ENVS 15: The Earth's Cold Regions (Fall 2024)

Thomas Orde-Lees; 1914-17 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition

Thomas Orde-Lees

Thomas Orde-Lees pictured on the 1914-1917 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.

Who was Thomas Orde-Lees?

If you asked his crewmates, they would tell you he was the most disliked man on the expedition. If you asked Thomas himself, he may have told you he was the most important man on the expedition. Thus, the purpose of this exhibition is to juggle with these differing opinions, to bring to light a well-rounded picture of Thomas Orde-Lees and his 1914-1917 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.

Thomas Orde-Lees was born in Prussia to a wealthy, privileged family. He had multiple educational opportunities, including attending Marlborough College, the Royal Naval School, and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Orde-Lees was an advanced skier and physical fitness expert in his free time. With his proper education and strong physical body, Orde-Lees applied in 1910 for Robert Falcon Scott’s Antarctic Expedition and was turned down. This did not stop him. Thomas Orde-Lees was persistent and later joined Shackleton on his Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition as a “motor expert,” watching over tractors and other equipment. Shackleton wanted a naval crew for his journey and received Orde-Lees from the Royal Marines, who at the time was superintendent of physical training at the marine’s training depot. 

Despite having a strong educational background and a physically strong body, Orde-Lees was an incredibly controversial figure. His crewmates called him “condescending” and “lazy.” Shackleton’s nickname for Orde-Lees was “Old Lady.” Despite being the most physically capable, Orde-Lees refused to contribute equally to the physical labor required on this journey, resulting in the men threatening to kill and eat him should they starve. This same man later won the Polar Medal in silver. 

Perhaps Orde-Lees’ most well-known legacy of the expedition was his eccentric behavior, sometimes hovering on the fringe of bizarre. Through analyzing the primary sources of Thomas Orde-Lees’ personal diary and Shackleton’s journal, this exhibition plunges into the complexity of the man and his journey to the Antarctic. 

Works Cited

Hurley, Frank. "Thomas Orde-Lees. National Library of New Zealand, 1914-1917, https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22678216?search%5Bi%5D%5Bname_authority_id%5D=-78595&search%5Bpath%5D=items. Accessed 26 Oct. 2024.

Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge » Meet the Pioneers. https://www.spri.cam.ac.uk/museum/shackleton/biographies/Orde-Lees,_Thomas_Hans/. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.