So near and yet so far
Henry Worsley died in a Chilean hospital of peritonitis after being airlifted from Antartica, 30 miles short of what would have been the first solo unaided crossing of the continent. How does this compare with Britain’s other heroic failures?
— Scott and his two surviving companions died 11 miles short of their one tonne food depot, but were still 140 miles short of their journey’s end, having travelled just over 700 miles from the South Pole.
— George Mallory was last spotted 800 vertical feet from the summit of Everest in his 1924 expedition. It is possible he reached the summit, but even so would have failed in what many regard as an essential part of conquering a mountain: getting back down again.
— Donald Campbell averaged 298 mph in the first leg of his attempt to reach 300 mph over two one-kilometre legs in 1967. His boat, Bluebird, was destroyed on the return leg, meaning no measurement could be taken.
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