Frank Wild

John Robert Francis Wild (born in 1873 with Skelton in the Yorkshire, dead the August 19th 1939 with Klerksdorp in South Africa), known under the name of Frank Wild , was member various forwardings in the Antarctic:

in 1901, member of the team of Robert Falcon Scott as sailor on board” Discovery”, just as Ernest Shackleton then Second lieutenant.
with Shackleton member of the Forwarding Nimrod 1908-1909 and belonged to the team which crossed the Barrière of Ross and the Glacier Beardmore to the Latitude record of 88º23' S.
in 1911 it joint to Aurora forwarding of Douglas Mawson where it is in charge of the western base of the Barrière of ice of Shackleton.
as second in command in the Forwarding Endurance of Shackleton in 1914-1916.

It is during this last forwarding that it was charged, as a second in command, to take care of 21 men on the island of the Elephant while Shackleton accompanied by some men achieved their epic mission of rescue towards the South Georgia on board a lifeboat. From April 24th to August 30th, 1916, Wild and its 21 companions in misfortune awaited help on the island of the Elephant, surviving in a formed hut mainly of two boats turned over while eating Phoque and seafood. They were helped by Shackleton aboard Chilean ship Yelcho . The Point Wild on the island of the Elephant holds its name of Frank Wild. One finds there a monument dedicated to the Chilean captain who helped it him and them his.

Anecdote

Wild seems to have been a man of a rather exceptional temperament according to those which cotoyé it. Shackleton itself just describes it after testing crossed in boat towards the island of the Elephant: I remember that at this time Wild, which was always held above the events, goods or bad, was at my sides. It was there, as indifferent and quiet as if it had just left its car for a promendae with the parc.

Work

The Story off the Quest , Cassell and Company, 1923.

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