In The Shadow of Shackleton's Cross

Long descriptionIn 1922 at the beginning of a new expedition to the Antarctic, Sir Ernest Shackleton died of a heart attack while his ship,' Quest', was moored in King Edward Cove on the island of South Georgia. At his wife's request he was buried there in the graveyard at Grytviken.Shackleton's famous 'Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expediton' left Bristish waters on August 8th 1914. It is therefore the Centenary of this expedition this year with celebrations being planned to commemorate it.Beverley McLeod tells her story of a young girl's experiences growing up across the harbour from a whaling station on South Georgia in the late 1950s.A six year-old girl arrives at King Edward Point, a settlement of eight houses huddled at the foot of a mountain on the Antarctic island of South Georgia. Around the bay is Grytviken, the most successful land-based whaling station in the world at that time. This is the story of the four years she spent without going to school and largely with only herself for company. It is also the story of the whaling industry and of the people whose livelihoods depended upon it.It is a story of love and fear, the light and dark side of such a beautiful but harsh environment and the impact it had on her and on her family.Beverley's book will be of interest and appeal to readers as a well-written story, as well as to those with an interest in South Georgia as a remote island in the Southern Ocean, its relationship with the Falklands and the wildlife, including the workings of a whaling station where the tough ships and hardy men who sailed them were supporting the industry and residents of the island. It is also an interesting snapshot of the social history of the people whose lives were dominated by the harsh climate and environment and how it impacted on them. This story provides a window into the life of a young girl who fortunately for us, has an extraordinary memory and can recall her experiences in great detail. Beverley tells us how every day differed from the next. From rogue elephant seals, extreme weather and how the whalers would produce alcohol, Brasso polish apparently a favourite of some when the whisky ran out.