Yorkshire’s very own Antarctic hero has been honoured with a plaque in his memory.

Frank Wild, who was born in Skelton on the North York Moors in 1873, before moving to Wheldrake, near York, has until recently, been overshadowed in the public consciousness by his colleague and friend, Ernest Shackleton.

Shackleton and Wild were involved in a number of polar expeditions together, but it was the failed attempt to cross the continent and the sinking of their ship, The Endurance, in Novermber 1915 which the men are most remembered for.

While Shackleton and five men sailed off in a lifeboat seeking help, Wild managed to stay calm in the face of the extreme conditions, and kept 21 of his crew mates alive on Elephant Island, on a diet of seal and seaweed.

Wild took part in no fewer than five expeditions to Antarctica, three with Shackleton, and is one of only two men to win the polar medal with four bars. That medal, along with his CBE, was sold for £132,000 just a few years ago.

After ending his exploring days, Wild built a life in South Africa marrying twice and dying of pneumonia and diabetes aged 66 in 1939.

Now 140 years after his birth, a plaque has been unveiled at Skelton And Brotton Parish Council Civic Hall by Angie Butler, writer of The Quest For Frank Wild.

Wild was born in Skelton at an address unknown. Efforts have been made in the village to try and locate the place of his birth so a blue plaque could be erected. However, definitive proof could not be found and the parish council decided on a compromise solution and marked the birth of the village’s most famous son in the civic hall.