The world was informed of the tragedy when Terra Nova reached Oamaru, New Zealand, on 10 February 1913.
Within days, Scott became a national icon.
A nationalistic spirit was aroused; the London Evening News called for the story to be read to schoolchildren throughout the land, to coincide with the memorial service at St Paul's Cathedral on 14 February.
Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts Association, asked: "Are Britons going downhill?
No!
 ... There is plenty of pluck and spirit left in the British after all.
Captain Scott and Captain Oates have shown us that".

The expedition's survivors were suitably honoured on their return, with polar medals and promotions for the naval personnel.
In place of the knighthood that might have been her husband's had he survived, Kathleen Scott was granted the rank and precedence of a widow of a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath.
In 1922, she married Edward Hilton Young, later Lord Kennet, and remained a doughty defender of Scott's reputation until her death, aged 69, in 1947.

An article in The Times, reporting on the glowing tributes paid to Scott in the New York press, claimed that both Amundsen and Shackleton were "[amazed] to hear that such a disaster could overtake a well-organized expedition".
On learning the details of Scott's death, Amundsen is reported to have said, "I would gladly forgo any honour or money if thereby I could have saved Scott his terrible death".
Scott was the better wordsmith of the two, and the story that spread throughout the world was largely that told by him, with Amundsen's victory reduced in the eyes of many to an unsporting stratagem.

The response to Scott's final plea on behalf of the dependents of the dead was enormous by the standards of the day.
The Mansion House Scott Memorial Fund closed at £75,000 (equivalent to £7,480,000 in 2019).
This was not equally distributed; Scott's widow, son, mother and sisters received a total of £18,000 (equivalent to £1,795,000 in 2019).
Wilson's widow received £8,500 (equivalent to £848,000 in 2019) and Bowers's mother received £4,500 (equivalent to £449,000 in 2019).
Edgar Evans's widow, children, and mother received £1,500 (equivalent to £150,000 in 2019) between them.

In the dozen years following the tragedy, more than 30 monuments and memorials were set up in Britain alone.
These ranged from simple relics—e.g.
Scott's sledging flag in Exeter Cathedral—to the foundation of the Scott Polar Research Institute at Cambridge.
Many more were established in other parts of the world, including a statue sculpted by Scott's widow for his New Zealand base in Christchurch.
The world was informed of the tragedy when Terra Nova reached Oamaru, New Zealand, on 10 February 1913. Within days, Scott became a national icon. A nationalistic spirit was aroused; the London Evening News called for the story to be read to schoolchildren throughout the land, to coincide with the memorial service at St Paul's Cathedral on 14 February. Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts Association, asked: "Are Britons going downhill? No! ... There is plenty of pluck and spirit left in the British after all. Captain Scott and Captain Oates have shown us that".
The expedition's survivors were suitably honoured on their return, with polar medals and promotions for the naval personnel. In place of the knighthood that might have been her husband's had he survived, Kathleen Scott was granted the rank and precedence of a widow of a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath. In 1922, she married Edward Hilton Young, later Lord Kennet, and remained a doughty defender of Scott's reputation until her death, aged 69, in 1947.
An article in The Times, reporting on the glowing tributes paid to Scott in the New York press, claimed that both Amundsen and Shackleton were "[amazed] to hear that such a disaster could overtake a well-organized expedition". On learning the details of Scott's death, Amundsen is reported to have said, "I would gladly forgo any honour or money if thereby I could have saved Scott his terrible death". Scott was the better wordsmith of the two, and the story that spread throughout the world was largely that told by him, with Amundsen's victory reduced in the eyes of many to an unsporting stratagem.
The response to Scott's final plea on behalf of the dependents of the dead was enormous by the standards of the day. The Mansion House Scott Memorial Fund closed at £75,000 (equivalent to £7,480,000 in 2019). This was not equally distributed; Scott's widow, son, mother and sisters received a total of £18,000 (equivalent to £1,795,000 in 2019). Wilson's widow received £8,500 (equivalent to £848,000 in 2019) and Bowers's mother received £4,500 (equivalent to £449,000 in 2019). Edgar Evans's widow, children, and mother received £1,500 (equivalent to £150,000 in 2019) between them.
In the dozen years following the tragedy, more than 30 monuments and memorials were set up in Britain alone. These ranged from simple relics—e.g. Scott's sledging flag in Exeter Cathedral—to the foundation of the Scott Polar Research Institute at Cambridge. Many more were established in other parts of the world, including a statue sculpted by Scott's widow for his New Zealand base in Christchurch.
Robert Falcon Scott