Who We Are
Founder
The James Caird Society was founded by Harding McGregor Dunnett (1909 – 2000), author of Shackleton’s Boat: the story of the James Caird,
Born just two months after Ernest Shackleton achieved his Furthest South on the Nimrod Expedition, and a schoolboy at Dulwich College when the James Caird was first presented to the College by John Quiller Rowett, Harding will be long and gratefully remembered for his roaring laughter, his relentless devotion to the advancement of Shackleton’s name and reputation and his vociferous published correspondence with national newspapers promoting the Shackleton cause. (read more about our Founder)
President
The Hon. Alexandra Shackleton is Sir Ernest’s grand-daughter. She succeeded her father, Lord Shackleton KG OBE PC (1911-94), younger son of the explorer, as President of the James Caird Society, and has been at the heart of all its activities since. the early days. She was instrumental with Harding Dunnett in displaying the James Caird at the London Boat Show in 1994, and in lending support to Trevor Potts’s ‘four-man’ (three men and a woman) In the Wake of Shackleton expedition.
Since then there have been a great many expeditions of which our President has been Patron, and she remains tireless in representing the James Caird Society at a wide range of important and memorable events. She has also launched two ships, two fishing boats and four other vessels!
The annual JCS Newsletter publishes a feature known as ‘Our President’s Year’ where you can read more about her continuing work honouring the Shackleton legacy.
Chairman
Rear Admiral Nick Lambert took over the Chairmanship of the James Caird Society from Admiral Sir James Perowne KBE in November 2017. He joined the Royal Navy as a seaman in March 1977, subsequently gaining an honours degree in Geography at the University of Durham in 1983. He spent much time at sea, including on HM ships Birmingham, Ark Royal, Cardiff, and has commanded HMS Brazen and HMS Newcastle.
He was captain of the ice patrol ship Endurance from 2005-2007, deploying for two deeply rewarding seasons in Antarctica, after which he commanded Task Force 158 in the North Arabian Gulf, tasked with the protection of Iraq’s economically vital offshore oil infrastructure. Thereafter he was Deputy Flag Officer Sea Training from 2008 to 2009 before assuming the role of Assistant Chief of Staff Operations and Capability Integration in November 2009 in the Navy Command Headquarters. Promoted to Rear Admiral, he became the UK National Hydrographer in 2010, a post he held until the end of 2012.
Nick was also been Chairman of the Friends of the Scott Polar Research Institute so his Polar credentials are impeccable!
Committee Members
Vice Chairman: John Bardell
Hon Secretary: Dr Andy Kinniburgh
Hon Treasurer: Tony Parker
Journal Editor: Stephen Scott-Fawcett
Newsletter design: David McLean
Newsletter Editor: Dorothy Wright
Roger Slade
Seb Coulthard
Tim Winter
