Angus Erskine was born in Edinburgh in 1929 and attended Dartmouth Naval College, before going to sea shortly before the end of World War 2. He began his acquaintance with the polar regions as part of the crew of the Navies Antarctic guard ship, and was later selected to join the British North Greenland Expedition in charge of the expedition's sledge dogs. The expedition had wide ranging objectives in the fields of geology, meteorology, glaciology, seismology, physiology and the logistics of operating in a polar environment.

After his return from Greenland Erskine returned to naval duties and was appointed to the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey where he commanded that station at Detaille Island and led survey teams working in the area. Erskine Glacier on the west coast of Graham Land is named after him. He continued his career in the Navy until 1972, after which he led the training ship Captain Scott for 4 years, before setting up his own travel business, which he sold in 1991. Erskine died in Edinburgh in 2007, aged 77.