Captain Francis Crozier: Last Man Standing?

Michael Smith

Jun 2006 · The Collins Press

About this ebook

Irishman Francis Crozier was a major figure in nineteenth-century polar exploration. His voyages with Parry, Ross and Franklin lifted the veil from the frozen wastes of the Arctic and Antarctic, paving the way for Amundsen, Scott and Shackleton. The Antarctic cape named after him was immortalised in Apsley Cherry-Garrard's The Worst Journey in the World. A failed romance drove him back to the ice one fatal last time with Franklin's North West Passage expedition in 1845. All 129 men perished. Crozier took command after Franklin's death and led the courageous battle to survive in the Arctic wilderness. In the bitter life-or-death struggle, which lasted for years, some even resorted to cannibalism. But, according to legend, Crozier was the last to die – the last man standing. • Also available: An Unsung Hero: Tom Crean

About the author

Michael Smith, a former journalist, is an established authority on Polar exploration. His other books are An Unsung Hero: Tom Crean, Antarctic Survivor (2001, 2009), I Am Just Going Outside, a biography of Captain Oates (2002), Polar Crusader about Sir James Wordie (2004) and Tom Crean – An Illustrated Life (2006). He contributes to TV and radio documentaries and lectures on polar history.