James Mann Wordie
(26/04/1889 – 16/01/1962)
Awarded Silver Polar Medal
|Jock Wordie, the expedition Geologist, and head of the scientific staff, was Born in Glasgow. Scotland in 1889 and was the second son of John and Jane Wordie. In 1910 he entered St. John’s College . Cambridge. and by 1914 had gained a degree in Geology and was appointed the university demonstrator in Petrology. In his spare time he became something of an accomplished rock climber and climbed in Switzerland and Germany.
Wordie had been recommended to Shackleton by non other than Raymond Priestley who had sailed as Geologist with Shackleton on the Nimrod expedition.
Shackleton liked Wordie, and he was popular with the rest of the crew. Famed for his dry humour and much loved for his willingness to trade his tobacco for rock specimens with those who’s supply had long since been smoked whilst they were stranded on Elephant Island.
Wordie always said that for him , “the worst part of the whole expedition was the open boat journey to Elephant Island”.
During the First World War he served as a Lieutenant in the Royal Field Artillery and saw a great deal of action. He was wounded in the left leg at the Battle of Armentiere.
After the war ended Wordie returned to Cambridge and lectured in Geology. On 21st March 1923 he married Gertrude Mary Henderson in London ,at St. Columba’s Church of Scotland. In his professional life, Wordie was probably the most successful and renowned of all the expedition members. Here follows just a few of his achievements, which make very impressive reading to say the least.
Wordie died on 16th January 1962 at Grange Court, Pinehurst, Grange Road, Cambridge. His ashes are interred in the Wordie family lair at the burial grounds of the Church of the Holy Rude. Stirling . Scotland.
With thanks to Peter J. Wordie ( son of James Mann Wordie)