The extremely rare Shackleton Trans-Antarctic Expedition Posthumous Albert Medal for Land pair awarded to Mr. V. G. Hayward, Storekeeper and Dog-handler in the Aurora party 1914-16, for gallantry in ‘saving and endeavouring to save life in the Antarctic’ during a journey of 950 miles lasting more than five months; he lost his life when crossing the sea-ice with Lieutenant A. L. Mackintosh in May 1916

Albert Medal, 2nd Class, for Gallantry in Saving Life on Land, bronze and enamel, the reverse officially engraved ‘Awarded by His Majesty in recognition of the Gallantry of Victor George Hayward in saving and endeavouring to save life in the Antarctic 1915-1916.’; Polar Medal 1904, silver, G.V.R., 2 clasps, Antarctic 1914-16, Antarctic 1917 (V. G. Hayward. Storekeeper, “Aurora”) second clasp unofficially attached, minor edge nicks to Polar Medal, otherwise extremely fine (2) £40000-60000

A.M. London Gazette 6 July 1923 (in a joint citation with Mr. Ernest Edward Mills Joyce, Mr. William Raymond Richards [sic], and Petty Officer Harry Ernest Wild, R.N. (deceased)):

‘In recognition of gallant conduct in saving and endeavouring to save life while serving as members of the Ross Sea Party of the Shackleton Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914-17. The Expedition had for its object the crossing of the Antarctic Continent from the Weddell Sea to the Ross Sea, via the South Pole, a distance of about seventeen hundred miles. Sufficient supplies for the journey could not be carried, and it was therefore necessary to establish a chain of depots on the Ross Sea side as far southwards as possible. With this end in view the ship Aurora was sent to McMurdo Sound at the southern extremity of the Ross Sea and, as it was intended that the vessel should winter there, a portion only of the stores and equipment was disembarked. McMurdo Sound was reached in January 1915, but during a blizzard in May, the Aurora was blown out to sea and was unable to return, and the nine members of the Expedition who were on shore were left stranded. They recognised that failure to establish depots would undoubtedly result in the loss of the main body and resolved, in spite of their grave shortage of equipment, to carry out the allotted programme.

For this purpose a party under the command of Sub-Lieutenant A. L. Mackintosh, R.N.R., and consisting of the Reverend A. P. Spencer-Smith, Messrs. Joyce, Richards, Hayward, and Wild, and three other members who assisted for a part of the outward journey left Hut Point, Ross Island, on October 9th. They took with them two sledges and four dogs, and 162 days elapsed before the surviving members of the party were back at Hut Point, the total distance covered being approximately 950 miles.

Mr. Spencer-Smith had to be dragged on a sledge for 42 days, mainly by hand labour, the distance covered being over 350 miles. When more than 100 miles remained to be covered the collapse of Lieutenant Mackintosh imposed an additional burden on the active members of the party who were all suffering from scurvy and snow blindness and were so enfeebled by their labours that at times they were unable to cover more than 2 or 3 miles in 15 hours. Mr. Spencer-Smith died when only 19 miles remained to be covered, but Lieutenant Mackintosh was brought in safely to the base.’

Victor George Hayward was born in London in 1888. He was privately educated and employed as an accounts clerk in the City. A restless spirit, he downed tools, and took leave from his employers to work on a ranch in Canada for seven months. Returning to London at an opportune moment, he applied to join Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914.

Hayward was selected as Store Keeper and Dog Handler as part of the crew of the Aurora under the command of Aeneas Mackintosh. Whilst Shackleton set off with the Endurance from home shores, Mackintosh and his party travelled to Australia to take possession of, and prepare the Aurora for departure. With the preparation work carried out the latter set out from Hobart, 25 December 1914.

Little elaboration of this, one of the most famous Polar expeditions, is required here. Hayward’s example of self-sacrifice as part of the Ross Sea Party, however, is worthy of further illustration. Shackleton’s plan for the Aurora was for it’s crew to establish a base on the Ross Sea from where they would travel across the Ross Barrier to the Beardmore Glacier. They would carry out geological work enroute, and lay adequate supply of provisions in depots, before finally meeting the Trans-Antarctic Party at Mount Buckley. With this purpose in mind the Aurora sailed from the island [Macquarie Island] on December 31st, and three days later they sighted the first iceberg, and on the following day the ship passed through the first belt of pack-ice. On January 7th Mount Sabine, a mighty peak of the Admiralty Range, South Victoria Land, was sighted seventy-five miles distant.

