[3] Ness's husband died suddenly at sea on 19 April 1914,[4] leaving her an independently wealthy widow.
In 1920 Ness applied to Arthur Hinks at the RGS, asking for a letter of introduction to help her in her trip to South America.
However, Hicks wrote to individual RGS Fellows on Ness's behalf, requesting letters of introduction from them.
[5] In 1923 she crossed the Syrian Desert, from Beirut to Damascus and then on to Baghdad, including a stop at the RAF depot at Ramadi, Tehran and the Caspian Sea.
[1] In 1954 Mount Ness in the Antarctic was named after her, in honour of her financial support for the British Graham Land expedition.