How Frank Hurley Edited War and Ice

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

In this episode of pplpod, we explore the life of Frank Hurley, the Australian photographer and filmmaker whose daring images of Antarctica and the world wars shaped how the 20th century was seen, and whose willingness to edit reality sparked a lasting debate over truth in documentary work. Born in 1885 in Glebe, Sydney, Hurley ran away at 14 to work at a steel mill in Lithgow, took up an engineering apprenticeship, and bought his first camera on a shilling-a-week payment plan. By 20 he was shooting postcards, and in 1911 he talked his way onto Douglas Mawson's Antarctic expedition by cornering the explorer on a train.

The episode follows Hurley through Mawson's expedition at Cape Denison, where he found only ten calm days in a year, and the 1914 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition under Ernest Shackleton. When the Endurance was crushed by pack ice, he kept 120 of his best glass plate negatives and smashed about 400 others to lighten the load, saving a small Kodak camera and his pioneering Paget color work. As an official war photographer at Passchendaele, he used composite photography, drawing a clash with historian Charles Bean, and he resigned in protest before returning to the work. His later career included aviation films, a banned New Guinea expedition, the 1931 documentary Siege of the South with its added Mickey Mouse scenes, and World War II service in the Middle East. He died in 1962, leaving a legacy of daring, spectacle, and visual memory.

In this episode we cover...

• Hurley's working-class upbringing in Glebe, his years at the Lithgow steel mill, his engineering training, and his first camera
• His hustle to join Mawson's 1911 expedition, the harsh conditions at Cape Denison, and the relief voyage to rescue Mawson
• The Shackleton expedition, the loss of the Endurance, the choice to save 120 glass plates, and his Paget color photography
• World War I at Passchendaele, composite photography, the conflict with Charles Bean, his resignation, and the 1918 London photomurals
• His 1920s aviation and New Guinea films, the Mickey Mouse scenes in Siege of the South, World War II service, his death in 1962, and his role in protecting Macquarie Island

Source credit: Research for this episode included transcript materials and supporting polar exploration, early photography, cinematography, First and Second World War, Australian, and biographical sources accessed October 31, 2026. Content is summarized and adapted for commentary and educational use.