CH. LVI] 
The Societies Expedition 
449 
was the first to volunteer, and no better man could be 
found as First Lieutenant. He also took charge of the 
meteorology. He was a good musician, both vocal and 
instrumental, a thorough seaman, and a good all round 
man. Scott wrote of him that he was a first-rate worker, 
an excellent officer, popular with the men, and the right 
man in the right place as First Lieutenant. 
Michael Barne was Scott's special choice. The 
younger son of Colonel and Lady Constance Barne of 
Sotterley in Suffolk, and great-grandson of Admiral Sir 
George Seymour, he was born in 1877. He was always 
ready to help any one, full of good humour, the most 
unselfish of mortals, and entirely to be trusted in any 
position of responsibility. He had charge of all the deep 
sea apparatus and performed the duty right well. 
^ The Engineer Lieutenant, Reginald Skelton, was an 
officer of great ability. In addition to his very arduous 
work in the engine room, he had charge of the dark room, 
stored all the negatives of interest, assisted with the 
pendulum observations, and, with Dr Wilson, did all the 
bird-skinning. 
No more Lieutenants could be obtained from the 
Admiralty, so Captain Scott had to turn elsewhere and 
accepted Ernest Shackleton as the junior executive. He 
had been in the merchant service since 1890, and was 
very energetic and zealous. I got him made a Sub- 
Lieutenant in the Naval Reserve. 
Dr Koettlitz, the surgeon, had served in Jackson's 
expedition., Dr Edward Wilson, of Gonville and Caius 
College, Cambridge, also surgeon, was the vertebrate zoolo- 
gist. He had quite the keenest intellect of any one on 
board, and possessed great artistic talent, with a marvellous 
capacity for work. The special scientific staff consisted 
of Mr Hodgson, the invertebrate zoologist, Curator of the 
Plymouth Museum ; Mr Ferrar, a very able young geologist, 
a graduate of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge ; and Mr 
Bernacchi the physicist, who had previously been in the 
Southern Cross Antarctic expedition. 
The Admiralty was liberal as regards volunteers, 
allowing 22 petty officers, able seamen, and stokers to 
join, and two marines, all excellent men. Indeed the 
whole ship's company exclusive of the officers was naval 
M. I. 29 
