A letter written by one of the pioneers of British polar exploration during an expedition to the Antarctic is to be sold at Aldridge’s in Devizes on Saturday.
Captain Albert Armitage wrote the letter on official stationary from his winter quarters on February 22, 1903 during the Discovery expedition.
The trip, which lasted from 1901 to 1904, was led by Robert Falcon Scott, who would later die on the Terra Nova expedition, and also featured Ernest Shackleton and Edward Wilson.
Armitage, a Royal Navy officer who was the second in command and navigator to Scott, wrote the letter to a ‘Mr Ingle’, who is believed to have been a friend.
On the expedition Armitage became the first person to walk on the polar plateau. He died in 1943.
Andrew Aldridge, from auctioneer Henry Aldridge and Son, said: “The letter gives the reader a fascinating first person perspective of this famous expedition and includes details of discoveries of new land, scientific work carried out and most importantly of Scott himself.
The letter, owned by a descendant of Mr Ingle, is estimated at up to £2,500.
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