Mrs. Chippy's Last Expedition: The Remarkable Journal of Shackleton's Polar-Bound Cat: Caroline Alexander: 9780060932619: Amazon.com: Books Editorial Reviews From Kirkus Reviews A shaggy-cat tale, in which Alexander (The Way to Xanadu, 1994, etc.) gives us the feline perspective on travel and exploration in turn-of-the-century Antarctica. Mrs. Chippy is a cat--a tomcat, actually, but a very elegant one whose grace and manners and devotion to his master (Harry ``Chippy'' McNeish) inspired the joke that they are as good as married. Chippy McNeish is ship's carpenter aboard the Endurance, which set sail from London on August 1, 1914, on a voyage to the South Pole that was led by Sir Ernest Shackleton and the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Mrs. Chippy has her role to play, of course, and it is no small one: hunting mice, keeping watch on deck, and looking after the general well-being of her master and his crewmates.

He tells his story through the pages of his journal, which record the daily rituals of weather, naps, navigation, and meals. Once they find themselves stranded in a sea of ice, however, the expedition is forced to encamp for the duration, hoping that their rations will hold out until the thaws--which, as it turned out, were nearly a year in coming. Mrs. Chippy keeps a more level head than most of his crewmates during this long confinement, and he may actually have been their salvation insofar as he injected a familiar note of domesticity and routine into the hardships of their situation (``I myself am very disciplined by nature and have set myself a strict winter regime: Wake at 2:00 p.m.; stretch, wash, take breakfast by the galley stove, greet shipmates, etc.''). By the end, when the ice floes break and the Weddell Sea is open once more, Mrs. Chippy is more popular than ever. Too cute for comfort: after about 20 pages of this, even cat- lovers may find themselves feeling pretty seasick. (12 b&w photos, not seen) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP.

All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition. Purr-n-Fur UK | Mrs Chippy, of Shackleton's Endurance Left-click thumbnails for enlargements (JavaScript should be enabled), but please allow all images to load before doing so, or some may not display (if this happens, use Refresh from your toolbar to reload the page) Mrs Chippy was the tabby cat that accompanied Ernest Shackleton and his crew on board the Endurance when they set sail from the East India Docks in London on 1 August 1914, bound for the Antarctic, initially South Georgia. In spite of the name he was a tough tomcat from Glasgow, and he belonged to Henry (Harry) McNish, ship's carpenter and master shipwright. While preparing for the trip McNish found the cat curled up in one of his toolboxes, as though determined to be included, and that was what made his master decide  having earlier been unsure whether or not to take him  that a cat would be a good companion on the voyage and that he should go along.

Shackleton was pleased to have the cat join the crew, as a good mouser was important on board ship to keep rodents under control and prevent them damaging the stores (as of course the crew of Amethyst would later confirm: see the story of Simon and HMS Amethyst ). It is said that when master and cat came on board, Mrs Chippy followed McNish around like an overpossessive wife, and that's how he acquired his name  which stuck even when they found out he was in fact a tomcat! He was a handsome, intelligent, good-natured and affectionate animal, and a first-rate mouser and ratcatcher to boot. He soon established himself and became a favourite with most of the crew. (For anyone unfamiliar with the term, I should explain that 'chippy' is a colloquial and somewhat affectionate name in Britain for a carpenter.) Mrs Chippy's new friend At one of the ports of call, Buenos Aires, a 19-year-old British man stowed away on Endurance, with the aid of a couple of his friends who had been legitimately signed on.

Named Perce Blackborow, he was not discovered until three days later when the ship was well under way; after giving him a dressing-down in front of the crew, Shackleton let him stay for the duration of the voyage and put him to work. He was willing and proved to be an asset, eventually gaining promotion to steward. It was Blackborow who became Mrs Chippy's champion and second-best mate, and what seems to be the only existing photograph of the cat is on the young man's shoulder. It was taken by expedition photographer Frank Hurley and looks as though it might have been taken outside the galley. There was one crisis during the journey south, when Mrs Chippy seems to have decided the whole thing was a mistake, and made a jump for freedom out of a cabin porthole, straight into the cold and inky-black waters of the South Atlantic. Fortunately it was a quiet and calm night and the officer of the watch, Lt Hubert Hudson, heard the cat's cries and was able to smartly turn the ship around to pick him up. He was in the freezing water for ten minutes or more, but soon recovered  although undoubtedly one of his nine lives had been used up!

The incident is recorded in the diary of Thomas Orde-Lees, 13 September 1914 (in which he refers to the cat as 'she'). Annoying the dogs Being an equitable cat, there wasn't much that bothered Mrs Chippy and he settled down to find the warmest and most comfortable places on board, accept titbits from the crew in exchange for a purr, and do his job of protecting the provisions. What he did not like were the 70-odd Canadian sledge dogs that lived a rather miserable life chained up in lines of restrictive kennels on each side of the deck. These dogs suffered from lack of exercise and  oddly, considering the important role they would be expected to play later  were not very well looked after; indeed, poor condition led to the early demise of several of them. Not unexpectedly they howled and made a lot of noise, and this rather unnerved the cat at first. However, as time went on he gained in confidence and would prowl around on top of their kennels mewing; then sharpen his claws on the roofs (the mainmast was also a favourite claw-sharpening spot), and sit there calmly washing himself.

