With Shackleton and Mawson: The Antarctic Diaries of Frank Wild

Frank Wild is a name well known to anyone interested in the history of Polar exploration. He was one of only two men — along with Ernest Joyce — to earn the Polar Medal with four clasps. He was also the only man to serve in the Antarctic under the British Empire’s three greats—Scott, Shackleton and Mawson.

This book, however, is not a biography, but rather a chance to view Wild’s role and accomplishments from his own writings — primarily his diary kept during the Southern Journey of Shackleton’s BAE, his sledging diary from Mawson’s expedition, and his report to Mawson about the operations of the AAE’s Western Base, which he commanded in 1912—13. These have been quoted in other works, but they have never been published before in their entirety.

It is thought that Wild did keep other diaries, but these have not come to light. The two diaries included here are the only two diaries of Wild with certainty to be extant.