Who is Harry McNeish, carpenter from Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage and what is their importance?

McNeish is the carpenter of the expedition and, as such, is instrumental in performing much of the specialized work necessary for the crew's survival after Endurance is crushed. For example, he fashions new sledges and fixes existing sledges and, most importantly, he modifies the ship's boats which are used to reach Elephant Island. At Elephant Island, he further modifies James Caird by adding a sort of decking and strengthening the hull and spars. It is probable that McNeish's work saves the lives of all the men of the expedition.