Needless to say, these actions did not endear him to the dogs, which would be driven into a hysterical frenzy. Trapped in the ice Circumstances were to change, though, as in mid-January 1915 Endurance became trapped in frozen pack ice from which, despite the best efforts of the crew, she would never escape and which would eventually crush her. Becoming apparently rather bored with the proceedings at one stage, Mrs Chippy seems to have decided the best thing to do would be to hibernate for a while, and he disappeared to somewhere warm and quiet from the 5th to the 10th of February. The crew were distraught, thinking he had gone out onto the ice and frozen to death, and were greatly relieved when he reappeared. No doubt he had some extra 'treats' to eat, as a relief from the usual fare of sealmeat for breakfast, sealmeat for lunch and sealmeat for supper.

After about a month, when the Antarctic winter was setting in and it was obvious the ship was not going to be on the move anytime soon, the dogs were moved off the deck into specially built houses made from ice blocks, on the ice floe beside the ship. These were called 'dogloos'. The dogs also had a stout wire between posts along which they could run for exercise while remaining securely chained to it; again Mrs Chippy would tempt fate by watching them from just out of range. One day the bo'sun John Vincent, an unpopular man but who quite liked dogs, accused the cat of unnecessarily provoking them. He picked him up roughly by the scruff of the neck and threatened to throw him to the dogs. Blackborow rescued the cat before the threat could be carried out  but that was another life gone! A formal complaint was made against Vincent, who was in fact demoted as a result. In general Mrs Chippy did not like the ice, which became lodged between his toes and pads, and spent most of his time below decks, with occasional outings to check on the crew's activities and see how they were getting on.

During July, along with the rest of the crew, he was weighed, and at 9lb 10oz (nearly 4.4kg) was considerably heavier and stockier than at the start of the voyage (unlike the rest of the crew, who had all lost weight, although they were healthy). The cat spent a lot of time grooming and the diet  now changed to pemmican  seemed to suit him. However, he drew the line at penguin meat and refused to touch it. By October 1915 winter had begun to loosen its grip, and at one time hopes were high and it seemed as though Endurance might be able to gain her freedom from the ice and continue her voyage. But by the end of the month it was obvious it was not to be, and the ship was beginning to break up under the pressure of the ice. Mrs Chippy continued to sleep through much of what was happening, prompting the remark, years later, from a crew member: 'Mrs Chippy's almost total disregard for the diabolical forces at work on the ship was more than remarkable  it was inspirational.

Such perfect courage is, alas, not to be found in our modern age.' Shackleton's plan Towards the end the crew had to camp out on the ice in tents, while Shackleton planned what to do for the best. He eventually decided they would have to head for the nearest land, nearly 350 miles away. In order to have any chance of success, he told the men they would have to be quite ruthless in taking with them only what was absolutely essential  which would mean there would be no place for Mrs Chippy. Nor, indeed, ultimately for the dogs, who despite being rationed were consuming more meat than the men. His crew were entirely loyal to Shackleton and respected his judgement, and so the decision had to be made. When the time came the biologist, Robert Clark, picked up Mrs Chippy and gave him an affectionate hug and stroke. Crew members paid their respects with a caress, a stroke or a tickle under the chin; the cat had been their companion throughout all their adversity and a great source of comfort in their numerous hardships. Mrs Chippy, of course, loved all the attention and treated it as his due.

Mrs Chippy's demise Authors tended not to dwell upon the final playing out of the sad tale. It seems that after the crew had made their farewells McNish probably took the cat into his tent to say his goodbyes, when the steward Blackborow somehow rustled up a bowl of sardines  Mrs Chippy's favourite and a real treat. He ate them with obvious pleasure, then washed and stretched out for a good sleep, little knowing it was to be a never-ending one. It is possible that the sardines were laced with a sleep-inducing drug. Blackborow returned once to embrace the cat tightly, telling him how glad he was that they had been shipmates, and then left. In his book South, published in 1919, Shackleton himself states that on the afternoon of 29 October 1915 the cat and some of the puppies were to be shot. The following day Hurley wrote in his diary, 'Sally's 4 pups, Sue's Sirius and McNish's cat, Mrs Chippy shot at 2:55 p.m.' It seems the task was undertaken by Frank Wild, Shackleton's second-in-command.

(Five dog teams were subsequently destroyed in the same manner in January 1916, and the remaining two in March.) McNish had little time to mourn his beloved cat, as he had much work to do preparing and modifying the three lifeboats for sea; the lives of all the men would depend on these boats. But from that time on the carpenter had a growing resentment for Shackleton, and as their escape expedition went on it became harder and harder for the leader to control him. One result was that Shackleton did not recommend McNish for the award of a Polar Medal, despite the vital part his carpentry skills had played in ensuring the survival of the lifeboats  and thus the men's lives  in some of the most hostile seas in the world. The upshot, as is well known, was that eventually, after three and a half months and against great odds, Shackleton did manage to lead all the crew to safety and no human life was lost. There are plenty of accounts of their adventures and I shall not repeat them here. But NcNish never forgave Shackleton for having his cat shot.

The carpenter  and a tribute to his cat There is a postscript to the story of the unfortunate Mrs Chippy. In 1925 McNish went to Wellington, New Zealand, where he worked on the waterfront until he was injured. He survived there until 1930, destitute, with help from the waterfront folk. The curator of Antarctic History at the museum in Canterbury, Baden Norris, recalls being taken as a young boy to see McNish when he was old and ill; even then he was still mourning the loss of his cat. 'The only thing I remember him saying,' says Norris, 'was that Shackleton shot his cat.' But to the seamen of Endurance, the carpenter was a hero. When he died a naval funeral was arranged, with bearers from the Royal Navy and a gun carriage supplied by the New Zealand Army. But his grave, in Karori Cemetery, Wellington, was unmarked until 1959 when the NZ Antarctic Society raised a headstone. In June 2004 the society cleaned up the grave and commissioned a life-sized bronze sculpture of McNish's beloved cat to adorn it.

