Voting Station

Harry McNish

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Craftsman

The Resume

    (September 11, 1874-September 24, 1930)
    Born in Port Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
    Carpenter on Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Arctic Expedition (1914-17)

Why he might be annoying:

    His Scottish accent was described as rasping like 'frayed cable wire.'
    He never forgave Shackleton for ordering that the ship's cat, Mrs. Chippy, be shot after the Endurance was crushed by ice and lost.
    He was considerably less sentimental when the sled dogs were shot and eaten, noting 'It is a big treat for us after being so long on seal meat.'
    He tried to organize a rebellion, arguing that since the ship had been destroyed, the crew were no longer obligated to follow Shackleton's orders.
    Probably as a result, he was one of only four members of the expedition not to receive the Polar Medal.
    He abandoned his family to move to New Zealand (1925).
    He ended up homeless and would sleep under a tarp in the wharf sheds.
    His grave went unmarked for nearly 30 years.

Why he might not be annoying:

    When the Endurance started taking on water, he worked for hours in waist-deep freezing water to build a cofferdam to keep the ship from flooding.
    While trapped by the ice, he built sleeping cubicles for the crew, kennels for the dogs, and even erected goalposts so the men could pass the time playing soccer.
    While on watch, he was almost lost when part of the ice floe broke away and started carrying him off.
    After the Endurance was crushed by the ice, he was in charge of recovering supplies from the ship.
    He built up and reinforced the 22-foot boat 'James Caird' to successfully withstand an 870-mile journey across the Antarctic Ocean to South Georgia.
    Shackleton was impressed with his ability to withstand the strain of the voyage better than some of the younger crew members.
    Ship doctor Alexander Macklin thought that denying McNish the Polar Medal was unjust, writing 'Of all the men in the party, no-one more deserved recognition than the old carpenter.'
    The New Zeland Antarctic Society restored his neglected grave and added a bronze statue of Mrs. Chippy (2004) -- a tribute that McNish's grandson Tom said would have meant more to him than receiving the Polar Medal.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 5 Votes: 20.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 11 Votes: 54.55% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 11 Votes: 72.73% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 21 Votes: 52.38% Annoying