Perce Blackborow was born at 25 Holselery Street. Newport. South Wales, son of John Edward Colston and Annie Margaret Blackborow (nee Powell).
His father was a ship’s steward.
Perce is famed for being almost certainly, the only person ever to stowaway on an Antarctic expedition. He was only 19 years of age when he met up with an American sailor, William Bakewell, and they both found themselves in Buenos Aires without a ship.
Shackleton accepted Bakewell as a seaman on the Endurance, but Perce was refused due to his young age and lack of seamanship.
At the time he was discovered on board the Endurance the ship was already three days sailing out of South Georgia. Shackleton really had no option but to offer him a position as steward.
“If anyone has to be eaten, then you will be the first!” said Shackleton.
Perce did not let Shackleton down and he was awarded the honour of being the first person ever to set foot on Elephant Island. Due to severe frostbite to his toes he was carried and part crawled ashore rather than walked.
After the expedition, Perce spent three months hospitalised in Punta Arenas, Chile, recovering from the frostbite damage sustained to his left foot, which had resulted in the surgeons Macklin and McIllroy having to amputate his toes on Elephant Island on Thursday 15th June 1916.
Perce it seems was a modest man, for upon returning home to Wales he avoided the welcoming home party waiting for him at the local railway station by going across the tracks and out the other side of the station.
He soon volunteered to join The Royal Navy but was turned down because of the lack of digits on his left foot.
He was however, accepted into The Merchant Navy and served until 1919 and went on to become a dock boatman in the Alexandra Docks, Newport and also fished to help to support his family.
He married a local girl, Kate Kearns and they settled in Maesglas, Newport. Their marriage produced six children Jack, Jim, Peggy, Ken, Joan and Phillip. Unfortunately Phillip died in infancy and Jack died aged just 9 years.
Perce’s grandson John Blackborow writes:
“ My Grandfather was a very
likeable man, he was a pillar of strength to his family
and had a great presence. Shackleton and the expedition
moulded his character and Shackleton stressed to him the
need for education and knowledge and encouraged him to
use the ship’s library. In later years my Grandfather
owned a number of encyclopaedias and encouraged his
children likewise.”
Over the years a number of expedition members gladly gave numerous lectures about their experiences with Shackleton. Green, alone, gave well in excess of a thousand such lectures all over the world. Hussey too gave many lectures, and Worsley subsidised his income by giving lectures.
Perce, however, was quite the opposite and rarely spoke about his Antarctic adventures, and declined offers to go on the radio. He was however, eventually persuaded by his good friend and headmaster, Mr. Latimer Jones to give a lecture prior to the showing of the film “The Voyage of the Quest” at the YMCA Boys Club. Newport.
Here follows the only known public lecture ever given by Perce which is taken from his own hand written notes:
Lecture given to Bolt Street School, Pill, Newport. & The Y.M.C.A.
by Perce Blackborow
I have been asked to come here this evening, to talk to you about the leader of the expedition of the film of which you are about to be shown.
I propose to give a brief summary of the life of this great explorer, the late Sir Ernest Shackleton and also to relate a few of my own experiences while serving under his command.
More able tongues than mine have eulogised this great organiser and leader, whose proud boast it was, that he never lost a man.
Sir Ernest was born in Ireland in 1874. The spirit of adventure was strong within him at an early age, for while at school he often made his way to the docks and cast longing eyes at the ships. Eventually he persuaded his father to apprentice him aboard a sailing ship. At the age of 16 he made his first voyage around Cape Horn in a sailing vessel. After serving his apprenticeship he became an officer in sail and steamships, and subsequently Sub Lieutenant R.N.R.
About this period in the life of Lieut. Shackleton (1901) - Captain Scott was preparing to lead an expedition to the Antarctic, to which Lieut. Shackleton was appointed as 3rd Officer. During the first months on the Antarctic Continent, whilst on various marches and baselaying operations, Captain Scott quickly singled him out as a man of untiring energy and initiative, and finally selected him as one of his two companions to accompany him on the first long land journey ever made into the interior of the Antarctic continent.
