Robert Falcon Scott Markham's first choice as leader but, having decided on him, the older man's support remained constant. There were committee battles over the scope of Scott's responsibilities, with the Royal Society pressing to put a scientist in charge of the expedition's programme while Scott merely commanded the ship. Eventually, however, Markham's view prevailed; Scott was given overall command, and was promoted to the rank of commander before "Discovery" sailed for the Antarctic on 6 August 1901. King Edward VII, who showed a keen interest in the expedition, visited the Discovery the day before the ship left British shores in August 1901,
Scouting in the Antarctic completed training in Scotland, the French Alps, Norway and Greenland before the start of the expedition, Scouting in the Antarctic Scouting in the Antarctic is maintained by a single troop of Argentinian Scouts and also by visiting Scouts from other nations who are participating in expeditions and research projects. The southernmost Scout unit of the world, the "Grupo Scouts 1556 "Esperanza Blanca"", is at the Esperanza Base at the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula; it is affiliated to the Scouts de Argentina. Originally, the group belonged to the "Asociación Diocesana de Scouts Católicos Argentinos Castrense" (Diocesan Association of the Catholic