G. Murray (George Murray) Levick

Born in 1876, George Murray Levick was a British physician, naval surgeon, and polar explorer best known for joining Robert Falcon Scott’s Terra Nova Expedition to Antarctica from 1910 to 1913. During the expedition he served as doctor to the Northern Party and also carried out detailed observations of Adélie penguins at Cape Adare, work that later made him an important early figure in Antarctic natural history.

Levick wrote vividly about both survival and science. His book Antarctic Penguins grew out of his field studies, and his experiences with the stranded Northern Party became part of the wider story of Scott’s final expedition. Alongside his polar work, he also had a medical career and served his country during wartime.

He died in 1956, but his reputation has endured through his expedition journals, his penguin research, and his place in the history of Antarctic exploration. What makes him especially memorable is the mix of toughness and careful observation in his work: even in extreme conditions, he kept watching, recording, and trying to understand the world around him.