Frank Wild: A Polar Hero

Frank Wild was an English sailor and explorer. Born as John Robert Francis Wild on 19 April 1873 in Yorkshire, he was the second of 13 children. Best known as Shackleton’s second-in-command during the ill-fated Trans-Antarctic Expedition on the Endurance, he is a celebrated explorer and tenacious polar hero.

Frank Wild – One of the greatest explorers in history

Early Polar Expeditions

After joining the merchant navy, Wild spent ten years rising to second officer before joining the Royal Navy. His first Antarctic expedition was in 1901 with Captain Robert Scott’s Discovery expedition. From 1902 to 1922, he sailed with Shackleton on the Discovery, Nimrod, Quest, and the Endurance, which are notable maritime sagas of survival. Wild also took part in Sir Douglas Mawson’s Australasian voyage of 1911.

Leadership on Elephant Island

After Shackleton left in a small lifeboat to sail 800 miles across the Southern Ocean for rescue, he entrusted Frank Wild in charge of the remaining 22 men on Elephant Island. The men survived on a diet of seals, penguins, and seaweed. Wild’s leadership held the group together and when Shackleton returned five months later, he found all the men alive, sustained by Wild’s confidence that they would be rescued.

Point Wild on Elephant Island is named after Frank Wild, as are Wild Canyon, Cape Wild, and Mount Wild. There you will find a monument dedicated to Luis Pardo, who was the captain of the ship that rescued the men. Frank is the only man to have spent six winters in Antarctica and was known as a lively source of hope, uplifting the stranded men’s spirits with music, camaraderie, and a strict-but-fair attitude.

Elephant Island is one of the top destinations we visit on our expeditions

Later Life and Legacy

Later in life, Shackleton and Wild once again joined forces for the Quest expedition in 1922. Sadly, Shackleton died during that expedition, and Wild assumed command to complete the journey. After this final expedition, Wild moved to South Africa with his new wife, Vera. The following sixteen years were difficult; his wife asked for a divorce, and a farming venture failed. He found daily work and was well-liked everywhere he went. He later remarried, but his final happy years ended when he died at sixty-six from pneumonia in 1939.

A Final Resting Place

Before Frank died, he had expressed his wish to be cremated and buried alongside Shackleton in Grytviken, South Georgia, but due to the outbreak of World War II, it was not possible to transport his ashes there. His ashes were then seemingly lost, and after being missing for many years, they were found in 2011 by British historian and author Angie Butler.

It was then that the renowned Antarctic explorer had his last wish granted 72 years after his death, when his ashes were laid to rest alongside Sir Ernest Shackleton in the tiny graveyard at Grytviken. Several relatives of Frank Wild, along with the Hon. Alexandra Shackleton, granddaughter of Sir Ernest Shackleton, accompanied Wild’s ashes to South Georgia. The event was formally acknowledged by the South Georgia Government with an official reception at the Government House in Stanley. A minister also sailed from the Falkland Islands to carry out the service and funeral proceedings at Grytviken.

Frank Wild was a true leader, an Antarctic hero and legend. He received the rare four-clasp Polar Medal, one of only two ever awarded.

A visit to Grytviken cemetery, where Shackleton and Frank Wild rest