The sculptor, Chris Elliott, tried to represent the cat as alert, but with his body relaxed as though he were lying on his master's bunk. Chris very kindly sent us some photos (below) of the sculpture being admired by visitors, together with one taken beforehand in the bronze-caster's yard (centre) and one in its final position on Henry McNish's grave (second from right). Further examples of Chris Elliott's work can be seen at his website . McNish's grandson Tom, who lives in England, was delighted and felt his grandfather would have been pleased. 'I think the cat was more important to him than the Polar Medal,' he said. In 2006 a fine plaque dedicated to Harry 'Chippy' McNish was unveiled at the library in his Scottish birthplace of Port Glasgow. In 1958 the British Antarctic Survey named a small island off South Georgia in his honour: McNeish Island. McNish's surname was and is commonly spelled 'McNeish'  Shackleton himself used it  but his birth certificate revealed it to be McNish, and in 1998 the name of the island was accordingly officially altered.

His gravestone, however, uses the McNeish spelling. Book choice . . . and a stamp Finally I must highly recommend the marvellous book Mrs Chippy's Last Expedition, by Caroline Alexander (1997, Bloomsbury Publishing, ISBN 07475 3819 0). It's written as a diary kept by the cat, starting in January 1915 and ending with the meal of sardines. It's an amusing, poignant and fascinating read, and there are many interesting photographs of Endurance and her crew during the voyage. It's a pity that on none of them is Mrs Chippy to be seen; he always seemed to manage to be just out of shot! However, played by 'Mac', Mrs Chippy did feature in the 2002 Channel 4 film Shackleton, starring Kenneth Branagh in the title role and with Ken Drury playing McNish (available on DVD). In February 2011 the well-known photo of Mrs Chippy with his friend Perce was featured on a postage stamp.

A set of six stamps showing various domesticated animals (and a penguin) that had been to the Antarctic was issued by South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands, and the cat is on the top (£1-15) value. For an image see our April 2011 stamp review . Links and further reading Wikipedia: Perce Blackborow . The most recent HMS Endurance was the Royal Navy's Ice Patrol Ship to Antarctica. At the end of 2008 she suffered a near-loss following an engine room flood, and from April 2009 she was at the Portsmouth Naval Base in a preserved state while her fate was decided. In October 2013 the decision to scrap the vessel was announced. From 2011 the Royal Navy chartered a Norwegian vessel, renamed HMS Protector, to continue ice patrol duties, and purchased the ship in 2013. Details of the Navy's present ice patrol and survey vessels are at at the MoD site. Mrs Chippy was not the only cat to have taken part in polar exploration. See our companion article describing some other Antarctic Cats and for a modern twist to Mrs Chippy's story see Post-war Antarctic Cats .

A musical journey Frank Bossert is a German musician, composer and songwriter living in the north of the country. For some years he has worked on independent musical projects, producing and releasing CDs particularly in the Celtic genre, and highlights from his albums can be found on major-label compilations next to songs by the likes of Clannad, Enya and Mike Oldfield. In 2001 Frank heard for the first time about Sir Ernest Shackleton and the Endurance expedition, and conceived the idea of making a modern musical composition inspired by the expedition's amazing story. The album is now available as Shackleton's Voyage, a 51-minute musical interpretation telling the sensational story of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914-1916 in a series of 15 tracks. The atmospheric music is themed around the various phases of the expedition and the stages of the men's survival. Artwork and an accompanying booklet feature original photographs taken by expedition photographer Frank Hurley and licensed by the RGS in London and the SPRI in Cambridge. There was originally a track entitled Mrs Chippy's Dance, but the title was later changed because of a lack of suitable photographic material to accompany it.

The CD is available worldwide by ordering from the website , where more information can also be found, and also from other sources such as Amazon. Further details of the album and the whole project can be seen at MySpace . If you'd like to comment please contact me, or drop in at our Facebook page Return to: or visit the Purr 'n' Fur home page 'Catline' divider bar courtesy of CatStuff Graphics Our featured feline at the head of the page is Simon of HMS Amethyst. He remains the only cat ever to have been awarded the Dickin Medal for gallantry under enemy fire, in what became known as the 'Yangtse Incident' (1949). Copyright © Patrick Roberts & Purr 'n' Fur UK 2003-15 All rights reserved Images and content (whether original or used at Purr 'n' Fur with permission) may NOT be reproduced at another website or otherwise copied or used without prior permission. Direct linking (hotlinking) to ANY images on this site is strictly forbidden. If you want something, CatStuff: The Cats Who Sailed on Ships . The Cats Who Sailed on Ships Cats perform a valuable service by catching mice, rats, and other pests.

They also have a high ability to adapt to new surroundings, and were therefore highly suitable for service on a ship. They also offer companionship as well as a sense of home and security to sailors, who could be away from home for long periods, especially in times of war. Mrs. Chippy was the ship's cat aboard Endurance, the ship used by Sir Ernest Shackleton for his Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. When the ship was lost, having become trapped in pack ice, the sled dogs and Mrs. Chippy had to be put down, as they would not have survived the arduous journey ahead. Full article . Kiddo seemed to have stowed away on the airship, America, when she left from Atlantic City, New Jersey in an attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Kiddo was upset at first by the experience, but settled in and evidently, was better at predicting bad weather than the barometer. Her engines failed, and the small crew and Kiddo abandoned the America for lifeboats when they sighted the Royal Mail steamship, Trent, near Bermuda.

