 His occupation brought him in contact with [[Frank Debenham]] and [[Raymond Priestley]], who were members of the [[Terra Nova Expedition|second Antarctic expedition]] of [[Robert Falcon Scott|Robert Falcon]]

In 1914, Wordie joined Sir [[Ernest Shackleton]]'s expedition to the Antarctic, known as the [[Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition]], where he acted as geologist and chief of scientific staff.Despite the overall failure of the expedition—including the beset ship "[[Endurance (1912 ship)|Endurance]]", caught up in the [[Weddell Sea]] until destroyed by ice in 1915—Wordie maintained the morale of the expedition, made scientific observations regarding [[oceanography]] and the [[pack ice|ice pack]], and acquired important geological specimens.He was conscripted into the army on return to Britain (the [[First World War]] being at its height) and served with the [[Royal Artillery]] in France 1917 to 1918.