The final letters written by British explorer Captain Robert Scott before he perished in the Antarctic are to be placed on public display for the first time.

Discovered with Scott's body after his death on the way back from the South Pole in 1912, the letters have been donated to Cambridge University by the explorer's family.

Describing the good spirits and health of the exploration party, the letters will be put on display in the institution's Scott Polar Research Institute museum.

Captain Scott and his four companions all died as they tried to return to their base during the 1912 expedition, having being beaten to their goal of reaching the South Pole first by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen.

From January 17th, the 95th anniversary of the arrival of Captain Scott at the South Pole, visitors to the museum will be able to see the letters on display.

Robert Falcon Scott was born in June 1868 and was a Royal Naval officer before becoming an Antarctic explorer, joining the HMS Britannia at Dartmouth at the age of 13. He became one of the UK's most respected and famous explorers and his death was mourned throughout the British Empire.