Andrew Keith Jack | |
Alt: | A small circular pocket-watch sized instrument in a leather case |
Birth Date: | 1885 9, df=yes |
Birth Place: | Melbourne, Australia |
Education: | University of Melbourne |
Occupation: | Physicist |
Andrew Keith Jack (9September 188526September 1966) was an Australian physicist who served as a member of the Ross Sea Party as part of Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.
Jack was educated at the University of Melbourne, graduating with an MSc in 1914. A year later he joined the Shackleton expedition, where along with other members of the crew, he became stranded for 2 years in Antarctica after the loss of the ship Aurora. During this time he kept a regular diary across five volumes.[1] Jack was rescued along with six other survivors in 1917. Jack also took many photographs during the expedition, some of which were later hand-coloured as lantern slides.[2] Jack's diaries, as well as a number of his artefacts from the expedition, including his 1829 Aneroid barometer and a set of two thermometers, were bequeathed to the Museum Victoria.[3] [4]
After the expedition, Jack worked during the war in an explosives factory (known as the Cordite Factory), utilising his expertise in chemistry, eventually become a Senior Assistant Manager.[5] After the war he took on various roles managing explosives and safety for the Australian Government.