SHACKLETON - NIMROD EXPEDITION Pair of Royal Clyde Yacht Club cap badges for Shackleton's British Antarctic Expedition, 1907-1909, hand-embroidered in silver gilt, with crown above central rampant lion and 'RCYC' above 'Nimrod', surrounded by large leaf framework, in sunken mounts within glazed frame, each 57mm. high Footnotes: A PAIR OF RCYC NIMROD CAP BADGES WITH SHACKLETON FAMILY PROVENANCE. Shackleton's 1907-1909 expedition on the Nimrod is mostly remembered for its unsuccessful attempt to reach the South Pole, the first successful ascent of Mount Erebus and the first successful attempt to reach the South Magnetic Pole. Originally built as a whaler by Alexander Stephen and Sons in Dundee, Nimrod was bought in 1907 by William Beardmore and was re-registered as a yacht which Shackleton had refitted to make it more suitable for an Antarctic expedition. Ownership seems then to have passed to the Royal Clyde Yacht Club as on the ship's arrival in Australia in April 1909, the Evening News reported that 'she was flying the flag of the Royal Clyde Yacht Club at the main'. Third officer and boatswain on Nimrod was Alfred Cheetham, in charge of the ship's rigging, anchor, general equipment, and deck crew. Cheetham had served on Morning and would later return to Antarctica with Terra Nova and Endurance. In an interview for The Press of Christchurch, NZ, on 25 November 1907, he had also stated that ''Nimrod' belongs to the Royal Clyde Yacht Club--didn't you see the club's flag at the mizzen when we came in?--and we all wear the club's badge on our caps'. Cheetham sporting a similar-looking cap badge can be seen at: https://eshackleton.com/2014/07/11/alfred-cheetham-third-officer/ Whether the present badges were taken on Nimrod or were left behind in London is unknown. Provenance: Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton (1874-1922); and thence by descent until sold Christie's, 'The Polar Sale', 25 September 2002, Lot 315 (the entry incorrectly identifying RCYC as 'Royal Cowes Yacht Club'); private UK collection. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing