Lawrence Oates | |
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Born | Lawrence Edward Grace Oates 17 March 1880 |
Died | 17 March 1912 Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica | (aged 32)
Cause of death | Hypothermia[1] |
Other names | Titus Oates |
Education | Eton College |
Occupation(s) | Cavalry officer, explorer |
Lawrence Edward Grace "Titus" Oates (17 March 1880 – 17 March 1912)[2] was a British army officer, and later an Antarctic explorer, who died from hypothermia[1] during the Terra Nova Expedition when he walked from his tent into a blizzard. His death, which occurred on his 32nd birthday, is seen as an act of self-sacrifice when, aware that the gangrene and frostbite from which he was suffering was compromising his three companions' chances of survival, he chose certain death for himself to relieve them of the burden of caring for him.