Bertram Armytage (29 September 1869 – 12 March 1910) was an Australian soldier and explorer. He fought in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

and participated in the

Nimrod Expedition The ''Nimrod'' Expedition of 1907–1909, otherwise known as the British Antarctic Expedition, was the first of three expeditions to the Antarctic led by Ernest Shackleton and his second time to the Continent. Its main target, among a range of ...

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

during the

Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration The Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration was an era in the exploration of the continent of Antarctica which began at the end of the 19th century, and ended after the First World War; the Shackleton–Rowett Expedition of 1921–1922 is often ci ...

, for which he was awarded the

Polar Medal The Polar Medal is a medal awarded by the Sovereign of the United Kingdom to individuals who have outstanding achievements in the field of polar research, and particularly for those who have worked over extended periods in harsh climates. It w ...

Early life

Armytage was born in

Lara Lara may refer to: People * Lara (name), can be a given name or a surname in several languages * Lara (mythology), a naiad nymph, daughter of the river Almo in Ovid's ''Fasti'' Places *Lara (state), a state in Venezuela * Electoral district ...

in 1869, the son of pastoralist Frederick William Armytage and Mary Susan Armitage. He grew up at Wooloomanata Station near Lara, before being educated at

Geelong Grammar School Geelong Grammar School is a private Anglican co-educational boarding and day school. The school's main campus is located in Corio on the northern outskirts of Geelong, Victoria, Australia, overlooking Corio Bay and Limeburners Bay. Establ ...

and Melbourne Church of England Grammar School. A keen sportsman, he paddled a canoe from

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung language, Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River (Victo ...

, before carrying it to the Barwon River, then rowing along the Barwon to

Port Phillip Bay Port Phillip ( Kulin: ''Narm-Narm'') or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, narrow channel known as The Rip, and is comple ...

and back to Melbourne. He would later travel to England, where he attended

Jesus College, Cambridge Jesus College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Jesus College was established in 1496 on the site of the twelfth-century Benedictine nunnery of St Radegund's Priory, Cambridge, St ...

. He rowed for the college, earning first place in the Lent Races of 1888. After college he returned to Australia, where he worked on his fathers station, as well as a station in Queensland.

Military career

While in Victoria, he joined the Victorian Militia serving in the artillery, before travelling back to England, where he joined the

6th Dragoon Guards The Carabiniers (6th Dragoon Guards) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1685 as the Lord Lumley's Regiment of Horse. It was renamed as His Majesty's 1st Regiment of Carabiniers in 1740, the 3rd Regiment of Horse (Carab ...

as a second lieutenant. In 1899, his unit was sent to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

to fight in the

. He earnt the

Queen's South Africa Medal The Queen's South Africa Medal is a British campaign medal awarded to British and Colonial military personnel, and to civilians employed in an official capacity, who served in the Second Boer War in South Africa. Altogether twenty-six clasps wer ...

for his efforts, before resigning his commission at the end of the war, returning to Australia.

Post war

After his time in South Africa, he spent his time between Australia and England as well as taking part in sporting pursuits. An excellent shot, he was on a deer hunting trip to

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

when he heard about the

, cutting the trip short to offer his services.

Antarctic exploration

His physical attributes and hunting skills helped

Ernest Shackleton Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton (15 February 1874 – 5 January 1922) was an Anglo-Irish Antarctic explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic. He was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarcti ...

overlook his age, being 38 at the time and one of the older members of the trip, selecting him to look after the ponies on the expedition. While he didn't undertake the more notable sections of the expedition, he contributed heavily through depot stocking trips and as a member of the support party for the South Pole party. On one occasion he managed to escape a

Killer Whale The orca (''Orcinus orca''), or killer whale, is a toothed whale and the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. The only extant species in the genus '' Orcinus'', it is recognizable by its black-and-white-patterned body. A cosmopolit ...

attack while mustering the ponies on pack ice.

Death

After his return from the expedition, he travelled to England, hoping to obtain a military position to give himself a permanent occupation. Despite the assistance of Major General Sir Edward Hutton, he was deemed too old. He would return to Australia disappointed at this rejection. On 12 March 1910, he would take his own life in his room at the

Melbourne Club The Melbourne Club is a private social club established in 1838 and located at 36 Collins Street, Melbourne. The club is a symbol of Australia's British social heritage and was established at a gathering of 23 gentlemen on Saturday, 17 Decembe ...

. He was found wearing medals presented to him by the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

for his work in the Antarctic, while his Polar and Boer War Medals were on display on his dresser.

Personal life

Armytage was married and had a four-year-old daughter at the time of his death.

Honours and Memorials

His mother established a scholarship at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

in his honour. Mount Armytage in Antarctica was named for him by members of the Nimrod Expedition. His medals are held by the

National Trust of Victoria The National Trust of Australia (Victoria) is a community-based, non-government organisation committed to promoting and conserving Australia's indigenous, natural and historic heritage places of cultural significance in Victoria. It was founded in ...

References

Sources

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Armytage, Bertram 1869 births 1910 deaths Australian explorers Australian explorers of Antarctica Recipients of the Polar Medal Australian soldiers