Victor Hayward

The Ross Sea party's expedition ship Aurora arrived in Antarctica in January 1915. During the short season before the onset of winter Hayward volunteered for everything—helping Ernest Joyce with the dogs,[2] assisting the motor tractor party and man-hauling depot supplies on the Barrier.[3] When the shore party was marooned after Aurora was blown from her moorings, Hayward became an accomplished seal hunter, helping to boost the party's depleted stocks of food.[4] Described as a "quiet, brawny man",[5] Hayward's closest bond was formed with the party's leader, Aeneas Mackintosh, with whom he shared a common yearning for home and loved ones. Mackintosh had recently married, Hayward was engaged to be married.

Hayward's expedition diary is a fascinating document. He writes most of the time for his fiancée. He pens over 24,000 words in a day-by-day record of his stay in Antarctica, in exquisite detail at times, and in a unique style. Where the other men appear to be recording their diaries for anyone to read, Hayward's diary is very personal. Not only does his love for his fiancée come through, but he exposes his innermost thoughts, especially in the early stages of his time in Antarctica. He tells her of what happens almost every day, on the march, in the tent and in the hut so we have a wonderful picture from his diary of what he and the others experienced. His diary pages are brightened by occasional sketches. Some are of his fiancée, and others of the scenery, the Aurora and penguins. There are even images unrelated to Antarctica: horses, a Canadian Mountie on horseback, a man with a monocle in his left eye looking resplendent in a top hat and formal attire and other men with different hats. His education and upbringing shows through in some of the phrases and words he uses. He describes his life at times as a 'ducky life', calls a short sleep '40 winks', uses the term 'by jingo' to express his surprise at something, calls an argument a 'roar' and often describes something as 'jolly nice'. He uses a phrase 'the bally thing didn't budge' when trying to move a sledge whereas others would write 'd _ _ d hard work' or use untutored grammar with a note: 'We struggled on + on'. Hayward's diary even contains a 30-line poem that he and his tent mates made up. He includes quotes from the book Lorna Doone and a full menu of two 'champagne' suppers he plans to have with his fiancée when he returns. However, as Hayward weakens with scurvy, his 400 and 500-word daily diary entries in his first sledging season dry up. In 1916, as he struggles back to Hut Point, his diary note each day is often nothing more than a few numbers; of the distance covered in the day, and the number of miles remaining to reach Hut Point.[6] The complete diary has been reproduced in the book Shackleton's Heroes.

The main depot-laying journey of the expedition began in September 1915. Although privately recording that he thought the programme to be followed "impossible",[7] Hayward threw his physical might into the job.[8] He was one of the party of six that undertook the longest stage of the depot-laying journey, from 80°S to the Beardmore Glacier. This journey was completed on 26 January 1916.[9] On the return journey Mackintosh and parson/photographer Arnold Spencer-Smith fell victims to scurvy and had to be carried on the sledge, drawn by Joyce, Ernest Wild, Dick Richards and Hayward. When the food situation became acute Hayward, by now showing scurvy symptoms himself, nevertheless went forward with Joyce and Richards to obtain life-saving food and fuel for the rest of the party.[10] At this time, Hayward wrote:

"I should mention that we are all, more or less, suffering from scurvy, our gums being much swollen. I feel it very badly in the limbs particularly in the groin, knees & ankles; the only cure of course is a diet of fresh meat & this we cannot procure till we get in, so one sees the vital necessity of quick progress."[11]

Eventually, after suffering both physical and mental breakdown,[12] Hayward was lashed to the sledge and on 18 March was hauled to the shelter at Hut Point where, since the doorway was iced up, he was hoisted in through the window.[13] Spencer-Smith died and was buried in the ice; Mackintosh barely survived. Joyce had expected Hayward to die,[14] but he too survived.

McMurdo Sound, frozen over. Mackintosh and Hayward set out on 8 May 1916 from Hut Point (A), intending to walk across the ice to Cape Evans (B). They disappeared in the area marked C.

Helped by a diet of seal—plentifully available around Hut Point—the party slowly recovered. Mackintosh was anxious that as soon as possible they make the final stage of the return journey—the 13 miles (21 km) across the frozen surface of McMurdo Sound to the base at Cape Evans. The ice would not be safe until winter set in, in June or July, but Mackintosh and Hayward grew impatient. In early May they had recovered sufficiently to begin testing the ice.[13] On 8 May Mackintosh announced that he and Hayward intended to walk across to Cape Evans, and against the urgent pleadings of Joyce, Richards and Wild, they set out at 1:00 p.m., carrying only light supplies. Two hours later a blizzard swept over the Sound and they were lost from view.[15] They did not arrive at Cape Evans, and no trace of their bodies was ever found, nor was the nature of their fate established. They may have fallen through the ice, or been carried out to sea when the ice broke up. If by chance they had managed to reach the temporary safety of land they would have been cut off, without hope either of returning to Hut Point or reaching Cape Evans, and would have perished from hypothermia.[16]