19 November, 1910

Almost everything we take with us has been embossed with identifying features of some kind. For a start, everything associated with the ship has been marked with the official British Antarctic Expedition (BAE) logo - cutlery, plates, cruet sets, stationary, etc. In addition we are taking with us quite a bit of stuff for our eventual victory at the Pole: miniature silk Union Jacks, for instance, to fly there. Reminds me of knights going out to joust and taking their lady's ribbon with them as a standard. Today we received a rather nice box of Havanah Perfectos Elegantes Sol cigars to celebrate with. I dare say we shall be unable to smoke them at that altitude, but the gesture is nice, and no doubt the Ealam family who presented them will be made happy with a photograph of us posing with them. 

I prefer a pipe, myself.