This was really the first attempt to march to the South Pole. These three gallant men were away from their base for a little over 92 days and had reached 82 17° South – about 450 miles from the pole. On their return journey Lt. Shackleton had the misfortune to contract scurvy – that dreaded scourge of early polar explorations. He was invalided home much against his will. But, his activities in polar research were not finished however, for we find him two years later organising and preparing to lead his own expedition South. Lt.Shackleton possessed that rare quality given to few of us- the gift of leadership. In 1908 he sailed South again in the ‘Nimrod’ as the leader of the “British Antarctic Expedition” during which he obtained valuable scientific results. Amongst these he established the true position of the South Magnetic Pole and surpassed all previous records in marching within 97 geog. Miles of the South Geog. Pole. On this great journey he left his base on Oct 29 1908 and with 3 companions marched into the unknown towards the pole. After travelling south for 71 days shortage of food compelled them to return, but with the great satisfaction of knowing that they had planted the Union Jack in Lat. 8 23” S which was, as I say 97 geog. miles from the Pole. He arrived back at his base after having been away for 117 days. For these services to the cause of science he was knighted by the King and decorated by various other countries. – In 1913 he was occupied in writing a book, lecturing and preparing for the next expedition.
Now we come to his great ambition ______
In July 1914 he led an expedition south again. This was one of the imperial Trans-Antarctic Expeditions. The object of this expedition was the very ambitious idea of crossing the Antarctic Continent via the South Pole from the shores of the Weddel Sea to those of the Ross Sea, a distance of over 1000 miles.
We left the island of South Georgia-the last outpost of civilisation- on December 5th 1914 and sailed towards the Antarctic Continent, expecting to meet the pack ice in 4 or 5 days- actually we met the pack on our second day out. This was very disturbing to our leader, for although he had been warned by the whalers of bad ice conditions, he had expected a little better than this.
Here, perhaps I had better give you an idea of what pack ice is like – it is the advance guard of the sentinels of the south, great expanses of ice of varying thicknesses, from 1 to twenty feet, not with an even surface as you may think but
ridged and turreted from the action of winds and pressure.
After pushing, charging and fighting our way through this heavy pack for 400 miles- at 1 mile an hour- we sighted the Great Barrier on January 8th. This is a great wall of ice which rises in height from 20 to 500 feet, and practically encircles that barren land of mystery called the Antarctic Continent. After emerging into open water we sailed along the Barrier to Coats Land- BRUCE 1904-.
New land was discovered on January 14 to which Sir Ernest Shackleton gave the name Caird Coast. Proceeding along the Barrier, on past Luitpold Land – FILSHNER 1912 - . We were now about 50 miles from where our leader considered he would find a safe landing on the Barrier, establish his base and winter quarters.
Here we encountered very heavy pack ice and could not move one way or another. On January 27 the ship was so beset that it was decided to draw the fires, economise on coal, and wait to see if the pack would open up. After waiting for 10 days, open water showed within half a mile of our ship. The fires were lighted, steam was raised and an effort made to escape from the clutches of the ice. We continued at this for about 2 weeks without avail and on February 22 1915 we were definitely frozen in. Now began a tedious time of waiting to be freed from the ice. Time went smoothly enough – the dogs were taken to live on the floes; seal hunting journeys were organised to ensure a good supply of meat. We played games –football and hockey- on a large floe. By the end of April the sun had left us not to be seen for another 10 weeks. This is the long polar night which, as you know continues for longer periods the further one may go into higher latitudes.
Towards the end of July and throughout August our surrounding floes were the centre of heavy pressure. Our stout little ship resisted this pressure except for damage to the rudder. Pressure subsided and things went quietly for another 2 months until October 27, subjected again to heavy ice pressure our little ship was finally overwhelmed and crushed. Orders were given to abandon ship and we camped on the ice 69 s with the nearest land 350 miles away.
The “Boss” called us all together and told us our true position and his intention to march across the ice to Paulet Island hauling our 3 lifeboats and stores by relays. We commenced our march on October 30th, the temperature being –8.
After 3 days marching the attempt was abandoned owing to the terrible surface of the pack. We were going through a bad time about now, low temps- about 8ozs food daily rations.
I like to think of our leader as I recall him at this time. His hopes and ambitions had all been shattered, yet he was cheerful and went out of his way to impart some of cheerfulness to others. He had a genius for keeping men in good spirits, and need I say more, we loved him like a father.
We were know established in what we called “Ocean Camp” and here we remained until December 23 when it was again decided to attempt to reach the land. After covering only 8 and a half miles in 9 days we were forced to give up, as the ice we were travelling over was a succession of pressure ridges and rotten ice. We now retreated half a mile to find a suitable floe and this encampment was christened “Patience Camp”. Here we lingered for 3 and a half months.
In the middle of January we experienced the worst blizzard of our stay on the floes-lasting a full week-but it had hastened our northward drift towards land and the open sea. At the end of March 1916 we were 60 miles from land and sighted Mt.Haddington, a high mount of Joinville Island.
