Tending Sir Ernest´s Legacy: An Interview with Alexandra Shackleton

NOVA: Do you think South Georgia is an appropriate resting place for your
grandfather?


Shackleton: When my grandfather died on South Georgia, originally his body
was going to be brought back to England. But my grandmother realized that the
best place for him to lie was in the gateway to the part of the world that
meant most to him, the Antarctic. So she asked for him to be buried in the
whaling cemetery on South Georgia. I cannot think of a better place.


NOVA: Do you think he was happiest when he was in the Antarctic?


Shackleton: Grandfather was, I think, happiest in the Antarctic, yes. He
wrote once to my grandmother, "I´m not much good at anything else but being
an explorer." He loved her and he loved his home, but he chafed in the
confines of this country. For a man who loved wide open spaces, Antarctica
does get a grip of one. If one has never seen it, it´s like nowhere else. He
wrote once to a little sister, "you cannot imagine what it is like to tread
where no man has trod before."


NOVA: Are you proud of your grandfather?


Shackleton: I´m very proud of my grandfather, and the more I know about him,
the more proud I am, particularly of his care for his men, and his knowledge
of each man. It was quite unusual in that era.