Bertram Armytage

Bertram Armytage (29 September 1869 – 12 March 1910) was an Australian soldier and explorer. He fought in the Second Boer War and participated in the Nimrod Expedition to Antarctica during the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, for which he was awarded the Polar Medal.

Early life

Armytage was born in Lara in 1869, the son of pastoralist Frederick William Armytage and Mary Susan Armitage. He grew up at Wooloomanata Station near Lara, before being educated at Geelong Grammar School and Melbourne Church of England Grammar School. A keen sportsman, he paddled a canoe from Melbourne to Geelong, before carrying it to the Barwon River, then rowing along the Barwon to Port Phillip Bay and back to Melbourne. He would later travel to England, where he attended Jesus College, Cambridge. He rowed for the college, earning first place in the Lent Races of 1888. After college he returned to Australia, where he worked on his father's station, as well as a station in Queensland. Mount Armytage in Antarctica was named for him by members of the Nimrod Expedition. His medals are held by the National Trust of Victoria.