As his second-in-command, Shackleton chose Frank Wild, who had been with him on both the "Discovery" and "Nimrod" expeditions, and was one of the Farthest South party in 1909. Wild had just returned from Mawson's Australian Antarctic Expedition. To captain "Endurance" Shackleton had wanted John King Davis, who had commanded "Aurora" during the Australian Antarctic Expedition. Davis refused, thinking the enterprise was "foredoomed", so the appointment went to Frank Worsley, who claimed to have applied to the expedition after learning of it in a dream. Tom Crean, who had been awarded the Albert Medal for saving the life of Lieutenant Edward Evans on the "Terra Nova" Expedition, took leave from the Royal Navy to sign on as "Endurance"s second officer; another experienced Antarctic hand, Alfred Cheetham, became third officer. Two "Nimrod" veterans were assigned to the Ross Sea party: Mackintosh, who commanded it, and Ernest Joyce. Shackleton had hoped that "Aurora" would be staffed by a naval crew, and had asked the Admiralty for officers and men, but was turned down. After pressing his case, Shackleton was given one officer from the Royal Marines, Captain Thomas Orde-Lees, who was Superintendent of Physical Training at the Marines training depot.