Kiddo then was retired from being a ship's cat and was taken care of by Edith, the daughter of the American journalist, explorer, and aviator, Walter Wellman, who made the daring attempt. Convoy was the ship's cat aboard HMS Hermione. He was so named because of the number of times he accompanied the ship on convoy escort duties. Convoy was duly listed in the ship's book and provided with a full kit, including a tiny hammock where he would sleep. He stood by his ship to the end and was lost along with eighty-seven of his crew mates, when the Hermione was torpedoed and sunk on 16 June 1942. U-boat was another ship's cat aboard a Royal Navy vessel of the Second World War, who would take ‘shore leave’ whenever his ship came into port. He would spend days on shore, usually returning only just before his ship sailed. One day, U-boat failed to return in time for roll call and his ship was forced to sail. As she pulled away from the quay, U-boat was seen running down the dock after the departing ship. He made a death-defying leap onto the ship and succeeded in making it aboard.

He was reported to be undaunted by his experience, proceeding to wash himself on deck. The crew members were apparently delighted their good luck charm had returned. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. Peebles was the ship's cat aboard HMS Western Isles. Another cat who became a favourite of the ship's crew, he was known to be particularly intelligent and would shake the hands of strangers when they entered the wardroom. Blackie was HMS Prince of Wales's ship's cat. During World War II, he achieved worldwide fame after the Prince of Wales carried the Prime Minister Winston Churchill across the Atlantic to NS Argentia, Newfoundland, where he secretly met with the United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt for several days in a secure anchorage. This meeting resulted in the signing of the Atlantic Charter, but as Churchill prepared to step off the Prince of Wales, Blackie approached, either to wish him well, or to go aboard the USS Augusta with him. Churchill stooped to bid farewell to Blackie, and the moment was photographed and reported in the world media. In honour of the success of the visit, Blackie was renamed Churchill.

Previously named Oscar, Unsinkable Sam he was the ship's cat of the German battleship Bismarck. When she was sunk on May 27 1941, only 116 out of a crew of over 2,200 survived. Luckily, Oscar was picked up by the destroyer HMS Cossack. Cossack herself was torpedoed and sunk a few months later, on 24 October, killing 159 of her crew, but again, Oscar survived to be rescued, and was taken to Gibraltar. He became the ship's cat of HMS Ark Royal but she too was torpedoed and sunk in November that year. Oscar was again rescued, but it was decided at that time to transfer him to a home on land. By now known as Unsinkable Sam, he was given a new job as mouse-catcher in the Governor General of Gibraltar's office buildings. He eventually returned to the UK and spent the rest of his life at the 'Home for Sailors'. A portrait of him hangs in the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. Tarawa was a kitten rescued from a blockhouse during the Battle of Tarawa by the United States Coast Guard and named Tarawa.

She was a mascot aboard an LST, but did not get along with the LST's other mascot, a dog named Kodiak, and jumped ship ashore. Camouflage was the ship's cat aboard an LST. He was known for chasing enemy tracer rounds across the deck. On the HMS Duke of York, the ship's mascot was a tabby cat named Whisky who became famous for sleeping through the battle during which the German ship Scharnhorst was sunk. A cat named Susan attended the D-Day invasion after making herself at home on a landing craft of the Royal Navy. Windy was the pet of Wing Commander, Guy Gibson, VC, the dam-buster of World War II. Windy accompanied Gibson on dangerous war time missions. Windy flew in planes and knew how to swim.

This cat put in “more flying hours than most cats.” From 1000+ images about Shackleton Expedition - The Endurance on Pinterest | L'wren scott, Islands and Shipwreck Pinterest • The world’s catalog of ideas Shackleton Expedition - The Endurance 38 Pins55 Followers In 1915 Sir Ernest Shackleton led an ill-fated expedition to Antarctica, in a race to be the first to reach the South Pole. His ship The Endurance got caught in the Antarctic ice, broke apart and left his men stranded on the ice for a year. They didn't reach the Pole, but instead endured an outrageous year of traversing the ice and open sea, and all made it home to tell the tale. The Cats Who Sailed on Ships | My Meowa It's a magazine about cats for humans The Cats Who Sailed on Ships Published on August 14, 2016 in Fact's by Lola Cats perform a valuable service by catching mice, rats, and other pests. They also have a high ability to adapt to new surroundings, and were therefore highly suitable for service on a ship.

They also offer companionship as well as a sense of home and security to sailors, who could be away from home for long periods, especially in times of war. Mrs. Chippy was the ship’s cat aboard Endurance, the ship used by Sir Ernest Shackleton for his Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. When the ship was lost, having become trapped in pack ice, the sled dogs and Mrs. Chippy had to be put down, as they would not have survived the arduous journey ahead. Full article. Kiddo seemed to have stowed away on the airship, America, when she left from Atlantic City, New Jersey in an attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Kiddo was upset at first by the experience, but settled in and evidently, was better at predicting bad weather than the barometer. Her engines failed, and the small crew and Kiddo abandoned the America for lifeboats when they sighted the Royal Mail steamship, Trent, near Bermuda. Kiddo then was retired from being a ship’s cat and was taken care of by Edith, the daughter of the American journalist, explorer, and aviator, Walter Wellman, who made the daring attempt. Convoy was the ship’s cat aboard HMS Hermione.

He was so named because of the number of times he accompanied the ship on convoy escort duties. Convoy was duly listed in the ship’s book and provided with a full kit, including a tiny hammock where he would sleep. He stood by his ship to the end and was lost along with eighty-seven of his crew mates, when the Hermione was torpedoed and sunk on 16 June 1942. U-boat was another ship’s cat aboard a Royal Navy vessel of the Second World War, who would take ‘shore leave’ whenever his ship came into port. He would spend days on shore, usually returning only just before his ship sailed. One day, U-boat failed to return in time for roll call and his ship was forced to sail. As she pulled away from the quay, U-boat was seen running down the dock after the departing ship. He made a death-defying leap onto the ship and succeeded in making it aboard. He was reported to be undaunted by his experience, proceeding to wash himself on deck. The crew members were apparently delighted their good luck charm had returned. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air.

