ANTARCTIC EXPLORER'S MEDAL OFFERED

A rare medal awarded to a British explorer who saved the lives of colleagues during an Antarctic expedition led by Ernest Shackleton has been put up for auction.

Victor Hayward was a member of a shore party left stranded when their ship, the Aurora, was blown out to sea in a blizzard in May 1915.

The ten members of the crew were left to endure little food or fuel, but Hayward became crucial in their survival by hunting seals for food.

Hayward also saved the lives of two colleagues by hauling them onto a sled after they collapsed due to illness.

Hayward was posthumously awarded the Albert Medal for Gallantry, which was a forerunner of the George Cross. The decoration as well as his Polar Medal have now been put up for sale by a private collector at an auction house in London, where it is expected to fetch up to £60,000.

Mark Quayle, from auctioneers Dix Noonan Webb, said: 'The Polar explorers of the early 20th century were an extraordinary breed, prepared to put their lives on the line by venturing into one of the most dangerous places on earth.

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Rare medal awarded to an explorer on a Shackleton expedition who was stranded in Antarctica for a YEAR when his boat was blown out to sea in 1915 is set to sell for £60,000 (www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3976372/Rare-medal-awarded-explorer-Shackleton-expedition-stranded-Antarctica-YEAR-boat-blown-sea-1915-set-sell-60-000.html)

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