Relatives of a man who joined Sir Ernest Shackleton's ill-fated expedition across Antarctica plan to complete the journey to commemorate one of the most dramatic episodes of polar exploration.

It is a century since Shackleton's famous expeditionary party was forced to abandon the ship Endurance after it became icebound, ending their hopes of reaching the South Pole.

Next week members of the family of Glasgow-born James Wordie, geologist and chief scientific officer on the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, will set out to the frozen continent.

The group of 12, led by explorer David Hempleman-Adams, plan to walk and ski the final leg of Shackleton's intended route, arriving on December 15 - almost 100 years after the original party hoped to do so.

They will also be joined by novelist and former SAS sergeant Andy McNab, who has helped to train the group.

It was conceived by Tim Holmes, head of property company Endurance Estates, and his wife, Alice, who is Wordie's granddaughter.

Mr Holmes said: "In walking the last 100 miles to the South Pole, this completes some unfinished family business, but it is also a way to understand the hardships and to remember the heroism of those who set out 100 years ago."

As well as marking the anniversary, the project - named Endurance 100 - will help raise funds to create a digital archive of papers relating to the original expedition.

The intention is to raise enough money to digitise Wordie's diaries and relevant papers belonging to other members of the expedition.

These will be made available for public research with the help of St John's College, Cambridge, where Wordie was a student, fellow, and later master; and the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge.

"As a team we feel that one of the best legacies of our trip would be the creation of an archive covering Wordie and the other members of the Endurance expedition, so that their narrative can be available to anyone interested in polar science, its history, and climate change," Mr Holmes added.

Originally from Partick, Wordie was 25 when Shackleton recruited him for the trans-Antarctic expedition, which he described as the final "one great main object of Antarctic journeying".

His detailed volumes capture the spirit, courage and determination of the men trapped in gruelling conditions in Antarctica for nearly two years after setting off in early 1914.

After the crew were forced to abandon ship they drifted on ice floes for several months before reaching uninhabited Elephant Island.

From there, Shackleton and five others, including Harry "Chippy" McNish, the ship's carpenter from Inverclyde, made a daring, 800-mile sea crossing to South Georgia, from where a rescue was mounted.

Wordie was one of the men left on Elephant Island for four months and is credited with playing a vital role in maintaining morale.

His account concludes in November 1916, when all 28 of the crew returned home.

In later life, he became one of the more prominent figures in British polar exploration.

It is estimated that the full cost of creating a digital archive could be as much as £50,000, which the Endurance 100 team has set as its initial target.

For more information visit: www.endurance100.org