Beschreibung:

The extremely rare Shackleton Trans-Antarctic Expedition Posthumous Albert Medal for Land pair awarded to Mr. V. G. Hayward, Storekeeper and Dog-handler in the Aurora party 1914-16, for gallantry in ‘saving and endeavouring to save life in the Antarctic’ during a journey of 950 miles lasting more than five months; he lost his life when crossing the sea-ice with Lieutenant A. L. Mackintosh in May 1916 Albert Medal, 2nd Class, for Gallantry in Saving Life on Land, bronze and enamel, the reverse officially engraved ‘Awarded by His Majesty in recognition of the Gallantry of Victor George Hayward in saving and endeavouring to save life in the Antarctic 1915-1916.’; Polar Medal 1904, silver, G.V.R., 2 clasps, Antarctic 1914-16, Antarctic 1917 (V. G. Hayward. Storekeeper, “Aurora”) second clasp unofficially attached, minor edge nicks to Polar Medal, otherwise extremely fine (2) £40000-60000 Footnote A.M. London Gazette 6 July 1923 (in a joint citation with Mr. Ernest Edward Mills Joyce, Mr. William Raymond Richards [sic], and Petty Officer Harry Ernest Wild, R.N. (deceased)): ‘In recognition of gallant conduct in saving and endeavouring to save life while serving as members of the Ross Sea Party of the Shackleton Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914-17. The Expedition had for its object the crossing of the Antarctic Continent from the Weddell Sea to the Ross Sea, via the South Pole, a distance of about seventeen hundred miles. Sufficient supplies for the journey could not be carried, and it was therefore necessary to establish a chain of depots on the Ross Sea side as far southwards as possible. With this end in view the ship Aurora was sent to McMurdo Sound at the southern extremity of the Ross Sea and, as it was intended that the vessel should winter there, a portion only of the stores and equipment was disembarked. McMurdo Sound was reached in January 1915, but during a blizzard in May, the Aurora was blown out to sea and was unable to return, and the nine members of the Expedition who were on shore were left stranded. They recognised that failure to establish depots would undoubtedly result in the loss of the main body and resolved, in spite of their grave shortage of equipment, to carry out the allotted programme. For this purpose a party under the command of Sub-Lieutenant A. L. Mackintosh, R.N.R., and consisting of the Reverend A. P. Spencer-Smith, Messrs. Joyce, Richards, Hayward, and Wild, and three other members who assisted for a part of the outward journey left Hut Point, Ross Island, on October 9th. They took with them two sledges and four dogs, and 162 days elapsed before the surviving members of the party were back at Hut Point, the total distance covered being approximately 950 miles. Mr. Spencer-Smith had to be dragged on a sledge for 42 days, mainly by hand labour, the distance covered being over 350 miles. When more than 100 miles remained to be covered the collapse of Lieutenant Mackintosh imposed an additional burden on the active members of the party who were all suffering from scurvy and snow blindness and were so enfeebled by their labours that at times they were unable to cover more than 2 or 3 miles in 15 hours. Mr. Spencer-Smith died when only 19 miles remained to be covered, but Lieutenant Mackintosh was brought in safely to the base.’ Victor George Hayward was born in London in 1888. He was privately educated and employed as an accounts clerk in the City. A restless spirit, he downed tools, and took leave from his employers to work on a ranch in Canada for seven months. Returning to London at an opportune moment, he applied to join Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914. Hayward was selected as Store Keeper and Dog Handler as part of the crew of the Aurora under the command of Aeneas Mackintosh. Whilst Shackleton set off with the Endurance from home shores, Mackintosh and his party travelled to Australia to take possession of, and prepare the Aurora for departure. With the prepa