Tri-Service

Spear 17 Ring In New Year As Antarctic Expedition Continues

Spear 17, a group of six British Army reservists undertaking an Antarctic traverse, have been updating social media with the progress they have made.

The group set off from the coast of Antarctica in an attempt to complete a 1,100-mile coast-to-coast crossing.

The expedition is in SAS officer Henry Worsley's memory. He died last year after attempting the same expedition, solo.

Having reached the South Pole on Christmas day, the team are now undertaking one of the most difficult legs of their journey- climbing the Titan Dome.

The journey hasn't been easy, and the team have experienced a number of problems along the way. Team member Ollie has been suffering from Frostbite on his lips, cheeks and nose, saying in a post on social media:

"My nose and cheeks aren't bothering me really at all but my lips have been agonising every time I tried to eat and drink and talk."

"I've been putting on Bonjela before meals to try and soothe the pain so I can eat, and it's been bringing tears to my eyes, and had me doubled over with a mouthful of frostbite and ulcers.

"The searing pain has been keeping me up at night, so I've also been taking a concoction of pain killers that we have with us just to get some sleep."

But it's not all bad news. The group celebrated New Year’s Eve together in style. Sergeant Major Lou Rudd, the expedition's leader, wrote about the day's festivities:

"All five of us are going to cram into my tent tonight, nicknamed The Ritz, and we're going to have a little party. And I think James is bringing over some of his mother's home made gin, so we're going to have a little tot of gin to celebrate getting our first degree on this leg in the bag, which is absolutely brilliant."

The posts come following team member Alun George's return home, after a number of health concerns made it impossible for him to continue in the expedition. Team member Chris Brooke passed on his New Year's wishes for George, saying: