Reginald Skelton

Engineer Vice-Admiral Sir Reginald William Skelton (3 June 1872 – 5 September 1956) was a British vice-admiral and engineer who served as chief engineer and official photographer of the 1901-1904 Discovery Expedition to Antarctica.

Early life Skelton was born at Long Sutton, Lincolnshire, and educated at Bromsgrove School, Worcestershire. He joined the Royal Navy in 1887 and until 1892 studied at the Royal Naval Engineering College at Keyham, Devon. Once commissioned he served on HMS Centurion in China from 1894 to 1897 and HMS Majestic of the Channel Squadron from 1899 to 1900 before being appointed to supervise the building of the Discovery for the 1901 National Antarctic Expedition.

Polar exploration

Scott, the expedition leader, had been impressed with Skelton's engineering abilities aboard the Majestic and so he was appointed Chief Engineer of the expedition. He also acted as expedition photographer. Nicknamed 'Skelly', there were no serious difficulties with any of the machinery under Skelton's care throughout the three-year expedition. Once established on the continent he became a well-respected member of the team (Huxley 1978), eventually having four features named after him: an inlet, a glacier, an icefall and a lévé.

On his return he married his fiancée, the New Zealander Sybil Devenish-Meares of Christchurch: they had two daughters and a son. and retired in 1932.

He died in 1956, aged 84, at his home in Aldingbourne.