Tragedy at the South Pole

December 2nd, 1905

Antarctica

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​One year after the founding of the Society of Adventurers by Sir Simon Higgins and Colin Seymour Wallace, an expedition was launched to Antarctica onboard the ship Adventurer to celebrate the wedding of Wallace to his fiancée Florence Abigail Norton.

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Reaching the Antarctic proved challenging but the expedition was full of hardened members who had spent their lives taking on daring challenges that put their lives at risk. Everyone knew they could cheat death as they looked it in the eye, including Colin Seymour Wallace. 

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Or so Wallace thought.

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Accounts from expedition members, including Higgins, established that everything had proceeded as planned until, unexpectedly, Wallace was found unresponsive shortly before the wedding ceremony. Sir Higgins, Wallace's best man, discovered Wallace in his private room slumped over in a chair and tried to resuscitate him. Higgins fetched the expedition's physician, Doctor Parker, but the doctor was unable to do anything for Wallace, announcing him dead. 

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According to Sir Higgins, Wallace's wish upon his death was to be buried somewhere in nature. Higgins suggested that they bury Wallace's remains in Antarctica rather than bring him back to New York, noting that it is what Wallace would have wanted. In tears, Florence agreed, and bid her fiancé goodbye as the Adventurer disembarked back to New York.​​​

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Sir Simon Higgins was later accused of foul play by Florence Abigail Norton in Wallace's death, but was quickly dismissed due to the support from members of the Society of Adventurers and a lack of evidence. Though the expedition was deemed a tragedy and mired the society in doubt as to its future, Sir Higgins pulled the members together and forged forward, in memory of Colin Seymour Wallace.