Peebles was the ship’s cat aboard HMS Western Isles. Another cat who became a favourite of the ship’s crew, he was known to be particularly intelligent and would shake the hands of strangers when they entered the wardroom. Blackie was HMS Prince of Wales’s ship’s cat. During World War II, he achieved worldwide fame after the Prince of Wales carried the Prime Minister Winston Churchill across the Atlantic to NS Argentia, Newfoundland, where he secretly met with the United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt for several days in a secure anchorage. This meeting resulted in the signing of the Atlantic Charter, but as Churchill prepared to step off the Prince of Wales, Blackie approached, either to wish him well, or to go aboard the USS Augusta with him. Churchill stooped to bid farewell to Blackie, and the moment was photographed and reported in the world media. In honour of the success of the visit, Blackie was renamed Churchill. Previously named Oscar, Unsinkable Sam he was the ship’s cat of the German battleship Bismarck. When she was sunk on May 27 1941, only 116 out of a crew of over 2,200 survived.

Luckily, Oscar was picked up by the destroyer HMS Cossack. Cossack herself was torpedoed and sunk a few months later, on 24 October, killing 159 of her crew, but again, Oscar survived to be rescued, and was taken to Gibraltar. He became the ship’s cat of HMS Ark Royal but she too was torpedoed and sunk in November that year. Oscar was again rescued, but it was decided at that time to transfer him to a home on land. By now known as Unsinkable Sam, he was given a new job as mouse-catcher in the Governor General of Gibraltar’s office buildings. He eventually returned to the UK and spent the rest of his life at the ‘Home for Sailors’. A portrait of him hangs in the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. Tarawa was a kitten rescued from a blockhouse during the Battle of Tarawa by the United States Coast Guard and named Tarawa. She was a mascot aboard an LST, but did not get along with the LST’s other mascot, a dog named Kodiak, and jumped ship ashore. Camouflage was the ship’s cat aboard an LST. He was known for chasing enemy tracer rounds across the deck.

On the HMS Duke of York, the ship’s mascot was a tabby cat named Whisky who became famous for sleeping through the battle during which the German ship Scharnhorst was sunk. A cat named Susan attended the D-Day invasion after making herself at home on a landing craft of the Royal Navy. Windy was the pet of Wing Commander, Guy Gibson, VC, the dam-buster of World War II. Windy accompanied Gibson on dangerous war time missions. Windy flew in planes and knew how to swim. This cat put in “more flying hours than most cats.” The Endurance Dogs | Endurance Obituaries Contact the Author The Endurance Dogs The dogs at Millwall docks 14th July. 1914 being shown off by one of their three Canadian Dog Drivers. Shackleton’s original intention for the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition had been to take along over 100 dogs, supplied by The Hudson Bay Company in Canada. On 12th May 1914, he issued a letter from his offices in New Burlington Street.

London, a mail-shot if you like, to 200 people he considered could and would, donate £50 each towards the final £10,000 needed to finance the expedition. “The purchase of 100 dogs has already been arranged, but if the sum is forthcoming this number will be largely added to. Whilst no broadcast appeal is being made, it is hoped that the Governments of the Overseas Dominions, public bodies at home, the great corporations, educational institutions, learned societies, and rich benefactors who recognise the claims of science and the prestige of the Empire in this work, will make contributions to the fund.” On 14th July.1914 the “S.S.Montcalm” arrived from Manitoba, Canada at Millwall Docks, London with a cargo of 99 dogs. Each had travelled first by freight train from Winnipeg to Manitoba and were caged individually. The average weight of the dogs was around 100lbs and some bore names that were to stick with them throughout the expedition. Bob, Blackie, Samson and Judge. The “S.S.Montcalm” which transported the Dogs from Canada.

(photo with grateful thanks to the late Edward (Jack) Byard.) Others such as Bismark, Napoleon, three dogs all named Carlos and some with French Canadian names, were later renamed. In reality, Shackleton only took along 69 of the dogs on the Endurance, which were of mongrel mix, mostly bred with wolves and some of questionable quality. Lieutenant F.Dobbs of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers had been chosen by Shackleton to take charge of the dogs on “Endurance”. The impending outbreak of WW1, had caused Dobbs to rejoin his regiment and so withdraw at the eleventh hour from the expedition. Shackleton, short on time, called upon Sir Daniel Gooch to fill the position. Gooch, an old friend, and one of his army of friends and admirers, signed on the Endurance as an able seaman. His many years experience of following the hunt and breeding hounds were his only qualifications for the post. Whilst he was a keen experienced yachtsman, he had never before taken part in any Polar venture.

Gooch left the expedition at South Georgia, having learnt that his rather grand home in England, “Highlands House” had been requisitioned as a hospital by the War Office. He, quite understandably, wished to oversee the conversion himself, and in any event it had always been agreed that he would go no further South than South Georgia. “ Endurance” sailed out from South Georgia at 9 a.m. on Saturday 5th December 1914. McNish the carpenter, added two small pigs to its animal cargo. During the voyage from South Georgia to the Weddell Sea the dogs were housed in small kennel-like huts arranged along the port and starboard sides of the deck. The kennels were constructed by the men during the voyage from England and then in Buenos Aires under the supervision of McNish. The dogs had sailed separately from Liverpool and boarded the Endurance in Buenos Aires. They had a pretty horrid time at sea, being confined to such exposed and cramped conditions, and were often tossed out of their kennels during rough weather.

