1 May 2013

British man dies during Greenland ice trek

Friends pay tribute to the “incredible determination” of a man from west London who died on Sunday after getting into difficulty during an expedition in Greenland.

Source: Facebook

Philip Goodeve-Docker was crossing the Greenland ice cap with two friends on a ‘trip of a lifetime’ when the group got into trouble.

The three were rescued by local authorities but Mr Goodeve-Docker died. The other two British men remain in hospital.

Mr Goodeve-Docker, described as a “rookie to the Arctic”, was on the unsupported crossing with experienced expedition leader Roan Hackney and Andy Norman, a former IT professional.

A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said they were alerted to the situation on Sunday.

“We are aware that British nationals were in difficulty during an expedition in Greenland and have been rescued by the authorities,” she said. “Sadly one of the men, Philip Goodeve-Docker, died.

“The two other British nationals are in hospital.

“We are providing consular assistance to their families at this time.”

On his Facebook page his family said: “We wanted to let everyone know that on Sunday morning we had a phone call to confirm that Philip sadly died.

“To our son, brother and friend, we are so glad that you were on your adventure and expedition that you had wanted to do for so long. You will be unbelievably missed and your memory cherished. xx”

Adventurer

On a fundraising website set up by Mr Goodeve-Docker, he described the trip as a 550-600km challenge across the world’s second largest ice cap which would take between 30 to 35 days.

He also wrote of the dangers that he could face during what he described as “this frankly nutty adventure”.

“This is one of the great polar challenges, through which we face such dangers as polar bears (not cute and cuddly), crevasses up to 500 metres deep, polar winds, temperatures of 5C to -50C, plus the horror of 3 men with one tent & no washing,” he said.

He had raised more than £5,000 for the The Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI) and dedicated the trip to his grandfather – a former honorary vice-president of the Royal Geographical Society – who died two years ago. Since the news of his death, that total has risen to over £7,000.

Crystal Oldman, Chief Executive of the QNI, said “Staff and trustees at the QNI are very shocked and saddened by this tragic loss but also immensely proud of him and his bravery. It is the charity’s intention not to let this tragic loss of life pass without creating a suitable and enduring memorial to Philip”