Our History

British Exploring Society was founded in 1932 by Surgeon Commander George Murray Levick RN

Since the founding years of British Exploring Society we have taken serious considerations to document our expeditions through imagery, video footage and reports. Thanks to the hard work of our archivists we maintain an extensive archive of records that catalogue our history and continual development of British Exploring Society, something that we are hugely proud of.

Our history

Our founder, Surgeon Commander George Murray Levick RN, was a member of Captain Scott’s final Antarctic expedition of 1910-13. The first photograph on this page shows Levick (second from right) and his five companions just after they emerged from the snowhole on Inexpressible Island in which they had spent the winter of 1912. His experience of being tested to the limits of his endurance in one of the most inhospitable regions of the world and of forming lasting and enduring relationships in such circumstances inspired him to found the educational exploration society which we now know as British Exploring Society.

Much has changed in the world since 1932. Since then British Exploring Society has made over 100 expeditions across all seven continents in which over 10,000 leaders and explorers having taken part. However the basic concept advocated by Murray Levick – young explorers in small self-contained groups experiencing adventure and learning in remote areas – remains at the core of British Exploring Society.