# XVIII: The Final Phase explained — South!

> Chapter companion for South! by Ernest Shackleton.

## What happens

Shackleton reflects on the expedition's failure to achieve its primary goal due to severe natural obstacles, but highlights its successes in scientific work, comradeship, and the subsequent wartime service of its members. He details the fates of the crew after the expedition, including deaths, wounds, and decorations during World War I, and notes that three members of the Ross Sea Party also died for their country.

## Themes in this chapter

### Sacrifice and Duty

The chapter emphasizes the sacrifices of expedition members who died or were wounded in World War I, framing their service as a continuation of their duty.

### Heroism and Ordinary Men

Shackleton highlights the ordinary men of the expedition who displayed heroism both in the Antarctic and on the battlefield, earning decorations and recognition.

## Character check-ins

### McCarthy

Killed at his gun in the Channel during the war.

### Cheetham

Drowned when his vessel was torpedoed weeks before the Armistice.

### Frank Wild

Served on the North Russian front, winning high praise for his zeal and ability.

### Macklin

Served in France and Italy, won the Military Cross for bravery under fire.

### McIlroy

Served in France and Italy, badly wounded at Ypres.

### Aeneas Mackintosh

Died for his country as surely as any who gave their lives on the fields of France and Flanders.

## Key lines

> That we failed in accomplishing the object we set out for was due, I venture to assert, not to any neglect or lack of organization, but to the overwhelming natural obstacles, especially the unprecedentedly severe summer conditions on the Weddell Sea side.

Shackleton claims the expedition's failure was not due to poor planning but to extreme natural conditions, particularly the harsh summer in the Weddell Sea.

_Shackleton defends the expedition's organization and attributes failure to environmental factors._

> the comradeship and resource of the members of the Expedition was worthy of the highest traditions of Polar service

The crew's camaraderie and ingenuity upheld the finest standards of polar exploration.

_Shackleton praises the team's spirit and resourcefulness._

> Of the fifty-three men who returned out of the fifty-six who left for the South, three have since been killed and five wounded.

Of the 53 survivors from the original 56, three later died and five were wounded in the war.

_Shackleton reports the wartime casualties among the expedition members._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/south_se/chapters/xviii-the-final-phase
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/south_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/south_se/chapters