Researching Robert Scott

A planned meeting with supporting dog teams from the base camp failed, despite Scott's written instructions, and at a distance of 162 miles (261 km) from their base camp at Hut Point and approximately 12.5 miles (20 km) from the next depot, Scott and his companions died. When Scott and his party's bodies were discovered, they had in their possession the first Antarctic fossils ever discovered. The fossils were determined to be from the Glossopteris tree and proved that Antarctica was once forested and joined to other continents.

Before his appointment to lead the Discovery expedition, Scott had a career as a naval officer in the Royal Navy. In 1899, he had a chance encounter with Sir Clements Markham, the president of the Royal Geographical Society, and thus learned of a planned Antarctic expedition, which he soon volunteered to lead. Having taken this step, his name became inseparably associated with the Antarctic, the field of work to which he remained committed during the final 12 years of his life.

Following the news of his death, Scott became a celebrated hero, a status reflected by memorials erected across the UK. However, in the last decades of the 20th century, questions were raised about his competence and character. Commentators in the 21st century have regarded Scott more positively after assessing the temperature drop below in March 1912, and after re-discovering Scott's written orders of October 1911, in which he had instructed the dog teams to meet and assist him on the return trip.

He was born to the Revd Charles Wellbeloved and Ann née Kinder (d. 31 January 1823) and trained as a barrister. On 17 February 1830 he married Sarah Scott, the only daughter and heiress of John Scott of Stourbridge and the Red House, Great Barr, Staffordshire and on her father's death in 1832 assumed the additional surname of Scott. He was a Deputy Lieutenant for Worcestershire.

He rebuilt The Red House at Great Barr, England in 1841 and had residences at Cambridge Gate, Regent's Park, London; and High Street, Stourbridge. In 1845 he purchased the manor and estates of Ratlinghope, between the Long Mynd and the Stiperstones in Shropshire. His sister Emma (d. 29 July 1842) married Sir James Carter in 1831.

He died in 1856 aged 52. He and his wife had one son, John Charles Addyes Scott and three daughters.

As part of John Devine's recruiting drive that would yield good results in the future, Scott was recruited from Torquay, Victoria.Starting as a goal sneak earlier in his career, he used his blistering pace to speed away from opponents to kick goals. As he matured and gained fitness, he was using sparingly in the midfield.

He once famously had a set shot after the siren to win the match for Geelong against Sydney Swans at Kardinia Park, but hit the post, resulting in a 3-point loss.

At the end of 1994, Scott was traded from Geelong to North Melbourne, with Geelong receiving Brad Sholl in return.

He played in North Melbourne's 1996 Premiership Victory, after having played in losing Grand Finals with Geelong in 1989 and 1992.

Scott would experience Grand Final defeat in 1998 as North Melbourne lost to the Adelaide Crows.

In 1999, Scott would miss out on selection for the Kangaroos eventual Grand Final victory over Carlton. According to Captain Wayne Carey post-match, was "very unlucky to miss out".

Scott was educated at Highgate School and Balliol College, Oxford, where he read Modern History.

He was appointed CMG in 1945, a Knight Bachelor in the 1953 New Year Honours, while he was Administrator at the East Africa High Commission, and KCMG in the 1954 Birthday Honours.

During World War II, he flew the Northrop P-61 Black Widow in the China Burma India Theater and was credited in destroying two enemy aircraft in combat. During the Korean War, he flew North American F-86 Sabre and completed 117 missions during the war.

On 9 October 1955, Scott set a transcontinental speed record by flying a Republic F-84F Thunderstreak fighter bomber from Los Angeles International Airport to Floyd Bennett Field in New York, in 3 hours, 46 minutes, 33.6 seconds. Later he was a project officer at Edwards Air Force Base on the Republic F-105 Thunderchief.

In 1966, Scott participated in his third war, as the commander of the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing, and flew a full tour of bombing and fighter missions over North Vietnam. He was credited in destroying 1 MiG-17 on March 1967, making only the second U.S. Air Force pilot, after Colonel Robin Olds, to achieve aerial victories during World War II and the Vietnam War. He retired from Air Force on 1970.