Sir Jameson. Commander Adams. Bill. The Mate. You won’t have heard of him – yet, in those curious ways history has of connecting us all, chances are you have benefited in some way from the remarkable things he did in his extraordinary life.

To tell the story of Jameson Adams is to tell the story of twentieth-century Britain – adventure and exploration, politics and war, poverty and opportunity, employment and health.

After running away to sea as a teenager, he worked his way up through the Navy to play a pivotal role in defending the British coast. In 1907, he was chosen by Shackleton himself to be the Nimrod Expedition’s second-in-command, venturing further into the Antarctic than anyone had gone before. Prime Minister Lloyd George personally selected Adams to transform the struggling Munitions Department during the First World War, while his 25-year career with the Ministry of Labour alongside Churchill and Beveridge laid the foundations for the Welfare State.

This is a story of adventure and adversity; of courage, care and compassion; of the belief in a better future for everyone – and of always believing in humanity and hope