Celebrating Tom Crean, a true hero

This weekend marks the 75th anniversary of Tom Crean’s death. Ryle Dwyer examines his phenomenal feats that were long overlooked here

WHEN Tom Crean died at the Bon Secours Hospital in Cork on Jul 27, 1938, his passing was hardly mentioned in the national press. There was just a standard 30-word obituary, with no mention of his epic feats of endurance.

For a combination of courage and endurance he was one of the most extraordinary men the 20th century had seen. He was part of Robert Scott’s ill-fated expedition to the South Pole. Four years later Crean was one of the men who made the epic journey from the Antarctic to South Georgia in an open boat. Yet his extraordinary accomplishments were overlooked for decades.