‘Those who approached the fires, sufficiently near, to warm frozen feet and hands, were attacked by gangrene…these fatal occurrences mutilating the majority of our soldiers, threw them into the power of the enemy’. These words, spoken by Baron Larrey the chief surgeon to the French army in the Napoleonic wars, sound as horrific now as they did exactly 200 years ago. The soldiers expected warmth to heal their frostbitten sores; yet, it hastened their injuries to an irreversible gangrenous state. It is with Larrey the history of modern frostbite management and pathophysiology commenced. The history of frostbite has been briefly covered, but never in great depth or encompassing both previous military and exploration (polar and high-altitude) experiences together. This presentation offers a more general history of the prevention and the treatment of frostbite in the twentieth century. It covers the British experiences of frostbite from exposure in cold, hostile territories of the exploration campaigns and military operations. Discussed will be frostbite in the polar explorations (1910 – 1917), military frostbite (1914 – 1918) and finally Everest expeditions (1921 – 1938). Although different experiences, demonstrated is a progression in our understanding of frostbite and its management.