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Auction: 17020 - Autographs, Historical Documents, Ephemera and Postal History
Lot: 942

Autographs
Henry Robertson Bowers
1906 (10 November) picture post card of the suspension bridge across the Grand river in Mauritius to his sister, May, in Scotland bearing his initials after the message. Photo


Lieutenant Henry Robertson "Birdie" Bowers (1883 - 1912) was one of Robert Falcon Scott's polar party on the ill-fated Terra Nova expedition (1910-1913), all of whom died during their return from the South Pole. Originally intended to be just a member of the ship's party in his role as storekeeper, Bowers quickly distinguished himself as a highly skilled organiser. By the time the Terra Nova left New Zealand, Scott had promoted him to be a member of the shore party, in charge of landing, stores, navigation and the arrangement of sledging rations. He was later added to the expedition party and it was Bowers who eventually took the sights to fix the exact location of the geographic South Pole for the Polar party, He was also in charge of the expedition's remaining camera and took most of the famous photographs at the South Pole and at Amundsen's tent.


In 1905 he enlisted in the Royal Indian Marine Service He was appointed sub-lieutenant, serving in Ceylon and Burma, and commanded a river gunboat on the Irrawaddy.


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Sold for
£180