"I am just going outside, and may be some time."
- Captain Lawrence Oates
(1880-1912)
The words were spoken during the ill-fated British Antarctic Expedition of 1912 led by Robert Falcon Scott. Oates was suffering from gangrene and frostbite and knew that his presence lessened the hopes of survival of the remaining 3 members of the party. He spoke the above words and headed out, not to return. Scott wrote in his diary: "We knew that poor Oates was walking to his death, but though we tried to dissuade him, we knew it was the act of a brave man and an English gentleman." Ultimately the self sacrifice made no difference. Stopped 11 miles short of the food depot to which they were travelling and trapped in their tent by the weather, too weak, cold and malnourished to continue, they eventually died nine days later. Their frozen bodies were discovered by a search party on 12 November 1912. Oates' body was never found.
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