Our leader explained to us that the risk was too great for us to attempt to reach this land and it was with mixed feelings that we watched it disappear below the horizon. Our next hoped-for landing place was Elephant, or Clarence Islands which were 100 miles north of us.
The ice was now beginning to show much movement. We could feel the swell of the sea:- open water was beginning to make its appearance all around us and we had to keep constant watch that our little home did not break up and let us in for and untimely bath, with the attendant dangers to our food and boats.
We were therefore constantly on the move and waiting for clear water in order to launch boats, and on April the 9th the water was sufficiently clear for this purpose. The first night it blew a gale and we sought the shelter of the pack again. After a very trying period – 8 days in full- we landed on Elephant Island one of the South Shetland group 62 s.
Sir Ernest Shackleton gave me the honour of being the first man to land. It was the first landing ever made on Elephant Island.
All the company had suffered severely from exposure and frostbite, several of us being in a very bad way. Although we had landed on a most inhospitable icy land it was a glorious sensation to have the feel of solid earth under us for the first time in 16 months.
Our leader was not content to remain inactive but was continually thinking of ways and means of communicating with civilisation for it was impossible for all 28 of us to attempt the next boat journey to inhabited land, which was 1000 miles distant. On April 24th he started on his desperate venture. With 5 others he set sail in a small lifeboat in an attempt to reach South Georgia, over 800 miles away across the most tempestuous seas in the world. After 16 days grim battle with the elements they finally reached South Georgia. Having rested awhile they crossed the island. I ought to mention that we were marooned on Elephant Island for 4 and a half months.
Meantime Sir Ernest Shackleton had been making desperate attempts to reach us, but owing
to the unsuitable vessels at his command he was unable to force the pack which encircled the island and it was not until the 4th attempt that he was able to rescue us- 30th August 1916.
His work was not yet finished for news had reached him that the Ross Sea base ship “Aurora” had broken away and left a party of 10 men he was to have met after his proposed crossing of the Antarctic Continent, stranded at their winter quarters on the Antarctic Continent.
He felt it his duty to go to the relief of these men – the “Aurora” had arrived back in New Zealand and arrangements were already being made for the relief of the marooned party.
In December 1916 he left New Zealand in the “Aurora” and after an uneventful run to Ross Sea landed at Cape Royds to learn that the party had faithfully carried out operations of baselaying, but unfortunately, with the loss of 3 lives including that of their leader Captain Macintosh. Although the actual purpose of the expedition had failed, he had vindicated himself in the eyes of the world as a great leader and maintained his reputation.
Arriving back in England in May 1917 he threw himself wholeheartedly into the cause of the country still as war. Although not generally known at the time, in the early months of 1918 he was engaged in propaganda work, which had for its object the promotion of goodwill between his country and South American Republics.
At the conclusion of his work he was appointed a Major in charge if winter equipment with the R.E.F. in Northern Russia – resigning his commission at the conclusion of hostilities- he was engaged in lecturing and writing his book on the ill-fated T.A.E.. As he himself said, he soon tired of this and his thoughts turned again towards the polar research.
The remainder of Sir Ernests activities in polar research will be shown in “The
Voyage of the Quest”.
My impression of Sir Ernest Shackleton
He was a tall, broad –shouldered man, possessed of a very generous nature with which he combined extra-ordinary powers of endurance and hardihood. He was optimistic even when things looked blackest, this inspired those who served under him.
These attributes and what he had accomplished made him, I think, one of the greatest explorers in history.
Perce Blackborow
Written for a talk given at The YMCA Boys Club Newport
Perce , throughout the years , kept in touch with his long time shipmates Walter How and William Bakewell . In 1963 long after Perce’s death . Bakewell came over from Canada for a reunion and visited Wales specifically to meet members of the Blackborow family. John Blackborow comments “He was a real character”.
Perce died in 1949.at his home, 41 Maesglas Grove, Newport, aged 54, of Chronic Bronchitis and Heart disease. He is buried at St. Woolas Cemetery. Newport. South Wales. His family has plans for his Polar Medal to be placed with The Scott Polar Research Society in the very near future.
The above Certificate of Discharge, dated 31/12/1912, relates to an eleven week engagement that Percy spent serving as a deck hand on a London registered ship, the “Ladywood”. He has given his year of birth as being 1893, when it was really 1894. The “age lie” was common practice among young seamen of that time.
With thanks to John Blackborow (Grandson of Perce Blackborow) and Joan Randle ( Daughter of Perce Blackborow)
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Endurance Obituaries