THE NAMES OF 66 OF THE 69 DOGS ALTI 27/12/1915 (SLEDGE INJURY) (AS AT 1/4/1915, 54 DOGS + 8 PUPS REMAINED) Shackleton mention’s six other names in his book “South”, Millhill, Skipper, Ulysses, Painful, Chirgwin and Smuts. These names do not appear in any of the diaries of the other men and would make a total of 72 named dogs. Some of the dogs were certainly renamed. Unfortunately it is unclear which! The selection of names is quite intriguing. Strange that out of 69 dogs, at least 29 had names beginning with the letter “S”. Was this with Shackleton in mind? Others would seem to have been named after crew members : – Steward - Blackborrow Tim - McCarthy Wallaby - Hurley Although the dogs were well fed and cared for, they were not immune from disease. Inevitably, quite a number became ill. Tape Worm infestation and Pneumonia took their toll.

They were humanely put down, the task usually being carried out by Frank Wild. By mid-March of 1915 when the entrapped Endurance began to drift North in the frozen Weddell Sea, the dogs were given more freedom to exercise, and were housed in wooden kennels on the ice named “dogloos” (protected and insulated with blocks of ice, rather like an igloo). There was even a “puploo” constructed to house the pups born during the expedition, and a ”Pigloo” for the pigs, (which were eventually consumed by the crew). In early March of 1915 the dogs were given mattresses constructed of sacks stuffed with straw, which they soon set about tearing to pieces with great joy! The dogs helped keep the men occupied and entertained during those long months of drifting, and Shackleton organised six sledging teams made up of the remaining fit dogs. James assists Macklin in administering medicine to one of the sick dogs, as Shackleton looks on.

The other dogs watch with curiosity The teams and their leaders, were as follows: McIlroy (8 dogs) Team Leader: Wolf Hurley (8 dogs) Team Leader: Shakespeare Macklin (10 dogs) Team Leader: Bo’sun Crean (8 dogs) Team Leader: Surly Marston (7 dogs) Team Leader: Steamer Wild (8 dogs) Team Leader: Soldier From the diary entries of Hurley, Hussey and Macklin, it is evident that the exercising and racing of the dogs often became the highlight of many an otherwise uneventful day. On 17th May 1915 Hurley wrote in his dairy: “ Train and exercise dogs in sledge teams. All dogs are now doing wonderfully well and fast they are, especially with the reduced amount of exercise owing to the short twilight.” The most bad tempered of the dogs seems to have been “MACK”. On the morning of Tuesday 16th February 1915 he bit Macklin and caused such damage that Macklin was unable to play in the football game that afternoon. Instead he volunteered as referee. Tom Crean shows off Sally’s four pups, Roger, Toby, Nelson and Nellie.

Frank Wild wrote: “These dogs vary in disposition as much as the men do. A few had to be whipped to work and some must not be whipped or they would lie down and cry. Some would make the most delightful pets, but petting is taboo, as if one is made any fuss of, the remainder become jealous and will kill him at the first opportunity.” The dogs were taking more meat to feed each day than the men. At some point Shackleton realised that his dream of crossing Antarctica was over, and that saving his men was his first priority. The fate of the dogs was sealed. On Saturday 30th October 1915 Hurley wrote in his diary: “Sally’s 4 pups, Sue’s Sirius and McNish’s cat, Mrs Chippy shot at 2:55 p.m”. On the afternoon of Friday 14th January 1916 the dog teams of Wild, Marston, Crean and McIlroy were shot, a total at that time of 30 dogs. On the afternoon of the following Sunday 16th January 1916, wild shot Hurley’s team. This left just Macklin’s team and a team look after by Greenstreet.

Hurley wrote: “ The poor creatures have been on scant rations for some time. A casual observer might think the explorer a frozen hearted individual, especially if he noticed the mouths watering when tears ought to be expected. Hunger brings us all to the level of other species and our saying, “ Sledge dogs are born for work, and bred for food”, is but the rationale of experience.” On Thursday 30th March 1916 the remaining dogs were shot, and a number skinned and eaten. John Vincent in a press interview in London on 3rd August 1916 is quoted as saying “ I ate two of the dog steaks, they tasted just fine! The dog’s had served their purpose and the men were genuinely sad that they had been forced to end their lives in such circumstances. Frank Wild, who’s duty it was to shoot the dogs recorded: “I have known many men who I would rather have shot, than these dogs”. Copyright 2009 | All Rights Reserved ship’s cat – Exequy's Blog History The ship’s cat has been a common sight on many trading, exploration, and naval ships, and is a phenomenon that goes back to ancient times.

Cats have been carried on ships for a number of reasons, the most important being to catch mice and rats. These rodents, when aboard, could cause considerable damage to ropes and woodwork. More serious was the threat rodents posed to the stores the ship carried. Not only could they devour the foodstuff carried to feed the crew, they could cause economic damage if the ship was carrying grain or similar substances as part of its cargo. Rats and mice were also sources of disease, an important consideration for ships, which could be at sea for long periods of time. Cats naturally attack and kill these rodents. Cats have a high ability to adapt to new surroundings, and were therefore highly suitable for service on a ship. They also offered companionship and a sense of home and security to sailors who could be away from home for long periods, especially in times of war. Early history The domestication of cats is believed to date back some 9,500 years, and the practice of taking cats aboard boats and ships began not long afterwards. The Ancient Egyptians took cats on board Nile boats to catch birds in the thickets along the riverbanks. Cats were also carried on trading ships to control rodents, and that concept was adopted by traders from other nations.

