91Èȱ¬

No matter what you think about the efficacy of Scott's 1912 expedition to the South Pole, his organisation and his overall attitudes, you cannot dispute the raw courage of the five men involved in the final push for the pole - a push that was ultimately as cruel and brutal as it was futile.

Scott's ship Terra Nova leaves Cardiff for Antarctica 15 June 1910 (National Museum of Wales)

As most people now know, the Norwegian explorer beat Scott to the pole by five weeks and, devastated by the knowledge, all members of Scott's party perished on the return journey.

People often speak about the courage of Captain Oates, walking out to his death in the final blizzard rather than delay and hinder his comrades, but one man whose contribution to the expedition is often overlooked is Welshman Edgar Evans.

Evans was born on 7 March 1876 at Middleton, near Rhossili on the Gower Peninsula. He was the son of a sailor and was always destined for a career at sea. At the age of 13 he enlisted in the Royal Navy and by 1899 was serving on HMS Majestic where Lieutenant Robert Falcon Scott was employed as torpedo officer.

Edgar Evans served his time and was duly promoted, eventually reaching the rank of petty officer. He went with Scott on his first Antarctic expedition between 1901 and 1904, being part of a three-man team (the others being Scott and William Lashley) that travelled by sledge into the interior of Victoria Land in 1903.

Evans was always a big man and was described both as a "huge, bull necked figure" and, perhaps more damagingly, as a womaniser who enjoyed his ale and rum. Certainly by the time Scott's final expedition left Britain on the Terra Nova in 1910 he was past his prime.

An episode in New Zealand where he fell, drunk, into the water while attempting to get back to the ship after a night on the town would certainly have had him shipped back home in disgrace if there had been a different commander. Scott knew his man, however, and felt that he would need Evans' strength - and cheerful personality - in the weeks and months ahead.

Scott was right. Evans was a tireless worker who was always busying himself at one job or another. Scott's decision not to use dogs to pull the sledges - a decision that, arguably, lost him the race with Amunsden - meant that Evans' enormous strength was soon found to be invaluable.

The Polar party departs

When the Polar party was announced it was, perhaps, inevitable that "Taff" Evans would be one of the number, along with Scott, Lawrence Oates, Edward Wilson and Henry Bowers. Late in 1911, the small five-man team set off, reaching the South Pole on 17 January 1912, just 11 weeks after departure. The sudden and devastating realisation that they had been beaten to their goal must have been horrendous and the journey back to base was both desperate and deadly.

The Antarctic was hit by some of the worst gales ever seen, with snow and ice battering at the five disappointed explorers. It soon became apparent that they were in serious trouble.

Evans had cut his hand just before reaching the pole and, in the dreadful conditions the party endured, the wound refused to heal properly. Always the strongest and most physically able of men, Evans now began to unravel - both physically and emotionally - before the eyes of his fellow explorers. Within days of leaving the pole he was suffering from frostbite to his fingers and nose and often seemed to be living in a different world.

Short on food, supplies and time

When descending the Beardmore Glacier on 4 February, Evans slipped and fell through the ice. He was pulled clear but had injured his head - Scott thought he had concussion - and his condition worsened. By now he was making extremely slow progress through the ice and snow, often delaying the party which was already short of both food supplies and, most important of all, time.

On 16 February he was left far behind as the other four men hauled their sledge towards the next supply depot. Scott wrote in his diary, which was later recovered from his body:

"After lunch and Evans still not appearing, we looked out to see him still afar off... I was first to reach the poor man and was shocked by his appearance; he was on his knees with clothes disarrayed, hands uncovered and frostbitten, and a wild look in his eyes."

Captain Oates stayed with Evans while the others went back to their tent for a sledge to transport the stricken man. They could do nothing for him and Edgar Evans died at approximately 12.30am on 17 February, exactly one month after they had reached the South Pole.

His body was never found, although Scott and his comrades must have buried it somewhere in that icy wilderness. Had Scott lived they would have recovered the body and given it a suitable burial. It was not to be. Within a few short days Scott and the other three had also perished.

Edgar Evans' widow erected a plaque in his memory in the church at Rhossili. It bears the inscription "To seek, to strive, to find and not to yield," a suitable and appropriate testimony to the first Welshman ever to reach the South Pole.

If Phil's article has made you curious about Scott's Polar expedition, the National Museum Cardiff is running an exhibition called Captain Scott: South For Science. It runs until Sunday 13 May 2012 and is supported by the United Kingdom Antarctic Heritage Trust. Find out more about the exhibition on the .