It had been proposed that a party of three men should travel to Cape Crozier, land provisions, and erect a small hut of fibro-concrete sheets for the use of this party. The ship was off the Cape on the afternoon of January 9th, and a boat was put off with a party to search for a landing place. But no place to land the hut and stores could be found.

Mackintosh then proceeded into McMurdo Sound, but, owing to heavy pack ice, it was not until January 16th that the ship reached a point off Cape Evans, where ten tons of coal and ninety-eight cases of oil were landed. During succeeding days the Aurora was worked southward, and by January 24th was within nine miles of Hut Point. There Mackintosh made the ship fast to sea-ice then breaking up rapidly, and proceeded to arrange sledging-parties. He intended to direct the laying of the depots himself and to leave his first officer, Lieut. J. R. Stenhouse, in command of the Aurora, with instructions to select a base and land a party.

The first objective was Hut Point, where the hut erected by the Discovery Expedition in 1902 stands. An advance party, consisting of Joyce (in charge), Jack and Gaze, with dogs and fully loaded sledges, left the ship on January 24th; Mackintosh, with Wild and Smith, followed the next day, and a supporting party of six men left the ship on January 30th. This last party consisted of Cope (in charge), Stevens, Ninnis, Hayward, Hooke and Richards.

These parties had a strenuous time during the following weeks. The men, fresh from shipboard, were not in the best of training, and the same was true of the dogs. It was unfortunate that the dogs had to be worked while they were still in poor condition and before they had learned to work together as teams. The result was the loss of many dogs, and this proved a most serious matter in the following season.’ (South - The Story of Shackleton’s Last Expedition 1914-17, by Sir Ernest Shackleton, refers)

Joyce and Mackintosh’s parties used dogs to try and reach their objectives, whilst Cope was to employ a motor-tractor. The first two parties struggled desperately against the conditions and ration privation, eventually having to return to Hut Point on the 25th March. Cope’s party, including Hayward, had been forced to return to Hut Point towards the end of February. The tractor on which they had been relying had broken down early in proceedings, and had made the situation untenable.

As Mackintosh led his man back, ‘they broke camp on the morning of March 25th, with the thermometer recording 55 degrees of frost, and a short time later arrived at Hut Point and reached the door of the Hut. [As Mackintosh wrote] “We shouted. No sound. Shouted again and presently a dark object appeared. This turned out to be Cope, who was by himself. We heard then how the ship had called here on March 11th and picked up Spencer-Smith, Richards, Ninnis, Hooke and Gaze, the present members here being Cope, Hayward and Jack.”

The six men now at Hut Point were cut off from the winter quarters of the Expedition at Cape Evans by the open water of McMurdo Sound. Naturally Mackintosh was anxious to get in touch with the ship and the other members of the shore party; but he could not move until the sea-ice was firm, and, as events occurred, he did not reach Cape Evans until the beginning of June.’ (Ibid)

The following months in the Hut were monotonous and hard. Conditions were primitive, and when Mackintosh’s men ran out of fuel they were forced to dismantle and burn Scott’s small observation hut. The store of seal-blubber ran low early in April, and it was not until 9 May that seals were sighted and slaughtered for fuel and food.

The Aurora successfully landed four men, Stevens, Spencer-Smith, Gaze and Richards at the winter quarters on Cape Evans. The ship made fast to shore anchors about 40 yards off shore. The party under Stevens took up quarters in Captain Scott’s hut, from which they were instructed to kill seals for meat and blubber. The ship was also to be unloaded of stores, but this was done at a slow pace given that it was anticipated that the Aurora would winter at Cape Evans. On the night of the 7th May, however, the ship had slipped her moorings and drifted away thus leaving the bewildered shore party on Ross Island without means of subsistence and the Trans-Continental Party short of stores and rations for the depots to be laid by the Ross Sea party.

Out Of The Frying Pan and Into The Fire

Stevens and his companions ‘made a careful survey of their position and realised the serious difficulties ahead of them. No general provisions and no clothing required for sledging had been landed, and much of the sledging gear was also aboard. Fortunately the hut contained both food and clothing, left there by Captain Scott’s Expedition. As many seals as possible were killed and the meat and blubber stored.

June 2nd brought a welcome addition to the party in the men who had been forced to remain at Hut Point until the sea-ice was firm. There were now ten men at Cape Evans - namely, Mackintosh, Spencer-Smith, Joyce, Wild, Cope, Stevens, Hayward, Gaze, Jack and Richards. The winter had closed down upon the Antarctic and no move could be made before the beginning of September. Meanwhile they overhauled the available stores and gear, made plans for the future, and lived the severe... life of the polar explorer in winter quarters.’ (Ibid)

The six men from Hut Point were so excited at reaching Cape Evans that they did not notice that the ship was not there. When Mackintosh was finally told the news he was appalled. The joyful reunion came to a sudden end. Given the dangerous reality of the situation, however, they set about organising themselves as best they could. As Mackintosh wrote:

‘Meanwhile we are preparing here for a prolonged stay. The shortage of clothing is our principal hardship. The members of the party from Hut Point have the clothes we wore when we left the ship on January 25th. I cannot imagine a dirtier set of people.... everyone is taking the situation very philosophically.

Stevens is in charge of the scientific staff and is now the senior officer ashore. Joyce is in charge of the equipment and has undertaken to improvise clothes from what canvas we can find here. Wild is working with Joyce. He is a cheerful, willing soul. Richards has taken over the keeping of meteorological log. He is a young Australian, a hard, conscientious worker, and I look for good results from his endeavours. Jack, another young Australian, is his assistant. Hayward is the handy man, and responsible for the supply of blubber. Gaze, another Australian, is working with Hayward. Spencer-Smith, the padre, is in charge of photography, and, of course, assists in the general routine work. Cope is the medical officer... The day after my arrival I explained the necessity for economy in the use of fuel, light and stores, in view of the possibility that we may have to stay here for two years.’

During July Mackintosh made several unsuccessful attempts to go northwards on the sea-ice, but it was not until 13 August when he and Stevens managed to reach the Nimrod hut at Cape Royds. Here they found stores and supplies left by Shackleton’s Expedition of 1907-1909.

Carrying On With the Plan Above All Else - Depot Laying

The stores were returned to Cape Evans, and the remainder of August was spent preparing for the proposed depot-laying journeys on the Barrier. As daylight notably increased, the sledging began on 1 September. The latter month was known to be the most difficult for sledging, with the soft snows of winter on top of the ice. As Shackleton records, ’the scheme adopted by Mackintosh, after discussion, was that nine men, divided into three parties of three each, should undertake the sledging. One man was to be left at Cape Evans to continue the meteorological observations during the summer. Mackintosh estimated that the provisions required for the consumption of the depot parties, and for the depots to be placed southward to the foot of the Beardmore Glacier, would amount to 4,000 lb. The first depot was to be placed on Minna Bluff, and from there southward a depot was to be placed on each degree latitude. The final depot would be at the foot of the Beardmore Glacier. The initial task would be the haulage of stores from Cape Evans to Hut Point - thirteen miles. All the sledging stores had to be taken across, and Mackintosh proposed to place additional supplies there in case a party, returning late from the Barrier, had to spend winter months at Hut Point.’

Hayward was in a party with the two Australians, Jack and Gaze. By 9 October, and after a monumental effort, the vast majority of the supplies had been sledged to Safety Camp on the Barrier. On the latter date the nine men set out to establish an advanced base at Minna Bluff, but only managed to cover 10 miles in three days. Mackintosh decided to form two parties from the nine men, taking Wild and Spencer-Smith with him and leaving Joyce to lead the others.

Shackleton’s words written after the event make clear the sacrifice and perhaps ultimate futility of what Mackintosh’s party were to achieve for the men of the Endurance, who were unable to physically appreciate their labours:

‘It is always easy to be wise after the event, and one may realise now that the use of the dogs before they were in condition and trained was a mistake. In consequence hardly any dogs were available for the more important journeys of 1915-16. For six months the men were sledging almost continuously; they suffered from frostbite, scurvy, snow-blindness, and utter weariness of over-taxed bodies. But they placed the depots in the required positions, and had the Weddell Sea Party been able to cross the Antarctic continent, stores and fuel would have been waiting for us where we expected to find them.’

