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Leonard Duncan Albert Hussey,
OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(6 May 1891 – 25 February 1964) was an English
meteorologist A meteorologist is a scientist who studies and works in the field of meteorology aiming to understand or predict Earth's atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric phenomena including the weather. Those who study meteorological phenomena are meteorologists ...
,
archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
,
explorer Exploration is the process of exploring, an activity which has some Expectation (epistemic), expectation of Discovery (observation), discovery. Organised exploration is largely a human activity, but exploratory activity is common to most organis ...
,
medical doctor A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the study, diagnosis, prognosis ...
and member of
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 ...
's Imperial Trans-Antarctic and
Shackleton–Rowett Expedition The Shackleton–Rowett Expedition (1921–22) was Sir Ernest Shackleton's last Antarctic project, and the final episode in the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. The venture, financed by John Quiller Rowett, is sometimes referred to as t ...
s. During the latter, he was with Shackleton at his death, and transported the body part-way back to England. Hussey was also a member of the
armed forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a ...
during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, serving in
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
and with Shackleton in
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
. After returning to private practice, Hussey rejoined the war effort in 1940 and became a decorated medical officer with the
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Returning once again to civilian practice in 1946, he was a member of the
Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians of London, commonly referred to simply as the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of ph ...
, a lecturer,
author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...
, and
Boy Scouts Boy Scouts or Boy Scout may refer to: * Members, sections or organisations in the Scouting Movement ** Scout (Scouting), a boy or a girl participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouting America, formerly known as Boy Scouts of America ...
leader prior to retirement. Many of the items he collected during his career were donated to a number of museums.


Early life

Hussey was born to James Hussey and Eliza Hussey (
née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...
Aitken) in Norman House, Norman Road in Leytonestone, in London. His father was a machine operator in the stationery printing industry . By 1900, the family resided at 342 Kingsland Road in Leytonestone. Leonard Hussey had eight siblings in total; three brothers, James, William and Percy and five sisters, Maude, Beatrice, May, Blanche and Daisy. Hussey attended
Strand School Strand School was a boys' grammar school in the Tulse Hill area of South London. It moved there in 1913 from its original location at King's College in London's Strand. Distinguished in its heyday for its contribution of young men to the ci ...
and Hackney P.T. Centre. On 6 October 1909, Hussey entered the
University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...
, taking as course in
psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...
and gaining a
Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...
second class at
King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...
, as well as degrees in meteorology and
anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, society, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthropology studies patterns of behav ...
.


Career


Sudan and Shackleton

From 1913, Hussey had undertaken employment as an anthropologist and
archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
at a dig in
Jebel Moya Jebel Moya is an archaeological site in the southern Gezira Plain, Sudan, approximately 250 km (150 miles) south southeast of Khartoum. Dating between 5000 BCE-500 CE and roughly 104,000 m2 (25 acres) in area, the site is one of the largest ...
,Huntford, p. 402.
Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...
as part of
Henry Wellcome Sir Henry Solomon Wellcome (21 August 1853 – 25 July 1936) was an American and British pharmaceutical entrepreneur. He founded the pharmaceutical company Burroughs Wellcome & Company with his colleague Silas Mainville Burroughs, Jr., Silas Bur ...
's Expedition. Alongside
O. G. S. Crawford Osbert Guy Stanhope Crawford (28 October 1886 â€“ 28 November 1957) was a British archaeologist who specialised in the archaeology of prehistoric Britain and Sudan. A keen proponent of aerial archaeology, he spent most of his career as t ...
, Hussey worked on a monthly pay of £8. While in the Sudan, he read in a month-old newspaper about Shackleton's intention to embark on an Antarctic Expedition, and 'The idea gripped me'. He wrote to Shackleton expressing his interest in joining the project. Shackleton replied telling Hussey to call on him when he returned to London. 'My luck in this respect was later explained to me by Shackleton, who said he was greatly amused to find amongst nearly five thousand applications to join the expedition, one that came from the heart of Africa.' Shackleton agreed to select him for the expedition, later telling him that he did so because he "looked funny".


Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition 1914–17

Hussey joined the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914–1917's Weddell Sea party as a meteorologist,Stonehouse, p. 136. keeping a leather-bound diary of the entire expedition. He was a popular member of the group due to his humour and perpetual playing of his five-string
banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and in modern forms is usually made of plastic, where early membranes were made of animal skin. ...
, in company with Dr. James McIlroy's imitations of the
trombone The trombone (, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's lips vibrate inside a mouthpiece, causing the Standing wave, air c ...
and
bagpipe Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, No ...
s.
Frank Worsley Frank Arthur Worsley (22 February 1872 – 1 February 1943) was a New Zealand sailor and explorer who served on Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914–1916, as captain of ''Endurance''. He also served in the Royal ...
stated "Hussey was a brilliant wit, and his keen repartee was one of the few joys left to us. Often we would combine to provoke him just for the pleasure of hearing his clever retorts and invariably he would emerge the victor, no matter how many of us tried to best him." On 22 June 1915, Hussey and the crew staged a four-hour "smoking concert" and costume party, during which Hussey dressed as a black
minstrel A minstrel was an entertainer, initially in medieval Europe. The term originally described any type of entertainer such as a musician, juggler, acrobat, singer or fool; later, from the sixteenth century, it came to mean a specialist enter ...
. Roland Huntford recorded in ''Shackleton'' of Hussey's tendency to be "determinedly cheery to the point of egregiousness". The instrument, weighing twelve pounds, was rescued from the wreck of the ''
Endurance Endurance (also related to sufferance, forbearance, resilience, constitution, fortitude, persistence, tenacity, steadfastness, perseverance, stamina, and hardiness) is the ability of an organism to exert itself and remain active for a ...
'' as "vital mental medicine" by Shackleton, who made an exception of his instructions that each person could take only 2 pounds in weight of personal belongings, so that it could be saved. On 24 April 1916, while Shackleton took five other men from camp on South Georgia on the ''James Caird'' to find help, Hussey was one of the 22 men left behind on
Elephant Island Elephant Island is an ice-covered, mountainous island off the coast of Antarctica in the outer reaches of the South Shetland Islands, in the Southern Ocean. The island is situated north-northeast of the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, west-so ...
to await rescue, and continued to use his banjo to improve morale.


World War I

Hussey initially joined the London University contingent of the
Officers' Training Corps The University Officers' Training Corps (UOTC), also known as the Officers' Training Corps (OTC), are British Army reserve units, under the command of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, which recruit exclusively from universities and focus on ...
, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the cadets on 13 November 1912. Hussey progressed to the full armed forces in the later years of the First World War, and was commissioned as a temporary second lieutenant in the
Royal Garrison Artillery The Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) was formed in 1899 as a distinct arm of the British Army's Royal Artillery, Royal Regiment of Artillery serving alongside the other two arms of the Regiment, the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) and the Royal Horse ...
on 19 January 1917, serving in France, as well as operating with Shackleton on operations at
Murmansk Murmansk () is a port city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast in the far Far North (Russia), northwest part of Russia. It is the world's largest city north of the Arctic Circle and sits on both slopes and banks of a modest fjord, Ko ...
in northern Russia as part of the
Polar Bear Expedition The American Expeditionary Force, North Russia (AEF in North Russia) (also known as the Polar Bear Expedition) was a contingent of about 5,000 United States Army troops that landed in Arkhangelsk, Russia as part of the Allied intervention in t ...
.Huntford, p. 661. He was promoted to temporary lieutenant on 19 July 1918, and to the temporary rank of captain on 8 October. Hussey was demobilised on 14 May 1919, retaining the rank of captain.


Shackleton–Rowett Antarctic Expedition 1921–22

Following the end of World War I, Hussey qualified in medicine and returned to Shackleton for his expedition to Antarctica aboard the ''
Quest A quest is a journey toward a specific mission or a goal. It serves as a plot device in mythology and fiction: a difficult journey towards a goal, often symbolic or allegorical. Tales of quests figure prominently in the folklore of every nat ...
'' in 1921–22. Hussey was asked by
Frank Wild John Robert Francis Wild (18 April 1873 â€“ 19 August 1939) was an English sailor and explorer. He participated in five expeditions to Antarctica during the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, for which he was awarded the Polar Medal ...
, following Shackleton's death in harbour in
South Georgia South Georgia is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic Ocean that is part of the British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. It lies around east of the Falkland Islands. ...
, to escort the body to England while Wild himself assumed command of the ''Quest''. Hussey arrived in
South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...
and cabled England with news of the explorer's passing. Shackleton's widow responded that the explorer should be buried at
Grytviken Grytviken ( ) is a Hamlet (place), hamlet on South Georgia in the South Atlantic. Formerly a whaling station, it was the largest settlement on the island. Grytviken is located at the head of King Edward Cove within the larger Cumberland East Bay, ...
in
South Georgia South Georgia is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic Ocean that is part of the British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. It lies around east of the Falkland Islands. ...
, and Hussey carried out these instructions.


Medical career in London

Following his return to England, Hussey practised medicine in London until 1940. He had become a member of the Royal College of Surgeons and a Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians, while residing at 328 Clapham Road, in London.


