A lady from southwest Scotland, in anticipation of moving house, recently embarked on clearing old inherited material from her attic. In the process of discarding one recently decanted dusty cardboard box, she spotted a large envelope inside, initially dismissed as packaging. Upon inspection, it was discovered to contain a leaf of stationary bearing the letterhead of The Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 4 New Burlington Street, Regent Street, London.

This expedition was Sir Ernest Shackleton's ill-fated 1914 attempt to make the first land crossing of the Antarctic, considered to be the last major
expedition of the Heroic Age of Antarctic exploration.

Upon reaching the southern continent, the expedition ship named Endurance became trapped in pack ice. After many months stranded, the Endurance drifting northward and held firm in pack ice, the expedition members eventually witnessed their vessel being crushed by the ice. With no other choice and lifeboats salvaged from the wrecked ship, Shackleton led his twenty-eight crew members across the ice and water towards the inhospitable and uninhabited Elephant Island.

Once on Elephant Island, the ships' carpenter adapted one of the small boats for Shackleton and five other men. They were to make an astonishing 800-mile sea crossing to reach South Georgia.

The small vessel, strengthened by a makeshift wood and canvas deck, and sealed with lamp wick, oil paint and seal blood, arrived at its destination 17 gruelling days later. Shackleton then returned to Elephant Island and saved the remainder of his team without loss of life.

This expedition remains one of the great epics of endurance and navigation on ice and at sea. Later, Shackleton's peer and fellow explorer Raymond Priestley said, "For scientific discovery give me Scott; for speed and efficiency of travel give me Amundsen; but when disaster strikes and all hope is gone, get down on your knees and pray for Shackleton". The wreck of Endurance was found on the seafloor in 2022.

The autograph signed typewritten Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition letter almost discarded, was dated July 29th 1914 and addressed to one C A Hamilton of Cochmo, Duntocher, thanking the addressee for his "generous contribution of £5 towards the funds of the above Expedition". Catalogued with an auction pre-sale estimate of £500-1000, it was sold in Laidlaw Auctioneers & Valuers' October 2025 auction for a premium-inclusive total of £2036.