View source for Harry McNish

{{short description|Scottish ships' carpenter (1858–1930)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2013}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Harry "Chippy" McNish
| image              = Chippy McNish ca 1914.png
| caption            = Photo of McNish cropped from the 1914–1917 [[Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition]] crew photo.
| image_size         = 130px
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1874|9|11|df=y}}
| birth_place        = [[Port Glasgow]], [[Inverclyde]], [[Scotland]]
| death_date         = {{death date and age|1930|9|24|1874|9|11|df=y}}
| death_place        = [[Wellington]], [[New Zealand]]
| occupation         = [[Carpenter]], [[Shipwright]]
| spouse             = {{plainlist|
* Jessie Smith
* Ellen Timothy
* Lizzie Littlejohn
}}
| partner            = Agnes Martindale
}}

'''Henry McNish''' (11 September 1874{{snd}}24 September 1930), often referred to as '''Harry McNish''' or by the nickname '''Chippy''', was the carpenter on Sir [[Ernest Shackleton]]'s [[Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition]] of 1914–1917. He was responsible for much of the work that ensured the crew's survival after their ship, the ''[[Endurance (1912 ship)|Endurance]]'', was destroyed when it became trapped in pack ice in the [[Weddell Sea]]. He modified the small boat, ''[[Voyage of the James Caird|James Caird]]'', that allowed Shackleton and five men (including McNish) to make a voyage of hundreds of miles to fetch help for the rest of the crew.

After the expedition he returned to work in the [[Merchant Navy (United Kingdom)|Merchant Navy]] and eventually emigrated to [[New Zealand]], where he worked on the docks in [[Wellington]] until poor health forced his retirement. He died destitute in the Ohiro Benevolent Home in Wellington.

== Early life ==
Harry "Chippy" McNish was born in 1874 in the former Lyons Lane near the present site of the library in [[Port Glasgow]], [[Inverclyde]], Scotland.<ref name="GT">{{cite web|work=Greenock Telegraph|date=2006-10-19|url= http://www.greenocktelegraph.co.uk/articles/1/7672| title='Chippy' honoured|access-date=13 September 2012}}</ref>{{Ref_label|A|a|none}} He was part of a large family, being the third of eleven children born to John and Mary Jane (née Wade) McNish. His father was a [[journeyman]] [[shoemaker]]. McNish held strong socialist views, was a member of the [[United Free Church of Scotland]] and detested bad language.<ref name="landl">{{cite web|url=http://www.visitandlearn.co.uk/factfiles05/obit21.asp|title=Endurance Obituaries: Henry McNish|publisher=Endurance Tracking project|year=2005|access-date=9 November 2006|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060209192539/http://www.visitandlearn.co.uk/factfiles05/obit21.asp |archive-date = 9 February 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref> He married three times: in 1895 to Jessie Smith, who died in February 1898; in 1898 to Ellen Timothy, who died in December 1904; and finally to Lizzie Littlejohn in 1907.<ref name="landl"/>

