Editing Ernest Shackleton (section)

== First World War ==
Europe was in the midst of the First World War when Shackleton returned to England in May 1917. Suffering from a heart condition, made worse by the fatigue of his arduous journeys, and too old to be conscripted, he nevertheless volunteered for the British Army. He repeatedly requested posting to [[Western Front (World War I)|the front]] in France,{{sfn|Huntford|1985|p=649}} and was by now drinking heavily.{{sfn|Alexander|1998|p=192}}{{sfn|Huntford|1985|p=653}}

In October 1917, Shackleton was sent to Buenos Aires to boost British propaganda in South America. Unqualified as a diplomat, he was unsuccessful in persuading Argentina and Chile to enter the war on [[Allies of World War I|the Allied side]],{{sfn|Huntford|1985|pp=658–659}} and he returned home in April 1918. He was then briefly involved in a mission to [[Spitzbergen]], to establish a British presence there under the guise of a mining operation.{{sfn|Huntford|1985|pp=661–663}} On the way, he was taken ill in [[Tromsø]], possibly with a heart attack. He was then appointed to a military expedition to [[Murmansk]], which obliged him to return home again before departing for northern Russia.{{sfn|Huntford|1985|pp=661–663}}