World War II

Hussey joined the RAF as a medical officer during the Second World War, with the rank of flight lieutenant and the serial number 87314. He served in
Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...
as First Senior Medical Officer in the temporary rank of
squadron leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr or S/L) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Squadron leader is immediatel ...
, to which he was promoted on 1 July 1943 and then at
RAF Benson Royal Air Force Benson or RAF Benson is a Royal Air Force (RAF) List of Royal Air Force stations, station located at Benson, Oxfordshire, Benson, near Wallingford, Oxfordshire, Wallingford, in South Oxfordshire, England. It is a front-line st ...
in Oxfordshire. He was
Mentioned in Despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...
on two occasions in 1945, on 1 January and 14 May. Appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1946 New Year Honours, Hussey retained his links to the RAF for a time after the end of the war, serving in the
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) was established in 1936 to support the preparedness of the U.K. Royal Air Force (RAF) in the event of another war. The Air Ministry intended it to form a supplement to the Royal Auxiliary Air Force ( ...
as a squadron leader, until his retirement on 10 February 1954.


Later career

Following the end of the war, Hussey resumed his medical practice, operating as a GP in
Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...
up until 1957. He was appointed
Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(OBE) in the
1946 New Year Honours The 1946 New Year Honours were appointments by many of the Commonwealth Realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and to celebrate the passing of 1945 and the beginn ...
for his war service, and in 1949 he served on the SS ''Clan Macauley'' as a ship's surgeon, sailing from England 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 ...
and
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. Hussey was involved in the re-formation of the London Banjo Club and served for several years as president despite often being abroad for his work as ship's surgeon. He also published his account of the Trans-Antarctic expedition entitled ''South with Endurance''. By 1957, having retired from his practice, Hussey became President of the Antarctic Club. A Shackleton-Hussey trophy was created and awarded by Hussey to several scout movements from the 1960s, including the Chorleywood Scout pack, of which Hussey was at one time the President of as part of his growing involvement in the
scout movement Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century. It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including ...
following his retirement.


Death

In 1960, Hussey retired to
Worthing Worthing ( ) is a seaside town and borough in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 113,094 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Br ...
, and was forced to curtail his lecturing career due to poor health. His notes and lantern slides were donated to Ralph Gullett, a local scout leader and friend, who took over his lecturing. His banjo, which he took along with him on expeditions and later had on display at his practice, was signed by all the members of ''Endurance'', and donated to the
National Maritime Museum The National Maritime Museum (NMM) is a maritime museum in Greenwich, London. It is part of Royal Museums Greenwich, a network of museums in the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. Like other publicly funded national museums in the Unit ...
and was valued in 2004 at over £150,000. Hussey died in London in 1964 at the age of 72,Whitehead, p. 545. and was survived by his wife, who died in 1980. The couple had no children, and his estate was passed to his housekeeper, Margaret Mock, until her own death in 1999.


Published works and decorations

Hussey published a number of works throughout his life, including editing the records of both of Shackleton's expeditions, and a number of articles in partnership with other expedition members. * ''South with Shackleton'' – Hussey's account, published in 1949, of the 1914–1916 expedition. * ''Scurvy in Polar Regions'' – in ''
The Lancet ''The Lancet'' is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal, founded in England in 1823. It is one of the world's highest-impact academic journals and also one of the oldest medical journals still in publication. The journal publishes ...
'' He was also the recipient of a number of decorations for his work in both world wars and as a member of Shackleton's expeditions. * A Military OBE *
British War Medal The British War Medal is a campaign medal of the United Kingdom which was awarded to officers and men and women of British and Imperial forces for service in the First World War. Two versions of the medal were produced. About 6.5 million were st ...
*
Mercantile Marine War Medal The Mercantile Marine War Medal was established in 1919 and awarded by the Board of Trade of the United Kingdom to mariners of the British Mercantile Marine (later renamed the Merchant Navy) for service at sea during the First World War.
* Victory Medal * Defence Medal *
War Medal 1939–1945 The War Medal 1939–1945 is a campaign medal which was instituted by the United Kingdom on 16 August 1945, for award to citizens of the British Commonwealth who had served full-time in the Armed Forces or the Merchant Navy for at least 28 days ...
with Oak leaves for Mention in Despatches, 1 January and 14 May 1945. * Silver
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 ...
with the Antarctic 1914–16 bar.


Notes


References

* * * * * * * * * * *


Further reading

* Worsley, Frank A.: ''Shackleton's Boat Journey'' W.W. Norton & Company, London 1998


External links


Leonard Duncan Albert Hussey – Obituary
from HMS Endurance Tracking Project.
Leonard Duncan Albert hussey – Biography
from HMS Endurance Tracking Project.

from Cool Antarctica {{DEFAULTSORT:Hussey, Leonard 1891 births 1964 deaths English explorers English meteorologists English anthropologists Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II Alumni of King's College London Personnel of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition British explorers of Antarctica Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration People from Leytonstone British Army personnel of World War I Officers of the Order of the British Empire Royal Air Force Medical Service officers British Army personnel of the Russian Civil War Military personnel from the London Borough of Waltham Forest