This led to the spread of cats throughout the world, with the species eventually reaching nearly all parts of the world accessible by ship. Over the centuries their offspring developed into different breeds according to the climate in which they found themselves and the mates they took, as well as the deliberate selection by humans. Phoenician cargo ships are thought to have brought the first domesticated cats to Europe in about 900 BC. Cats and superstition Sometimes worshiped as deities, cats have long had a reputation as magical animals and numerous myths and superstitions sprang up amongst the unusually superstitious seafaring community. They were considered to be intelligent and lucky animals, and a high level of care was directed toward them to keep them happy. Some sailors believed that polydactyl cats were better at catching pests, possibly connected with the suggestion that extra digits give a polydactyl cat better balance, important when at sea. In some places polydactyl cats became known as “ship’s cats”. Cats were believed to have miraculous powers that could protect ships from dangerous weather. Sometimes, fishermen’s wives would keep Black cats at home too, in the hope that they would be able to use their influence to protect their husbands at sea.

It was believed to be lucky if a cat approached a sailor on deck, but unlucky if it only came halfway, and then retreated. Another popular belief was that cats could start storms through magic stored in their tails. If a ship’s cat fell or was thrown overboard, it was thought that it would summon a terrible storm to sink the ship and that if the ship was able to survive, it would be cursed with nine years of bad luck. Other beliefs included, if a cat licked its fur against the grain, it meant a hailstorm was coming; if it sneezed it meant rain; and if it was frisky it meant wind. Some of these beliefs are rooted in reality. Cats are able to detect slight changes in the weather, as a result of their very sensitive inner ears, which also allow them to land upright when falling. Low atmospheric pressure, a common precursor of stormy weather, often makes cats nervous and restless. Famous ship’s cats The prevalence of cats on ships has led to them being reported on by a number of famous seafarers.

The outbreak of the Second World War, with the spread of mass communication and the active nature of the world’s navies, also led to a number of ship’s cats becoming celebrities in their own right. Trim Trim was the ship’s cat on a number of the ships under the command of Matthew Flinders during voyages to circumnavigate and map the coastline of Australia during 1801-03. He became a favourite of the crew and was the first cat to circumnavigate Australia. He remained with Flinders, until apparently being stolen and eaten by hungry slaves. A statue to Trim was later erected in his honour, and he has been the subject of a number of works of literature. A statue sits on a windowsill on the outside of the Sydney Library, in Sydney, Australia. Trim’s statue behind Matthew Flinders’ own in Sydney, Australia. The plaque under it says: TO THE MEMORY OF TRIM The best and most illustrious of his race The most affectionate of friends, faithful of servants, He made the tour of the globe, and a voyage to Australia, which he circumnavigated, and was ever the delight and pleasure of his fellow voyagers……..

Written by Matthew Flinders in memory of his cat Memorial donated by the North Shore Historical Society. Mrs. Chippy Mrs. Chippy was the ship’s cat aboard Endurance, the ship used by Sir Ernest Shackleton for his Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. When the ship was lost, having become trapped and eventually crushed in pack ice, the sled dogs and Mrs. Chippy had to be put down, as they would not have survived the arduous journey ahead. Kiddo Kiddo seemed to have stowed away on the airship America, when she left from Atlantic City, New Jersey in an attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean in 1910. Kiddo was upset at first by the experience, but settled in and evidently, was better at predicting bad weather than the barometer. The airship’s engines failed, and the small crew and Kiddo abandoned the America for lifeboats when they sighted the Royal Mail steamship, Trent, near Bermuda. Kiddo then was retired from being a ship’s cat and was taken care of by Edith Wellman Ainsworth, the daughter of the American journalist, explorer, and aviator, Walter Wellman, who made the daring attempt.

Emmy Emmy was the ship’s cat on the RMS Empress of Ireland. Emmy, a loyal ginger moggie who had never once missed a voyage, repeatedly tried to escape the ship near departure on 28 May 1914. The crew could not coax her aboard and the Empress departed without her. It was reported that Emmy watched the ship sail away from Quebec City sitting on the roof of the shed at Pier 27. The Empress of Ireland sank in a collision with heavy loss of life later the next day. Convoy Convoy was the ship’s cat aboard HMS Hermione. He was so named because of the number of times he accompanied the ship on convoy escort duties. Convoy was duly listed in the ship’s book and provided with a full kit, including a tiny hammock where he would sleep. He stood by his ship to the end and was lost along with 87 of his crew mates, when the Hermione was torpedoed and sunk on 16 June 1942 by U-205. Tiddles Tiddles (see photo below) was the ship’s cat on a number of Royal Navy aircraft carriers. He was born aboard HMS Argus, and later joined HMS Victorious.

He was often seen at his favourite station, on the after capstan, where he would play with the bell-rope. He eventually travelled over 30,000 miles (48,000 km) during his time in service. U-boat U-boat was another ship’s cat aboard a Royal Navy vessel in the Second World War, who would take ‘shore leave’ whenever his ship came into port. He would spend days on shore, usually returning only just before his ship sailed. One day, U-boat failed to return in time for roll call and his ship was forced to sail. As she pulled away from the quay, U-boat was seen running down the dock after the departing ship. He made a death-defying leap onto the ship and succeeded in making it aboard. He was reported to be undaunted by his experience, proceeding to wash himself on deck. The crewmembers were apparently delighted their good luck charm had returned. Peebles Peebles was the ship’s cat aboard HMS Western Isles. Another cat who became a favourite of the ship’s crew, he was known to be particularly intelligent and would shake the hands of strangers when they entered the wardroom.