There is some confusion as to the correct spelling of his name. He is variously referred to as McNish,<ref name="JCS">{{cite web|publisher=The James Caird Society |date=2006-11-03 |url=http://www.jamescairdsociety.com/latest.php |title=Shackleton news |access-date=8 November 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061026102609/http://www.jamescairdsociety.com/latest.php |archive-date=26 October 2006 }}</ref> McNeish,<ref name="South"/> and in [[Alexander Macklin]]'s diary of the expedition, MacNish.<ref name="AM1">{{cite web|url=http://www.spri.cam.ac.uk/library/archives/shackleton/images/p5062279.html|title=Virtual Shackleton: Alexander Macklin's diary, of Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition|author=Alexander Hepburne Macklin|publisher=Scott Polar Research Institute|location=Cambridge|date=2004-07-29|access-date=9 November 2006}}</ref> The McNeish spelling is common, notably in Shackleton's and [[Frank Worsley]]'s accounts of the expedition and on McNish's headstone, but McNish is also widely used,<ref name="JCS" /><ref>{{cite web|publisher=American Museum of Natural History|year=2001|url=http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/past-exhibitions/shackleton/the-expedition/beset|title=The Expedition: Beset|access-date=8 November 2006}} (Identifying the accompanying diary entry as being from the diary of Henry "Chippy" McNish)</ref> and appears to be the correct version.<ref name="USGG">{{cite web|url={{gnis3|type=antarid|9763}}|title=Antarctica Feature Detail: McNish Island|publisher=U.S. Department of the Interior: U.S. Geological Survey|date=1998-09-25|access-date=9 November 2006}}</ref> On a signed copy of the expedition photo his signature appears as "H. MacNish", but his spelling is in general idiosyncratic, as revealed in the diary he kept throughout the expedition.<ref name="hurley">{{cite book|title=South With Endurance: Shackleton's Antarctic Expedition 1914–1917: The Photographs of Frank Hurley|pages=10–31|editor=Tamiko Rex |publisher=Bloomsbury|location=London|year=2001|isbn=0-7475-7534-7}}</ref> There also is a question regarding McNish's nickname. "Chippy" was a traditional nickname for a [[Shipbuilding|shipwright]];<ref name="RN">{{cite web|url=http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/server/show/nav.3807|title=Navy Slang|publisher=Ministry of Defense/Royal Navy|year=2006|access-date=17 November 2006|archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20090127182544/http://royalnavy.mod.uk/training-and-people/rn-life/navy-slang/covey-crump-(a-to-aye)/cable-curry/|archive-date=27 January 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> both this and the shorter "Chips" (as in wood chips from carpentry) seem to have been used.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=The Antarctic Circle|date=2006-08-19|url=http://www.antarctic-circle.org/nicknames.htm|title=Some Antarctic Nicknames|access-date=8 November 2006}}</ref>

== Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition ==

=== ''Endurance'' ===
The aim of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition was to be the first to cross the [[Antarctic]] [[continent]] from one side to the other. McNish was apparently attracted by Shackleton's advertisement for the expedition<ref name="PBS">{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/transcripts/2906_shacklet.html|title=Transcript: Shackleton's Voyage of Endurance|publisher=PBS|date=2002-03-26|access-date=8 November 2006}}</ref> (although there are doubts as to whether the advertisement ever appeared<ref name="quote">{{cite web|url=http://www.antarctic-circle.org/advert.htm|title=Shackleton Quote|publisher=The Antarctic Circle|access-date=17 November 2006}}</ref>):

{{blockquote|text=MEN WANTED: FOR HAZARDOUS JOURNEY. SMALL WAGES, BITTER COLD, LONG MONTHS OF COMPLETE DARKNESS, CONSTANT DANGER, SAFE RETURN DOUBTFUL. HONOUR AND RECOGNITION IN CASE OF SUCCESS. SIR ERNEST SHACKLETON}}
[[File:Haircut.png|thumb|left|The crew have their hair cut aboard ''Endurance''. McNish is on the left shaving Greenstreet's head.]]
[[File:Endurance3.jpg|thumb|left|220px|''Endurance'' trapped in pack ice. McNish's work prevented it flooding, but he could do nothing to stop it being crushed.]]
McNish suffered from [[Hemorrhoid|piles]] and [[rheumatism]] in his legs.  He was regarded as somewhat odd and unrefined, but also highly respected as a carpenter{{snd}}[[Frank Worsley]], the captain of the ''Endurance'', refers to him as a "splendid shipwright".<ref name="worsley">{{cite book|title=Shackleton's Boat Journey|author=F.A. Worsley|publisher=Pimlico|year=1998|isbn=0-7126-6574-9}}</ref>{{Ref_label|B|b|none}} The pipe-smoking Scot was, however, the only man of the crew that Shackleton was "not dead certain of".<ref name="NOVA1">{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/shackleton/1914/team.html#mcneish|title=Shackleton's Voyage of Endurance: Meet the Team|publisher=PBS|date=March 2002|access-date=8 November 2006}}</ref> His Scots accent was described as rasping like "frayed cable wire".<ref name="Bowman">{{cite book|title=Men of Antarctica|url=https://archive.org/details/menofantarctica00bowm|url-access=registration|author=Gerald Bowman|year=1959|publisher=Fleet Publishing|isbn=1-121-33591-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/menofantarctica00bowm/page/72 72]}}</ref>

