Victor Lindsey Arbuthnot Campbell was born in Brighton, England in 1875. He served briefly in the Merchant Navy before receiving a commission in the Royal Navy in 1895. He joined the British Antarctic Expedition, 1910-1913 (leader Robert Falcon Scott), as First Officer on the expedition ship Terra Nova . He was in command of the Northern Party, which left Cape Evans on 5 January 1911 to carry out the exploration of the coast west and south of Cape Adare. The party was to have been brought back by ship to the main base before the winter of 1912 set in, but gales and ice prevented the ship from reaching them. Campbell and his companions wintered in a snow cave on Inexpressible Island with very few rations, sustaining themselves by killing penguins and seals. On 30 September 1912, they set out on the 200-mile sledge journey to Cape Evans, arriving there on 7 November. He was promoted to the rank of Commander for his part in the expedition.
During the First World War he fought in the Dardanelles and was decorated three times. He retired from the Navy in 1922, serving briefly in the Second World War in Trinidad and Canada. He died in Canada on 19 November 1956.
From the guide to the Victor Campbell collection, 1910-1920, (Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge)