In horrendous conditions they persevered, and the two parties achieved much of what they set out to. By January 1916, however, the heavy work load was starting to take its toll on the men. Mackintosh and Joyce’s parties had joined, the former was exhausted and sprained his knee on 9 January. The last depot was to be placed on the base of Mount Hope, at the foot of the Beardmore Glacier:

‘The party proceeded at once and advanced five miles beyond the depot before camping on the evening of the 18th. The sledge loads, relieved of the stores deposited at the various depots, were now comparatively light, and on the 19th a good advance was made. But new troubles were developing. Spencer-Smith was suffering from swollen and painful legs and Mackintosh was showing signs of exhaustion. A mountain, believed to be Mount Hope, could be seen ahead, over thirty miles away.

Spencer-Smith, who had struggled on gamely, started next morning and kept going until noon. Then he reported his inability to proceed, and Mackintosh called a halt. Spencer-Smith suggested that he should be left with provisions and a tent while the others pushed on to Mount Hope, and pluckily assured Mackintosh that the rest would put him right. This plan, after consultation, was agreed to, Mackintosh feeling that the depot must be laid and that delay was dangerous.’ (South - The Story of Shackleton’s Last Expedition 1914-17, by Sir Ernest Shackleton, refers)

Joyce had wanted the ailing Mackintosh to remain with Spencer-Smith, but despite his deteriorating condition they all pressed on together. They managed to establish the depot and return to Spencer-Smith’s position by 29 January. On their return they found him in a sleeping bag, and unable to walk.

Return Across The Barrier - Or Share The Fate of Captain Scott And His Party

No march could be made on 30 January owing to a blizzard, however, they made eight miles the following day with Spencer-Smith on one of the sledges. Steady ‘advances were made on the next days, but although Joyce, Wild, Richards and Hayward were feeling fit, Mackintosh was lame and weak, and Spencer-Smith’s condition was alarming.’ (Ibid)

In the first week of February Hayward started to develop strong signs of scurvy. On the 18th the party had made it to within 12 miles of the Bluff depot, however, the most severe blizzard immobilised them for the next five days during which they were reduced to half-rations. Their oil was nearly spent, and Mackintosh, Spencer-Smith and Hayward were now all providing grave cause for concern. Despite the blizzard still raging, the party decided that they must press on, as Joyce recorded in his diary for 22 February, ‘Same old thing, no ceasing of this blizzard. Hardly any food left except tea and sugar. Richards, Hayward and I, after a long talk, decided to start tomorrow in any case, or else we shall be sharing the fate of Captain Scott and his party. The other tent seems to be very quiet, but now and again we hear a burst of song from Wild, so they are in the land of the living. We gave the dogs the last of their food tonight, so we shall have to push, as a great deal depends on them.’

The following day they all set out for the depot at Minna Bluff. Within an hour it became clear that Mackintosh could go now further, and as a consequence it was decided that both he and Spencer-Smith would be left behind under the care of Wild. As Shackleton records, ‘Wild was in fairly good condition. Joyce, Richards and Hayward, who had undertaken the relief journey, were all showing symptoms of scurvy; their legs were weak, and their gums swollen.’

Joyce led them to the Minna Bluff depot by 26 February, and re-supplied they set about on the gruelling return trip to their sick comrades, ‘great difficulties were ahead of them. Hayward was suffering from his knees, the dogs had lost all heart in pulling. The surface was so bad that they could hardly move the sledge at times, and their pace was not more than one-half to three-quarters of a mile per hour.’ (Ibid)

Despite their continual battle against blizzards all the men were reunited three days after they had reached Minna Bluff - Mackintosh and Spencer-Smith had been without food for five days. They set out for Hut Point almost immediately, with the two invalids strapped to sledges and Hayward forced to move as best as he could. As Joyce records in his diary, this situation did not last long, for on 4 March ‘Up 5.20. Still blizzarding , but have decided to get under way as Hayward is getting worse, and one doesn’t know who is next. No mistake it is scurvy, and the only possible cure is fresh food. Smith is still cheerful; he has hardly moved for weeks and he has to have everything done for him. Got under way 9.35. It took some two hours to dig out dogs and sledges, as they were completely buried. It is the same every morning now... In the afternoon wind eased a bit and drift went down. Found it very hard pulling with the third man on the sledge, as Hayward has been all the afternoon.’

