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19 Jan 1912 :
Bitterly disappointed by having been beaten by the Amundsen Expedition,
Robert Falcon Scott, Edward Wilson, Henry Bowers, Lawrence Oates and Edgar Evans begin their return journey from 90 degrees South.

4 Feb 1912 :
Evans falls into a crevasse and suffers a serious concussion.

17 Feb 1912 :
Evans dies.

16 March 1912 :
Exhausted, hungry and barely able to walk, Oates tells the others,
"I am just going outside and may be some time". With a blizzard howling outside, he leaves the camp tent and never returns.

Today, 29th March 2012, marks the 100th anniversary of the death of Scott, Wilson and Bowers.
Scott was aged 43.

In a "Message to the Public", Scott wrote -

Originally Posted by Robert Falcon Scott

We arrived within 11 miles of our old One Ton Camp with fuel for one last meal and food for two days. For four days we have been unable to leave the tent
the gale howling about us. We are weak, writing is difficult, but for my own sake I do not regret this journey, which has shown that Englishmen can endure
hardships, help one another, and meet death with as great a fortitude as ever in the past. We took risks, we knew we took them; things have come out
against us, and therefore we have no cause for complaint, but bow to the will of Providence, determined still to do our best to the last. But if we have
been willing to give our lives to this enterprise, which is for the honour of our country, I appeal to our countrymen to see that those who depend on us
are properly cared for.

Had we lived, I should have had a tale to tell of the hardihood, endurance, and courage of my companions which would have stirred the heart of every
Englishman. These rough notes and our dead bodies must tell the tale, but surely, surely, a great rich country like ours will see that those who are
dependent on us are properly provided for.

Scott's full Message to the Public here at the Scott Polar Research Institute
at the University of Cambridge -
http://www.spri.cam.ac.uk/museum/dia...to-the-public/