During the initial stage of the voyage to Antarctica from [[Buenos Aires]], he was kept busy with a number of routine tasks. He worked on the pram dinghy ''Nancy Endurance''; made a small chest of drawers for Shackleton; specimen shelves for the biologist, [[Robert Clark (zoologist)|Robert Clark]]; and instrument cases for [[Leonard Hussey]], the meteorologist; and put up wind screens to protect the helmsman.<ref name="NZA">{{cite web|url=http://www.antarctic.org.nz/pages/journal/articles/art33.php|title=Harry McNish – An insight into Shackleton's Carpenter|author=Andrew Leachman|author-link1=Andrew Leachman|publisher=New Zealand Antarctic Society|access-date=9 November 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929221623/http://www.antarctic.org.nz/pages/journal/articles/art33.php|archive-date=29 September 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> He constructed a false deck, extending from the poop-deck to the chart-room to cover the extra coal that the ship had taken on board. He also acted as the ship's barber.<ref name="wordie">{{cite book|title=Polar Crusader: Sir James Wordie – Exploring the Arctic and Antarctic|author=Michael Smith|publisher=Birlinn Ltd|year=2004|isbn=1-84158-292-1|page=371}}</ref> As the ship pushed into the pack ice in the [[Weddell Sea]] it became increasingly difficult to navigate. McNish constructed a six-foot wooden semaphore on the bridge to enable the navigating officer to give the helmsman directions, and built a small stage over the stern to allow the propeller to be watched in order to keep it clear of the heavy ice.<ref name="South" />

When the ship became trapped in pack ice his duties expanded to constructing makeshift housing, and, once it became clear that the ship was doomed, to altering the sledges for the journey over the ice to open water. He built the quarters where the crew took their meals (nicknamed ''The Ritz'') and cubicles where the men could sleep. These were all christened as well; McNish shared ''The Sailors' Rest'' with [[Alfred Cheetham]], the Third Officer. Assisted by the crew, he constructed kennels for the dogs on the upper deck.<ref name="South" /> Once ''Endurance'' became trapped, and the crew were spending the days on the ice, McNish erected goalposts and [[Association football|football]] became a daily fixture for the men.<ref name="hurley" /> To pass the time in the evening, McNish joined [[Frank Wild]], [[Tom Crean (explorer)|Tom Crean]], [[James McIlroy (surgeon)|James McIlroy]], Worsley and Shackleton playing poker in the [[wardroom]].<ref name="huntford">{{cite book|title=Shackleton|author=Roland Huntford|publisher=Carroll & Graf Publishers|year=1998|isbn=0-7867-0544-2|page=774}}</ref>

The pressure from the ice caused ''Endurance'' to start to take on water. To prevent the ship from flooding McNish built a [[cofferdam]], [[caulking]] it with strips of blankets and nailing strips over the seams,<ref name="South">{{cite book|title=South|author=Sir Ernest Shackleton|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5199}}</ref> standing for hours up to his waist in freezing water as he worked.<ref name="CA">{{cite book|title=Endurance|author=Caroline Alexander|publisher=Bloomsbury|year=1998|location=London|isbn=0-7475-4123-X|page=211}}</ref> He could not prevent the pressure from the ice crushing the ship though and was experienced enough to know when to stop trying. Once the ship had been destroyed he was put in charge of rescuing the stores from what had been ''The Ritz''. With McNish in charge it took only a couple of hours to open the deck far enough to retrieve a good quantity of provisions.<ref name="lansing">{{cite book|title=Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage|author=Alfred Lansing|year=2000|orig-year=1959|publisher=Phoenix|isbn=0-7538-0987-7|page=[https://archive.org/details/endurancevoyages00alfr/page/304 304]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/endurancevoyages00alfr/page/304}}</ref>

