This year is the 150th anniversary of the birth of polar explorer and scientist, Dr Edward Wilson who was born in 1872 and died, with his great friend Scott in the Antarctic in 1912. 

Edward Wilson was a pupil first at Clifton College and later Cheltenham College. His wife, Oriana Souper, was born and lived at Bradfield College as a child, where her father the Reverend Francis Abraham Souper had been first an Old Bradfieldian attending the College from 1857 to 63, but also became Headmaster for a short time from 1872-77. Francis is the only Bradfieldian to ever hold the headmastership. At Bradfield, Francis was Senior Prefect before he went on to St John's College in Cambridge as an Exhibitioner in 1863. He later also went on and founded St Andrews Prep School in Eastbourne.

To celebrate the life and work of this amazing couple, Author Katherine MacInnes has written both a play and a biography of Oriana, which tells Edward's story, uniquely, from Oriana's perspective. During her research, Katherine discovered that Oriana was also a CBE, a naturalist, humanitarian and Natural History collector in her own right. 

The book is titled "Woman with the Iceberg Eyes" (published in 2019 by History Press) and linked here: 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Woman-Iceberg-Eyes-Oriana-Wilson/dp/0750991534

Katherine is also writing a second book ‘Snow Widows’ (which includes Oriana) to be published in March 2022 by Harper Collins – the Wilsons are central to that book too - bringing to life a neglected part of the Edward Wilson story.

Some reviews of the book:

'Ory Wilson is an unknown but central figure in the whole Scott story and a gripping woman in her own right. I have always considered her unjustly neglected.' Sara Wheeler, 'Cherry'.

'A story of profound love, courage, faith, stoicism in adversity which has inspired many.' Dr D Wilson