- William Lashly went to school in Hampshire until the age of 13 when he started working with his father as a thatcher, and then worked as a civil servant. He joined the Royal Navy in 1899 and was serving as a stoker on HMS Duke of Wellington when he joined Robert Falcon Scott's British National Antarctic Expedition 1901-04 ('Discovery') as leading stoker. The expedition made the first extensive exploration on land in Antarctica and Lashly took part in several sledging journeys. On his return, he served as an instructor at the Royal Naval College, Osbourne.
Lashly's impressive record on the 'Discovery' expedition, led to his selection as chief stoker on the British Antarctic Expedition 1910-13 ('Terra Nova'). As a member of the final support party, he accompanied Scott's polar party as far as the Beardmore Glacier. On the return journey with Lieutenant Edward Ratcliffe 'Teddy' Evans and Tom Crean, the three became stranded on ice and Lashly remained with Evans, who was dangerously ill from scurvy, while Crean went to summon help. Both were awarded the Albert Medal for their roles in saving Evans' life.
After returning from the Antarctic, Lashly retired from the Royal Navy with a pension and immediately joined the Royal Naval Reserve. He served on HMS Irresistible and HMS Amethyst during World War I, and went on to join the Customs and Excise Service, serving as a customs officer at Cardiff. He retired in 1932 and returned to Hambledon, naming his house 'Minna Bluff' after one of the landmarks on the road to the South Pole.
- IMDb mini biography by: wl
- Royal Navy seaman who served as lead stoker on both the 'Discovery' expedition and the ill-fated 'Terra Nova' expedition to Antarctica under Captain Robert Falcon Scott, for which he was awarded the Polar Medal.
- Lashly was also recognized with the Albert Medal for playing a key role in saving the life of comrade Edward Ratcliffe 'Teddy' Evans on the ill-fated 'Terra Nova' expedition in which Captain Robert Falcon Scott and 4 others (Edgar Evans, Lawrence E.G. Oates, Edward Adrian Wilson, and Henry R. Bowers) died.
- He is commemorated in the Antarctic by Lashly Glacier (77°57' S 159°50' E) and the Lashly Mountains (77°54' S 159°33' E).
- Awarded Polar Medal (silver).
- On 4 January 1912, along with Lieutenant Edward Evans and Tom Crean, he was a member of the last support party to be sent back by Scott on his way to the pole. During the 730-mile (1,170 km) return journey, Evans became seriously ill with scurvy, and on 11 February, collapsed, unable to walk any further. Still 100 miles (160 km) from Hut Point camp and safety, he tried to persuade Lashly and Crean to leave him to save themselves, but they refused. Strapping him onto the sledge, they pulled him for days until with only one to two days' food rations left, but still four or five days' sledge pulling to do, they had to stop. Lashly then stayed with Evans in the tent to nurse him while Crean walked the remaining 35 miles (60 km) alone in 18 hours to reach Hut Point camp, where he was able to fetch help. Both Lashly and Crean received the Albert Medal for saving Evans' life.
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