The lower deck on Aurora: H.V. Goddard's diary, 1913–14

Herbert Victor Goddard was second steward on the voyage of SY Aurora under Captain John King Davis, to retrieve Douglas Mawson and the remaining members of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition (AAE) from Commonwealth Bay in the summer of 1913–14. He kept a previously unpublished diary in pencil. He was on his first and only voyage working at sea and the diary records observations by an optimistic newcomer to the region. It gives the view of the voyage from eyes different from those of the leaders of the expedition, records the daily routine on-board, and documents a few incidents not covered in the formal reports of the expedition.