William Bakewell
Able seaman
William Bakewell was an able seaman on Endurance during the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.
| William Bakewell | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Position | Able seaman |
| Born | 1888 |
| Died | 1969 |
| Nationality | American |
| Boat | Stancomb Wills |
William Bakewell was an able seaman on Endurance during the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.
Bakewell was born in 1888 in Illinois. He ran away from home at a young age and worked in a variety of jobs until ending up an able seaman on the Golden Gate. The vessel was wrecked in Montevideo, Uruguay, so Bakewell, along with his friend Perce Blackborow, headed for Buenos Aires to search for a way back to England.
Upon their arrival in Argentina, Bakewell and Blackborow discovered Endurance docked there. Sir Ernest Shackleton and Captain Frank Worsley had recently dismissed several crewmen and were looking for replacements. Bakewell pretended to be Canadian, believing Shackleton would be more agreeable with a fellow member of the Commonwealth, and was hired on as an able seaman, but Blackborow was dismissed for being too young. When Endurance left port, Bakewell and William How helped the young man stow away onboard. He would later receive a Polar Medal for his part in the expedition.
After the expedition, he spent some time as a farmer in Argentina before eventually joining the fight in World War I in the merchant navy. Two ships he was on were sunk, but he survived. He nearly joined Shackleton’s later Shackleton-Rowett Expedition but instead remained in the merchant navy.
He eventually returned to the United States of America, and ran a farm with his wife until his death in 1969.
Bakewell was born in 1888 in Illinois. He ran away from home at a young age and worked in a variety of jobs until ending up an able seaman on the Golden Gate. The vessel was wrecked in Montevideo, Uruguay, so Bakewell, along with his friend Perce Blackborow, headed for Buenos Aires to search for a way back to England.
Upon their arrival in Argentina, Bakewell and Blackborow discovered Endurance docked there. Sir Ernest Shackleton and Captain Frank Worsley had recently dismissed several crewmen and were looking for replacements. Bakewell pretended to be Canadian, believing Shackleton would be more agreeable with a fellow member of the Commonwealth, and was hired on as an able seaman, but Blackborow was dismissed for being too young. When Endurance left port, Bakewell and William How helped the young man stow away onboard. He would later receive a Polar Medal for his part in the expedition.
After the expedition, he spent some time as a farmer in Argentina before eventually joining the fight in World War I in the merchant navy. Two ships he was on were sunk, but he survived. He nearly joined Shackleton’s later Shackleton-Rowett Expedition but instead remained in the merchant navy.
He eventually returned to the United States of America, and ran a farm with his wife until his death in 1969.