Exhibition showcases life on board Discovery

FRANK Plumley was one of five stokers on board the historic ship Discovery during her original British National Antarctic Expedition of 1901-04.

A new exhibition showcasing some of the remarkable objects, archives and photographs relating to both Frank’s time on the coal-fired ship and his later life opens at Discovery Point tomorrow.

A number of fascinating items have been selected to show some of the highlights from the larger collection, which Dundee Heritage Trust now holds thanks to the support of the United Kingdom Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT) and the National Fund for Acquisitions.

DHT secured the Frank Plumley collection of 35 pieces in April 2016.

Material includes personal notebooks, poems and letters, service and polar medals, photographs and personal items such as an Expedition Royal Doulton mug, snow goggles and pipe.

The collection, preserved by his grandson Allen Plumley, also includes many newspaper cuttings and articles relating to Frank’s later life which has enabled a fascinating history to be compiled.

Louisa Attaheri, curator for Dundee Heritage Trust, which runs RRS Discovery as a visitor attraction, said: “We are delighted to be able to showcase the important part Frank played in Antarctic exploration.

“Due to the nature of collecting, a great deal of our museum focuses on the officers and scientists as much more material relating to these higher ranked men has been recorded and preserved.

“To reddress this and highlight the contribution of one of the crew members, a man until very recently we knew very little about, is incredibly important to our narrative.”

Louisa Attaheri