Three days later Hayward and Mackintosh tried to ease the burden on the weakening men, as Joyce records, ‘there is double the amount of work to do now with our invalids. Hayward and Skipper [Mackintosh] going on ahead with sticks, very slow pace. If one could only get some fresh food. After a consultation the Skipper decided to stay behind in a tent with three weeks’ provisions, while we pushed on with Smith and Hayward. It seems hard, only about thirty miles away, and yet cannot get any help. Our gear is absolutely rotten; no sleep last night, shivering all night in wet bags.’

Joyce recorded in his diary on 9 March that Spencer-Smith died, ‘for forty days in pain he had been dragged on the sledge, but never grumbled or complained.’ Demoralised the party buried Spencer-Smith, and placed Hayward on the sledge in his stead. Two days later they arrived at Hut Point, ‘the following night all hands suffered from over-eating and all of them were also suffering from more serious trouble. Hayward could hardly move; Joyce’s ankles and knees were badly swollen, and his gums prominent; Wild was very black around the joints and gums very black.’ (South - The Story of Shackleton’s Last Expedition 1914-17, by Sir Ernest Shackleton, refers)

Joyce and the other members of the party decided that Hayward should remain at Hut Point, whilst they travelled back to retrieve Mackintosh. Hayward acquiesced, and the others set off on 14 March. They returned three days later with Mackintosh on a sledge, ‘found Hayward still about the same. Now we have arrived and got the party in, it remains to themselves to get better.... We have been out 160 days, and done a distance of 1,561 miles; a good record. Before turning in the Skipper shook us by the hand with great emotion, thanking us for saving his life. I think the irony of fate was poor Smith going under so short a time before we got in.’

All For Naught - A Final Tragedy

Joyce was not to know that Spencer-Smith would not be the only loss to the party’s complement. The next step was to leave for Cape Evans, but in order to do this they needed to wait for the sea to freeze. Shackleton records the final tragedy to befall Mackintosh’s party:

‘A spell of calm weather came during the first week of May and the sea-ice formed rapidly. The men made several short trips over it to the north. The disaster that followed is described thus by Richards. “And now a most regrettable incident occurred,” he wrote “On the morning of May 8th, before breakfast, Captain Mackintosh asked Joyce what he thought of his going to Cape Evans with Hayward. Captain Mackintosh thought the ice quite safe. He was strongly urged at the time not to take the risk, as it was pointed out that the ice, although firm, was very young, and that a blizzard was almost sure to take part of it out to sea.”

Mackintosh naturally would be anxious to know if the men at Cape Evans were well and if they had heard any news of the ship. At 1pm, with the weather apparently changing for the worse, he and Hayward left, after promising to turn back if the weather grew worse. At 3pm a moderate blizzard was raging which later increased in fury, and the hut party had many misgivings for the safety of the absent men.

On May 10th, the first day possible, the three men left behind walked over new ice to the north to try and find some trace of the others. The footmarks were seen clearly enough raised up on the ice, and the track was followed for about two miles towards Cape Evans. Here they ended abruptly, and in the dim light a wide stretch of water, very lightly covered with ice, was seen as far as the eye could reach. It was at once evident that part of the ice over which they had travelled had gone out to sea.....

The entry in Joyce’s diary shows that he had very strong forebodings of disaster when Mackintosh and Hayward left. Indeed he warned them not to go..... “I fail to see why these people are so anxious to risk their lives again. They could walk to Cape Evans in less than four hours perhaps... but it will be hell to be caught on this ice in a blizzard.”

Mackintosh and Hayward were never seen again. Joyce led the remainder of the men to Cape Evans on 15 July. The Aurora eventually returned to relieve the survivors on 10 January 1917.

Joyce, Richards, Hayward and Wild were awarded the Albert Medal in recognition of their efforts to save the lives of Mackintosh and Spencer-Smith on the Barrier, with Hayward’s award being posthumous. It is interesting to note that the Antarctic 1917 clasp to Hayward’s medal would appear to be a ‘posthumous’ award of a slightly different nature - in that he and the other two member’s of the Aurora party (Mackintosh and Spencer-Smith) who died in 1916 were all issued with the clasp. The authorisation for this clasp was given by one Winston Churchill in May 1921.

It is perhaps sadder still, that only Joyce and Richards were alive to receive their Albert Medals. Hayward had succumbed to the unforgiving environment that accompanied Polar exploration, whilst Wild died of disease in service during the Great War.

Sold with a signature in black of Ernest Shackleton and Emily Shackleton on card, adhesions from previous mat on reverse; photographic images and copied research.