Henry Worsley

Early life and education Henry Worsley was born on 4 October 1960 at the Garrett Anderson Maternity Home in Belsize Grove, London. He was the only son of General Sir Richard Worsley and his first wife, Sarah Anne "Sally", eldest daughter of Brigadier J. A. H. Mitchell, of the British Embassy, Paris. It has been stated that he was related to Frank Worsley, the captain of explorer Ernest Shackleton's ship, the Endurance. From childhood he had a strong interest in the Antarctic explorers of the early twentieth century.

Military career Worsley was a soldier in the British Army for 36 years. He served with the Royal Green Jackets and later The Rifles. Later in 2005–2006, Worsley led the torch party team for the UK that transitioned operational responsibility of the volatile Helmand Province from the US to the UK leading to the establishment of Camp Bastion in a remote part of the province. He also served in Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Kosovo. He was promoted to lieutenant on 12 April 1982, to captain on 12 October 1986, to major on 30 September 1992 (having attended Staff College), and to lieutenant colonel on 30 June 2000. He retired from the army on 4 October 2015.

On 12 October 1993, Worsley was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) "in recognition of distinguished service in Northern Ireland". On 19 April 2002, he was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in the former Yugoslavia during the period 1 April 2001 to 30 September 2001".

Antarctic expeditions In 2008, he led an expedition through the Transantarctic Mountains to the South Pole to commemorate the centenary of Shackleton's Nimrod Expedition which had turned around 97 miles short of the pole in order to return safely overland. Worsley's team of three made it to the Pole, and flew home. He returned to the Antarctic in 2011, leading a team of six in retracing Roald Amundsen's successful journey in 1912 to the South Pole, marking its centenary. The patron of the expedition was Prince William, Duke of Cambridge. In contrast to the 1997 solo crossing by Børge Ousland, Worsley travelled without a kite to help pull his sledge.

Worsley arrived at his starting point, Berkner Island, on 13 November 2015 with the aim of completing his journey in 80 days. He covered in 69 days, and had only to go. However, he had to spend days 70 and 71 in his tent suffering from exhaustion and severe dehydration. Together, they had two children; a son, Max, and daughter, Alicia.

His funeral was attended by Prince William, who was also a benefactor of his final expedition. They last spoke on Christmas Day 2015 on a Satellite Telephone.

In December 2017, his widow and two children visited South Georgia Island to inter his ashes in a place that he loved and near his lifelong idol, Ernest Shackleton.

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