Orders, Decorations and Medals

Surgeon Commander George Murray-Levick, Royal Navy, M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., F.R.G.S., F.Z.S.

A Sterling silver cigar box, 7" x 3.5" x 2.5". Maker's mark SC&Co, hall marks for London 1909.

Ornately engraved upon the lid (heavily polished but entirely legible), ‘Presented to Surgeon G Murray-Levick RN by the Royal Naval Rugby Union in recognition of his zealous work as the Hon Secretary, Dec 18 1907 - May 27 1910’ £300-500

George Murray-Levick was in fact the founder of the Royal Naval Rugby Union but soon resigned when invited by Captain Scott to join the Terra Nova expedition as Senior Surgeon and Zoologist. In the event, he became one of the unintentional heroes of Scott's second and disastrous attempt to reach the South Pole.

In 1911 he made the first scientific study of the ubiquitous Adelie penguin. He found their sexual behaviour so shocking that his findings were first published in Classical Greek, thus restricting them to "educated gentlemen". The crisis came in 1912. With Campbell's Northern Party, he was trapped in an ice cave for six winter months on Inexpressible Island. Suffering extreme privation, they depended for illumination and cooking on the frozen pre-stored flesh and blubber of seals and penguins. When brought to safety, their skin and clothes were black from the smoke. The story is retold in Military and Naval Silver - Treasures of the Mess and Wardroom (Roger Perkins, 1999, pages 193-194).

On 1 August 1914, promoted to Staff Surgeon, he joined the armoured cruiser H.M.S. Bacchante and thereby witnessed the actions at the Heligoland Bight and off Anzac Cove. After leaving the navy to work as a fitness and physical training consultant, he re-joined in the Second World War when recruited by Naval Intelligence to devise survival and fitness regimes for the Commandos. He died in 1956.

Murray-Levick's medals and other former Antarctica-related possessions were held in store until 1996. Dispersed at a Martin Spencer-Thomas auction (in Exmouth, Devon), they attracted strong bidding from around the world. This cigar box was not included in that catalogue. Previously unrecorded, it was acquired by the vendor at a subsequent Martin Spencer-Thomas sale of general silverware in July 1996.