EXPLORER Henry Worsley had "true grit" and his act of human endurance will serve as an inspiration to wounded servicemen and women and the British public, the charity for which the adventurer was raising money has said.
David Wiseman, who heads the Endeavour Fund, paid tribute to Worsley as a "man who loved life and craved adventure".
Mr Wiseman told the Press Association that Worsley, who died on Sunday after being rescued near the end of his solo bid to cross the Antarctic, had joined his hero Co Kildare-born Sir Ernest Shackleton in history following the tragic end to his polar expedition.
The trek was raising money for the Endeavour Fund, which supports the recovery of wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women and is managed by the Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry.
Worsley was just 30 miles – or two days if he had been in good physical condition – from completing his intrepid expedition.
Initially when he was airlifted off the ice more than 900 miles into his trek, it was thought he was dehydrated and malnourished. It was only discovered he was suffering from a serious infection to his abdomen when he was treated at Union Glacier base camp.
"It's a demonstration of the character of the man in terms of his true grit and determination that he was actually able to carry on with such a serious infection in his body, that he could actually carry on on the ice... until he was literally 30 miles away from his end point," Mr Wiseman said.
His wife Joanna rushed to Chile where Worsley was flown to undergo surgery but, due to the distance, was unable to make it to see him before he died.
"Our thoughts here at the Endeavour Fund and at the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry really are with the family and we remember an inspirational man," Mr Wiseman said.
Mr Wiseman, who was a captain in the army before joining the Endeavour Fund after taking part in challenges for Walk With The Wounded, praised Worsley for his dedication to helping wounded and injured servicemen and women.
"Even after over 30 years of service in the British army his service still wasn't done. What he wanted to do was continue serving the military community and he undertook this amazing Herculean expedition on behalf of wounded injured and sick service personnel," he said.
"I think one part of his legacy will be the fact that since Shackleton was such a great hero of his throughout his life and polar exploration was a big part of his life, he's actually now become part of that history himself through the tragic conclusion to this expedition.
"The second part will be the fact that the support to the Endeavour Fund will mean that dozens and dozens and dozens of wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans will be able to benefit from sporting and adventurous challenges as part of their recovery and rehabilitation.
"They will also be inspired by the act of human endurance and determination displayed by Henry Worsley."
"Henry was clearly a man who loved life and craved adventure. Here was a man who will stand as an inspiration, not just to the military community, but to everybody – the general public – a man who took on danger, who took on adventure and did that with a grin on his face."
The Endeavour Fund offers seed funding for sporting and adventure challenges and helps emerging initiatives with advice, hands-on support and mentoring.