Peebles is seen at the right on top of the deck, participating in a game of jump through the hoop during the Second World War. Blackie Blackie was HMS Prince of Wales‘s ship’s cat. During the Second World War, he achieved worldwide fame after Prince of Wales carried Prime Minister Winston Churchill across the Atlantic to NS Argentia, Newfoundland, where he secretly met with the United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt for several days in a secure anchorage. This meeting resulted in the signing of the Atlantic Charter, but as Churchill prepared to step off Prince of Wales, Blackie approached. Churchill stooped to bid farewell to Blackie, and the moment was photographed and reported in the world media. In honour of the success of the visit, Blackie was renamed Churchill. The Unsinkable Sam Previously named Oscar, he was the ship’s cat of the German battleship Bismarck. When she was sunk on 27 May 1941, only 116 out of a crew of over 2,200 survived. Luckily, Oscar was picked up by the destroyer HMS Cossack.

Cossack herself was torpedoed and sunk a few months later, on 24 October, killing 159 of her crew, but again, Oscar survived to be rescued, and was taken to Gibraltar. He became the ship’s cat of HMS Ark Royal but she too was torpedoed and sunk in November that year. Oscar was again rescued, but it was decided at that time to transfer him to a home on land. By now known as Unsinkable Sam, he was given a new job as mouse-catcher in the Governor General of Gibraltar’s office buildings. He eventually returned to the UK and spent the rest of his life at the ‘Home for Sailors’. A portrait of him hangs in the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. Simon Simon was the ship’s cat of HMS Amethyst during the Yangtze Incident in 1949, and was wounded in the bombardment of the ship, which killed 25 of Amethyst’s crew, including her commanding officer. He soon recovered and resumed killing rats and keeping up the crew’s morale. He was appointed to the rank of ‘Able Seacat’ Simon and became a celebrity after the ship escaped the Yangtze and returned to Britain.

He later succumbed to an infection and died shortly after. Tributes poured in and his obituary appeared in The Times. He was posthumously awarded the Dickin Medal, the only cat to ever earn the award, and was buried with full naval honours. Pooli Pooli served aboard a United States attack transport during the Second World War. Here she is pictured on her fifteenth birthday. Pooli, a veteran who rates three service ribbons and four battle stars, shows she can still get into her old uniform. Chibbley Chibbley is the ship’s cat aboard the tall ship, Picton Castle. She was rescued from an animal shelter and has since circumnavigated the world twice. The Picton Castle’s role as a training ship resulted in Chibbley being introduced to a large number of visitors, and becoming a celebrity in her own right, receiving her own fan mail. Tarawa Tarawa was a kitten rescued from a pillbox during the Battle of Tarawa by the United States Coast Guard and named Tarawa. She was a mascot aboard an LST, but did not get along with the LST’s other mascot, a dog named Kodiak, and jumped ship ashore.

Camouflage Camouflage was the ship’s cat aboard an LST. He was known for chasing enemy tracer rounds across the deck. Felix Felix was the ship’s cat aboard the Mayflower II when it set sail from Devon, England to Plymouth, Massachusetts, U.S.A. in 1957 to symbolize the solidarity between the two countries following World War II. He was given his own lifejacket and once suffered a broken paw after a mishap. The paw was set by the ship’s doctor. Photos and stories about Felix appeared in National Geographic, Life magazine, and Yankee magazine after his arrival in the U.S. The cat and the rest of the crew marched in a New York tickertape parade and toured the East Coast that summer. He was eventually adopted by the cabin boy’s girlfriend, Ann Berry, and settled in Waltham, Massachusetts. The current captain of the Mayflower II wrote a children’s book about Felix entitled “Felix and his Mayflower II Adventures.” The book was published during the celebration of the ship’s fiftieth anniversary at Plimoth Plantation. Ship’s cats today The Royal Navy banned cats and other pet animals from all ships on the ocean in 1975 on hygiene grounds.

Despite this, cats are still present on some ships, such as Chibbley aboard the barque Picton Castle. Fictional ship’s cats There are two books with the title “The Ship’s Cat”, by Jock Brandis and James Aldridge. In a central episode in Jan de Hartog’s novel The Captain, taking place on board a ship engaged in the dangerous Murmansk Convoys in the Second World War, a young officer is killed in an effort to save the ship’s cat and her playful kittens during a Luftwaffe attack on the ship. This profoundly affects the main protagonist, the ship’s captain, and is one of the factors leading to his later becoming a conscientious objector. A modern, fictional example is that of Jones, from the 1979 film Alien. Lt. Ripley is so attached to a tabby cat that she makes a specific point of rescuing him from the exploding Nostromo. In the video game Halo, there are posters for a missing cat named Jones onboard the human ships. This is a possible reference to the cat from the science fiction film Alien.

Lucifer Sam by Pink Floyd (Syd Barrett) makes reference to Sam being a Ship’s Cat “Below Decks” was a fictitious cat aboard the submarine USS Miami. Shortly after she was commissioned in 1990, one of the ship’s radiomen with a penchant for comedic postings placed a “missing cat” poster in the ship’s passageway while the ship was underway. The poster described the cat as a black and white cat, about one year old, and answering to the name “Below Decks.” A number of science fiction writers have transferred the institution of a ship’s cat to interstellar spaceships of the far future. For example, in her novel The Zero Stone, Andre Norton features ship cats which are also telepathic. David Weber’s Honorverse novels feature ‘treecats’ that can bond with naval officers and accompany them aboard spaceships. Joe Haldeman’s Forever War also features a ship’s cat as well. Share this:

Question: Mrs Chippy was the name of the ship’s cat aboard which vessel used by Ernest Shackleton for his Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition?
Answer: Endurance