I’m currently reading Alfred Lansing’s 1959 book Endurance, which tells the story of Ernest Shackleton’s ill-fated Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition (1914-1917).
One intriguing detail Lansing mentions early on is that, of the 5,000+ people who applied to be part of the expedition, three were women:
- Peggy Pegrine
- Valerie Davey
- Betty Webster
They applied together in a single letter dated January 11, 1914. In the letter, they referred to themselves as “three sporty girls” who were “willing to undergo any hardships that you yourselves undergo.”
The names of these “sporty girls” aren’t particularly sporty, but which of the three — Peggy, Valerie, or Betty — do you like best?
P.S. Which of Shackleton’s actual shipmates had the best name, do you think?
Valerie…because I think Val sounds sporty.