Morton Moyes

Who was Morton Moyes?

Capt Morton Henry Moyes OBE FRGS BSc RAN was an Australian Antarctic explorer and naval officer.

Moyes was born at Koolunga to headmaster John Moyes and Ellen Jane, née Stoward. Two of his brothers were John, who became an Anglican bishop, and Alban George, a cricketer. Morton attended the Collegiate School of St Peter in Adelaide and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in physics and mathematics from the University of Adelaide in 1910, having represented South Australia in athletic championships. His geology lecturer, Douglas Mawson, had a profound impact on him and he successfully applied to join Mawson's Australasian Antarctic Expedition in 1911 as meteorologist for Frank Wild's western base. In November 1912, Wild's group left on a sledging trip with Moyes remaining at the hut; the trip ended up taking nine weeks when the sled was lost.

Moyes returned to Australia in March 1913 as headmaster of University Coaching College in Sydney. In February 1914 he was recruited as naval instructor for the new Royal Australian Naval College, moving from mathematics to navigation in 1915. In January 1916 he was promoted senior naval instructor and was navigating officer of Captain John King Davis's ship the Aurora on its December rescue mission for members of Ernest Shackleton's Trans-Antarctic Expedition.