User:Flyingkiwi/George Percy Abbott

George Percy Abbott (10 March 1880 – 22 November 1923) was a Royal Navy petty officer, Royal Naval Air Service pilot officer, and Antarctic explorer.

Abbott was a survivor of Robert Falcon Scott's Antarctic Terra Nova expedition, and was one of six arctic explorers that were part of its Northern Party.

Biography
Abbott was born in London in 1880 and joined the Navy three days after this 15th birthday. At the age of 18 he was one of the young naval ratings to be selected to pull the gun-carriage bearing Queen Victoria's coffin during her funeral procession. The original intention had been to have the coffin pulled by horses but the sailors where selected after the horses broke their tracers. George was awarded the Royal Victorian Medal for his gallantry during the procession where he had recaptured and calmed a house carrying a senior army office that got excited and broke away from the parade.

In 1910 he was recruited to join Captain Robert Scott's Terra Nova Expedition to Antarctica, at the time he was Petty Officer but he signed on as a Able Seamen at 6 pound per month. Called 'Tiny' by his friends he was one of the tallest men on the ship. He was a well-built man, champion wrestler and a qualified physical instructor 1st class. .

As part of the Terra Nova Expedition Abbot was one of six arctic explorers that were included in the Northern Expedition. This expedition ended up standed for nine extra months and survived the winter in an ice cave before compelting a very difficult treck across Antarctica to rejoin the rest of the Terra Nova Expedition. On the return to England Abbot had a breakdown and was invalided out of the service for a time.