A sledge from the first expedition to the Antarctic led by Ernest Shackleton is a stand-out lot in Bonhams’ Travel and Exploration Sale in Knightsbridge on February 6. It is estimated at £60,000-100,000.
It was used on the 1907-09 British Antarctic (Nimrod) Expedition by Eric Marshall, one of the four men, with Shackleton, Jameson Adams and Frank Wild, to undertake the sledge march to the South Pole.
Although they had to abandon the attempt, they reached within 100 geographical miles of the Pole – at the time, the furthest south ever travelled.
In preparation for the trip, Shackleton commissioned sledges in various sizes. The example in the sale is one of 18 measuring 11ft (3.35m) long – a size favoured for its manoeuvrability – that he purchased for the expedition.
