguing in Leeds Central Library’s strongroom, special collections librarian Rhian Isaac found what appeared to be an unassuming family photo album tucked away on a shelf.
During routine cataloguing in Leeds Central Library’s strongroom, special collections librarian Rhian Isaac found what appeared to be an unassuming family photo album tucked away on a shelf.

The meticulous process of verifying the photos eventually led to Roundhay Park, where experts from the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow were filming and where they confirmed that the pictures were genuine and more than 120 years old.

The episode featuring Rhian and the photos aired on Sunday and the album is now on display to the public at Leeds Central Library.

Rhian said: “This is a real once-in-a-lifetime find and I never would have expected that inside this very ordinary-looking book would be such a remarkable collection of photos revealing a fascinating chapter in history.

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“We don’t know exactly how the pictures came into our collection, but we believe they were taken by John Donald Morrison, The Morning’s chief engineer and many of the crew are featured, including the ship’s dogs.

Despite its drab 1990s binding, inside she discovered an enthralling series of images documenting the mission of The Morning, a relief ship to Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s first expedition to the Antarctic between 1901-4.Despite its drab 1990s binding, inside she discovered an enthralling series of images documenting the mission of The Morning, a relief ship to Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s first expedition to the Antarctic between 1901-4.
Despite its drab 1990s binding, inside she discovered an enthralling series of images documenting the mission of The Morning, a relief ship to Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s first expedition to the Antarctic between 1901-4.

“The images really capture what life was like aboard the ship, not only how harsh the conditions were but the sense of camaraderie among the crew and the breath-taking scenery they saw from the deck each day of their voyage.

“It’s been fascinating to discover more about the expedition and its history and to find such a comprehensive record of how this historic mission unfolded.”

Records show that The Morning set off from London Docks in 1902 to relieve Scott’s more famous ship Discovery, which had left the previous year and whose crew included Ernest Shackleton.

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The role of relief ships was usually to deliver post and orders as well as dropping off supplies and tending to sick or injured crew from the primary mission.

However on arrival, The Morning, captained by Hull-born sailor William Colbeck, found the Discovery trapped in 18 miles of solid sea ice.

Shackleton himself was reluctantly taken aboard and returned home as he was still recovering from his unsuccessful attempt to reach the South Pole.

Despite being trapped, Discovery’s mission continued for another year, but in 1904 the British admiralty ordered a rescue and with the help of whaler and explosives expert Harry McKay and his ship the Terra Nova, The Morning blasted Discovery out of the ice. Without their help, Scott and Discovery may never have returned.

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Scott’s return to the Antarctic in 1910-13 resulted in his death of those of his party after reaching they had reached the South Pole.

Photos from The Morning expedition are now on display in the Local and Family History section of Leeds library, and more research will also take place to try and identify some of the crew members captured in the photos.