=== On the ice ===
[[File:Mrschippy2.png|right|thumb|McNish's cat, Mrs Chippy, had to be killed after the ship was destroyed.]]
During his watch one night while the crew were camped on the ice, a small part of the [[Drift ice|ice floe]] broke away and he was only rescued due to the quick intervention of the men of the next watch who threw him a line allowing him to jump back to safety.<ref name="NOVA2">{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/shackleton/1914/diary.html|title=Shackleton's Voyage of Endurance: Diary of a survivor|author=Thomas Orde-Lees|publisher=PBS|date=March 2002|access-date=8 November 2006}}</ref> Shackleton reported that McNish calmly mentioned his narrow escape the next day after further cracks appeared in the ice. After the loss of the ''Endurance'' four of the sled dogs and [[Mrs Chippy]], the cat McNish had brought on board, were shot on Shackleton's order due to his belief that keeping them alive in such harsh conditions would be an unnecessary drain on the crew's scarce resources. McNish never forgave Shackleton for having his cat killed.<ref name="bbc">{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3818613.stm|author=Kim Griggs|publisher=BBC|title=Antarctic hero 'reunited' with cat|date=2004-06-21|access-date=7 November 2006}}</ref>

McNish proposed building a smaller craft from the wreckage of the ship, but was overruled, with Shackleton instead deciding to head across the ice to open water pulling the ship's three lifeboats. McNish had been suffering with piles and homesickness from almost before the voyage had begun, and once the ship was lost his frustration began to grow. He vented his feelings in his diary, targeting his tent-mates' language:<ref name="lansing" />
{{blockquote|text=I have been shipmates with all sorts of men both in sail and steam, but never nothing like some of our party – as the most filthy language is used as terms of endearment, and, worse of all, is tolerated.}}

In great pain while pulling sledges across the ice, McNish briefly rebelled, refusing to take his turn in the harness and protesting to Frank Worsley that since the ''Endurance'' had been destroyed the crew was no longer under any obligation to follow orders.<ref name="hurley" /> Accounts vary as to how Shackleton handled this: some report that he threatened to shoot McNish; others that he read him the ship's articles, making it clear that the crew were still under obligation until they reached port.<ref name="NOVA3">{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/shackleton/1914/alexandra.html|title=Tending Sir Ernest's Legacy: An Interview with Alexandra Shackleton|publisher=PBS|date=March 2002|access-date=8 November 2006}}</ref> McNish's assertion would have normally been correct: duty to the master (and pay) normally stopped when a ship was lost, but the articles the crew had signed for the ''Endurance'' had a special clause inserted in which the crew agreed "to perform any duty on board, in the boats, or on the shore as directed by the master and owner". Aside from this, McNish really had no choice but to comply: he could not survive alone and could not continue with the rest of the party unless he obeyed orders.<ref name="lansing" />

As supplies began to dwindle the party grew hungry. McNish records that he smoked himself sick trying to alleviate the pangs of hunger and although he thought the shooting of the dogs terribly sad,<ref name="hurley" /> he was happy to eat the meat they provided stating "Their flesh tastes a treat. It is a big treat for us after being so long on [[seal meat]]."<ref name="lansing" />

When the ice finally brought the camp to the edge of the pack ice, Shackleton decided that the three boats, the ''James Caird'', ''Stancomb Wills'', and ''Dudley Docker'', should make initially for [[Elephant Island]]. McNish had prepared the boats as best he could for a long journey in the open ocean, building up their sides to give them a higher [[Freeboard (nautical)|clearance]] from the water.<ref name="lansing" />

=== Elephant Island and the ''James Caird'' ===
On the sea journey to [[Elephant Island]], McNish was in the ''[[James Caird (boat)|James Caird]]'' with Shackleton and [[Frank Wild]]. As they approached the island, Wild, who had been at the tiller for 24 hours straight, was close to collapse, so Shackleton ordered McNish to relieve him. McNish was not in a much better state himself and, despite the terrible conditions, he fell asleep after half an hour. The boat swung around and a huge wave drenched him. This was enough to wake him, but Shackleton, seeing McNish too was exhausted, ordered him to be relieved.<ref name="lansing" />

