Wally Herbert

Sir Walter William Herbert, known as Wally Herbert, was a British polar explorer, writer, and artist. He was born on October 24, 1934, and passed away on June 12, 2007. In 1969, he became the first person to be fully recognized for walking to the North Pole. This happened on the 60th anniversary of Robert Peary’s expedition, which had some questions about whether he really reached the pole.

Herbert spent more than 50 years exploring the polar regions. During that time, he lived in the wilderness for 15 years. He travelled over 23,000 miles using dog teams and open boats, and more than half of those miles were through areas that no one had explored before.

Besides his exploring, Herbert wrote several books about polar exploration and even illustrated them himself. His artwork was also shown in solo exhibitions. For his amazing achievements in polar exploration, he was knighted in 2000. Sir Ranulph Fiennes called him “the greatest polar explorer of our time.”

Early life and career

Walter Herbert was born into an army family in England. When he was three, his family moved to Egypt for work, and later they spent nine years in South Africa. He studied at the Royal School of Military Survey and then spent time surveying in Egypt and Cyprus. He traveled back to England through Turkey and Greece, drawing portraits to pay for his stay.

When Herbert was 21, he began surveying in the Antarctic with the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey. During this time, he became very skilled at using dog sleds. He once traveled along the Antarctic Peninsula from Hope Bay to Portal Point. This work led to a job with the New Zealand Antarctic programme, where he bought dogs in Greenland and learned special ways to guide them from the Inuit people.

In the early 1960s, Herbert led a group that explored a large area of the Queen Maud range. They followed the paths taken by famous explorers Shackleton and Scott up the Beardmore Glacier. Although they were not allowed to go to the South Pole, they climbed Mount Nansen and traveled down a route used by Amundsen in 1911. Later, in 1964, Herbert walked the paths taken by Sverdrup and Cook from Greenland to Ellesmere Island in the Arctic.

British Trans-Arctic Expedition

From 1968 to 1969, Sir Wally Herbert led the British Trans-Arctic Expedition. This was a long and challenging journey across the Arctic Ocean, covering about 3,800 miles from Alaska to Spitsbergen. The team had to spend the winter on drifting ice before they could continue. In April 1969, they finally reached the North Pole.

Herbert’s amazing achievement was praised by leaders like Prime Minister Harold Wilson and Prince Philip. He received many awards for his work, including the Polar Medal and the Founders' Medal from the Royal Geographical Society. Today, there are places named after him in the Antarctic and Svalbard.

Later life

After returning to London in 1969, Wally Herbert married Marie Herbert. They lived with the Inuit and Saami people in Greenland, Norway, and Sweden, and had two daughters, including their elder daughter Kari Herbert, who traveled with them.

From 1979 to 1981, Herbert and Allan Gill tried to travel around Greenland using dog sleds and a traditional boat called an umiak. Bad weather made this very difficult. Near Loch Fyne, Herbert described the tough conditions they faced. Wally Herbert passed away in Inverness on June 12, 2007.

Author and artist

Herbert was a talented writer and artist. He won prizes for his work and had solo art shows in cities like London, New York, and Sydney. He wrote many books about his adventures and even drew some of the first pictures of the North Pole. Herbert also illustrated all of his own books, and people loved his paintings and drawings.

One famous drawing of Herbert was made by Andrew James. This special portrait was given by Herbert to another explorer named Andrew Regan as a gift.

Peary controversy

Sir Wally Herbert studied Robert Peary’s claim that he reached the North Pole in 1909. The National Geographic Society asked Herbert to look at Peary’s old diary and star observations. Herbert decided Peary had not reached the Pole and may have changed the records. His book, The Noose of Laurels: The Race to the North Pole, created a big debate when it came out. Some groups still think Peary reached the Pole, but many now agree with Herbert’s findings.

Legacy and honours

Sir Wally Herbert was honoured with many awards for his amazing adventures. He was knighted in 2000, which means he was recognised as a very important person. After he reached the North Pole in 1969, he received special medals like the Polar Medal and the Founders' Medal from the Royal Geographical Society.

Some places were named after him too. In the Antarctic, a mountain range and a plateau carry his name. Even the northernmost mountain in Svalbard, an island group in the Arctic, is named in his honour.

Bibliography of his works

Sir Wally Herbert wrote many books about his adventures and the places he explored. Some of his well-known works include The Polar World: The Unique Vision of Sir Wally Herbert from 2007, which shows his artwork, and The Noose of Laurels: The Race to the North Pole from 1989. He also wrote books like Hunters of the Polar North: Eskimos in 1981 and Eskimos in 1976, which won an award in 1977. Other books include North Pole from 1978, Polar Deserts from 1971, Across the Top of the World from 1969, and A World of Men: Exploration in Antarctica from 1963.