Comments by "Piccalilli Pit" (@piccalillipit9211) on "Antarctic quest to find Shackleton's lost ship - BBC News" video.

WOW - thats amazing. YES I think it was a stain on Shackleton's reputation that he didnt let bygones be bygones cos without McNish NO ONE would have survived. I know that McNish disobeyed/questioned some orders, but he also did his duty when it mattered. It has never sat well with me that he was singled out to be left out of the meddles.
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@mundee7792 - And McNish the carpenter - without him no one would have made it out alive. And one of Shackleton's personality flaws manifests itself in not allowing McNish to get the Polar Medal cos he questioned his decisions/orders.
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@cableorcabal7126 - I think he should. As a teenager, I was pretty obsessed with the Shackelton story. I read every book the library had on it, it is the single most amazing survival story and the greatest piece of leadership in history IMO. But I was always disappointed at the end of the book when they said "McNish didn't get a medal" it was like "Jees - I admire you no end Shackleton and you do this incredibly petty thing" It has always spoiled the story for me. Give the guy an official reprimand and also give him the damn medal. its NOT like he did NOTHING to redeem himself - he was instrumental to the survival of everyone. So yeah, I think he should get it posthumously. It's the one bit of the story that always disappointed me. I WOULD be very proud to be related to the guy. That's for sure. Instead, I'm related to "Gordon of Khartoum" - allegedly. All the males in my family have the middle name "Gordon" as a mark of reverence regardless of the side of the family. But this guy seems to have a much more dubious life. The official story is he was a hero in the siege of Khartoum, but like most colonial British army officers life mostly involved shooting natives for not being grateful the British now owned their country.
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Its the single greatest piece of leadership ever. When he left the people on elephant island and sailed away to South Georgia to get help - he did not take the BEST people as you would expect. He took the trouble makers and the negative people so they could not demoralise the men left behind and cause them to give up. THAT is leadership.
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@romainvicta3076 - Without McNish the carpenter none of them would survive. But that does NOT take away from the utterly astonishing leadership that Shackleton showed. I dont know what this new trend is to always discredit and say "oh no - he wasn't the hero/inventor/discoverer - X was" I think its the narcissism of modern life that everyone has to know more than everyone else, be in on some secret information, he more clued in - saying "frank worsley was the true hero - Not Shackleton" cos he navigated is no different to believing in Q-Anon in many ways. its the "I know something you dont" that pervades modern society.
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 @romainvicta3076 - This has nothing to do with Shackleton, or Worsley, or NcNish. this is about you demonstrating to the world how clever and knowledgeable you are.
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@romainvicta3076 - Yes I believe you. Yet these "normal men who don't see the light of day" seem to be very well known by everyone in this comments section...?
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@romainvicta3076 - OK - well you are doing a sterling job of ensuring the world knows of him.
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SHACKLETON SAVING HIS CREW Its the single greatest piece of leadership ever. When he left the people on elephant island and sailed away to South Georgia to get help - he did not take the BEST people as you would expect. He took the trouble makers and the negative people so they could not demoralise the men left behind and cause them to give up. THAT is leadership. the story is literally BEYOND belief and everyone should read it - or watch the Kenneth Branner dramatisation "Shackleton"
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One of the best books ever written.
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