After the crew had made it to Elephant Island, Shackleton decided to take a small crew and make for [[South Georgia Island|South Georgia]], where there was a possibility that they would find crews from the whaling ships to help effect a rescue for the rest of the men. McNish was called upon by Shackleton to make the ''James Caird'' seaworthy for the long voyage and was selected as part of the crew,<ref name="South" /> possibly because Shackleton was afraid of the effect he would have on morale if left behind with the other men.<ref name="NOVA3" /> For his part, McNish seemed happy to go;<ref name="South" /> he was unimpressed by the island and the chances of survival for the men overwintering there:<ref name="Diary">{{cite web|url=http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/past-exhibitions/shackleton/the-expedition/the-great-boat-journey|title=Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Journey: The Great Boat Journey|publisher=American Museum of Natural History|year=2001|access-date=11 September 2013}}</ref>
{{blockquote|text=I don't think there are ever many fine days on this forlorn island... I dont think there will be many survivers if they have to put in a winter here.{{sic}}}}<!--SPELLING AS ORIGINAL-->
[[File:James Caird en.svg|right|thumb|250px|The voyages of the ''James Caird'': the trip to Elephant Island is shown in green, the voyage to South Georgia in blue.{{image reference needed|date=December 2022}}]]
McNish used the mast of another of the boats, the ''Stancomb Wills'', to strengthen the keel and build up the small 22&nbsp;foot (6.7&nbsp;m) long boat, so it would withstand the seas during the 800&nbsp;mile (1480&nbsp;km) trip. He caulked it using a mixture of seal blood and flour, and, using wood and nails taken from packing cases and the runners of the sledges, he built a makeshift frame which was then covered with canvas. Shackleton was worried the boat "bore a strong likeness to stage scenery", only giving the appearance of sturdiness. He later admitted that the crew could not have lived through the voyage without it.<ref name="South" />
When launching the boat McNish and [[John Vincent (sailor)|John Vincent]] were thrown from the deck into the sea. Although soaked, both were unharmed, and managed to exchange some clothes with the Elephant Island party before the ''James Caird'' set off.<ref name="South" /> The mood on board was buoyant and McNish recorded in his diary on 24 April 1916:<ref name="lansing" />
{{blockquote|text=We took Good bye with our companions. & set sail on our 870&nbsp;miles to South Georgia for assistance...we were in the open sea wet through but happy through it all.}}

The mood did not last though: conditions aboard the small craft during the trip were terrible, with the crew constantly soaked and cold. McNish impressed Shackleton with his ability to bear up under the strain (more so than the younger Vincent, who collapsed from exhaustion and cold). The six men split into two watches of four hours: three of the men would handle the boat while the other three lay beneath the canvas decking attempting to sleep. McNish shared a watch with Shackleton and Crean.<ref name="worsley" /> All the men complained of pains in their legs and, on the fourth day out from Elephant Island, McNish suddenly sat down and removed his boots, revealing his legs and feet were white and puffy with the early signs of [[trench foot]]. On seeing the state of McNish's feet Shackleton ordered all the men to remove their boots.<ref name="lansing" />

=== South Georgia ===
The crew of the ''James Caird'' reached South Georgia on 10 May 1916, 15 days after setting out from Elephant Island.<ref name="NOVA-TIME">{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/shackleton/1914/timeline.html|title=Shackletons' Voyage of Endurance: Timeline|publisher=PBS|date=March 2002|access-date=17 November 2006}}</ref> They landed in [[Cave Cove]] on [[King Haakon Bay]]; it was on the wrong side of the island, but it was a relief for all of them to make land; McNish wrote in his diary:<ref name="lansing" />
{{blockquote|text=I went to the top of the hill & had a lay on the grass & it put me in mind of old times at Home sitting on the hillside looking down at the sea.}}
They found [[albatross]] chicks and seals to eat, but despite the relative comfort of the island compared to the small boat, they still urgently needed to reach the whaling station at [[Husvik]] on the other side of the island to fetch help for the men on Elephant Island. It was clear that McNish and Vincent could not continue, so Shackleton left them in the care of [[Timothy McCarthy (sailor)|Timothy McCarthy]] camped in the upturned ''James Caird'', and with Worsley and Crean made the hazardous trip over the mountains. McNish took screws from the ''James Caird'' and attached them to the boots of the men making the journey to help them grip the ice. He also fashioned a crude sledge from driftwood he found on the beach, but it proved too clumsy to be practical. When Shackleton's party set off on 18 May 1916, McNish accompanied them for a few hundred yards but he was unable to go any further. He shook hands with each of the men, wishing them good luck, and then Shackleton sent him back. Putting McNish in command of the remaining men, Shackleton charged him to wait for relief and if none had come by the end of winter to attempt to sail to the east coast.<ref name="hurley" /> Once Shackleton's party had crossed the mountains and arrived in Husvik, he sent Worsley with one of the whaler's ships, ''Samson'', to pick up McNish and the other men. After seeing the emaciated and drawn McNish on his arrival at the whaling station, Shackleton recorded that he felt that the rescue had come just in time for him.<ref name="South" />

== Polar Medal ==

Whatever the true story of the rebellion on the ice, neither Worsley nor McNish ever mentioned the incident in writing. Shackleton omitted it entirely from ''South'', his account of the expedition, and referred to it only tangentially in his diary: "Everyone working well except the carpenter. I shall never forget him in this time of strain and stress".<ref name="NZA" /><ref name="NOVA3" /> The event was recorded in the ship's log, but the log entry was struck during the sea voyage in the ''James Caird'',<ref name="NZA" /> Shackleton being impressed by the carpenter's show of "grit and spirit".<ref name="South" /> Nevertheless, McNish's name appeared on the list of the four men not recommended for the [[Polar Medal]] in the letter sent by Shackleton on his return. Macklin thought the denial of the medal unjustified:<ref name="NZA" /><ref name="CA" />
{{blockquote|I was disheartened to learn that McNeish, Vincent, Holness and Stephenson had been denied the Polar Medal...of all the men in the party no-one more deserved recognition than the old carpenter....I would regard the withholding of the Polar Medal from McNeish as a grave injustice.|Macklin}}
Macklin believed that Shackleton may have been influenced in his decision by Worsley who shared a mutual enmity with McNish, and had accompanied Shackleton back from Antarctica. Members of the [[Scott Polar Research Institute]], [[New Zealand Antarctic Society]] and Caroline Alexander, the author of ''Endurance'', have criticised Shackleton's denial of the award to McNish.<ref name="bbc" /><ref name="Times">{{cite web|url=http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/article211167.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006081629/http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/article211167.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 October 2014|title=Forgotten Scot of the Antarctic|author=Jim McBeth|publisher=Sunday Times – Scotland|date=2006-01-15|access-date=9 November 2006 | location=London}}</ref>

== Later life, memorials and records ==
[[File:Harry McNeish Gravestone cat.jpg|thumb|right|McNish's grave in Karori Cemetery with the statue of [[Mrs Chippy]] which was added by the New Zealand Antarctic Society. His last name is here spelled "McNeish".]]
After the expedition McNish returned to the Merchant Navy, working on various ships. He often complained that his bones permanently ached due to the conditions during the journey in the ''James Caird''; he would reportedly sometimes refuse to shake hands because of the pain.<ref name="landl" /> He divorced Lizzie Littlejohn on 2 March 1918, by which time he had already met his new partner, Agnes Martindale. McNish had a son named Tom and Martindale had a daughter named Nancy.  Although she is mentioned frequently in his diary, it appears McNish was not Nancy's father.<ref name="landl" />

He spent 23 years in the Navy in total during his life, but eventually secured a job with the New Zealand Shipping Company.<ref name="landl" /> After making five trips to New Zealand he moved there in 1925, leaving behind his wife{{Ref_label|D|d|none}} and all of his carpentry tools. He worked on the waterfront in [[Wellington]] until his career was ended by an injury. Destitute, he would sleep in the wharf sheds under a tarpaulin and relied on monthly collections from the dockworkers.<ref name="bbc" /> He was found a place in the Ohiro Benevolent Home, but his health continued to deteriorate and he died on 24 September 1930, aged 72, in [[Wellington Hospital, New Zealand|Wellington Hospital]].<ref name="landl" />

He was buried in [[Karori Cemetery]], Wellington, on 26 September 1930, with full naval honours; ''[[HMS Dunedin]]'' (which happened to be in port at the time) provided twelve men for the firing party and eight bearers.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=The Dunedin Society |date=2006-11-03 |url=http://www.hmsdunedin.co.uk/new_zealand.htm |title=New Zealand |access-date=8 November 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070701202856/http://www.hmsdunedin.co.uk/new_zealand.htm |archive-date=1 July 2007 }}</ref> However, his grave remained unmarked for almost thirty years;<ref name="bbc"/> the New Zealand Antarctic Society (NZAC) erected a headstone on 10 May 1959.<ref name="JCS" /> In 2001, it was reported that the grave was untended and surrounded by weeds.<ref>{{cite news|author=Ryan, Jenny|date=2001-01-12|work=Dominion|title=Final resting place lies in a sad state|page=14}}</ref> However, in 2004 the grave was tidied and a life size bronze sculpture of McNish's beloved cat, Mrs Chippy, was placed on his grave by NZAC, having been paid for by public subscription. His grandson, Tom, believes this tribute would have meant more to him than receiving the Polar Medal.<ref name="bbc"/>

In 1958, the [[British Antarctic Survey]] named a small island in his honour, McNeish Island, which lies in the approaches to King Haakon Bay, South Georgia.<ref name="landl" /><ref name="AAS">{{cite web
 |url=http://aadc-maps.aad.gov.au/aadc/gaz/place_names_within_map.cfm?north=-53.8333333333&south=-55&east=-35.6666666667&west=-38.3333333333 
 |title=Antarctic Gazetteer 
 |publisher=Australian Antarctic Data Centre 
 |access-date=9 November 2006 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926234058/http://aadc-maps.aad.gov.au/aadc/gaz/place_names_within_map.cfm?north=-53.8333333333&south=-55&east=-35.6666666667&west=-38.3333333333 
 |archive-date=26 September 2007 
}}</ref> The island was renamed [[McNish Island]] in 1998 after his birth certificate was presented to the [[United Kingdom Antarctic Place-Names Committee]].<ref name="USGG" />

On 18 October 2006, a small oval wall plaque commemorating his achievements was unveiled at the Port Glasgow Library in his home town,<ref name="GT" /> and earlier in the same year he was the subject of an exhibition at the [[McLean Museum]], [[Greenock]].<ref name="Times" /> His journals are held in the [[Alexander Turnbull Library]] in Wellington, New Zealand.<ref>{{cite web |title=McNeish, Harry, 1858-1930 : Journal of Harry McNeish, carpenter on Shackleton's Endurance expedition |url=https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22375892 |publisher=National Library of New Zealand |access-date=5 July 2019}}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{refbegin}}
'''a.''' {{Note_label|A|a|none}}For the location of McNish's birth, see [http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?client=public&search_result=&db=pc&cidr_client=none&lang=&keepicon=true&pc=PA145EQ&advanced=&client=public&addr2=&quicksearch=pa14+5eq&addr3=&addr1= map].

'''b.''' {{Note_label|B|b|none}}There was little doubt as to his skill as a shipwright even before he was called upon for the modifications to the boats. He was never seen to take measurements, producing perfect work by eye. Macklin commented that all the work he did was first class, and even [[Thomas Orde-Lees]], who disliked him, grudgingly admitted he was an "expert wooden ship's man".<ref name="CA" />

'''c.''' {{Note_label|C|c|none}}"Mrs" Chippy was discovered to be a male a month after the voyage started, but by that time the name had stuck.

'''d.''' {{Note_label|D|d|none}}"Wife" in this source probably refers to Agnes Martindale, who was his partner but not his wife. McNish was already divorced by this time.
{{refend}}

== Citations ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline}}

{{Polar exploration}}
{{Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Featured article}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:McNish, Harry}}
[[Category:1858 births]]
[[Category:1930 deaths]]
[[Category:British Merchant Navy personnel]]
[[Category:Burials at Karori Cemetery]]
[[Category:British explorers of Antarctica]]
[[Category:Personnel of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition]]
[[Category:People from Port Glasgow]]
[[Category:Scottish emigrants to New Zealand]]
[[Category:Scottish explorers]]
[[Category:Scottish sailors]]