John Rae – Has a Wrong been Righted?

John Rae, the arctic explorer who found the last piece of the Northwest Passage is being honored with a plaque in Westminster Abbey.

A Good Man Unjustly Maligned

In his day, he was vilified by English society.  It all started when he was enlisted to find the missing Franklin arctic expedition.  Two ships commanded by Captain Sir John Franklin departed England in 1845.  It was expected that this Royal Navy expedition would finally discover the long sought-after sea route through the Arctic Ocean (The Northwest Passage).  When the two ships mysteriously disappeared, John Rae, along with many others, was sent to find them.

During his search, Rae actually discovered the last piece of the passage.  The strait that today bears his name.  But it was another fateful discovery that led to his social ruin.

Truth and Scandal

Rae spoke with Inuit hunters who reported finding the bodies of English sailors.  Rae acquired items in trade that confirmed they were from the missing ships.  He dutifully returned to England to report his findings.

But what Rae discovered was that, in their desperation, they had resorted to cannibalism before they perished.  His report shocked English society.  Franklin, the leader of the failed expedition, was a powerful man.  So society’s elite banded together to ruin John Rae.  If they could discredit Rae, then they would not have to confront the reality of what happened.

A man who should have been hailed as a hero was ostracized.  It was an egregious smear campaign.  His reputation assailed from all sides, he returned to his native Orkney and died in relative obscurity.

Time and Justice

Now, people are working to restore his reputation.  He was finally honored with a simple plaque in Westminster Abbey.  Here is a link to a recent article.  The story relates the tale of a man caught up in political forces he could not withstand:

Explorer John Rae Gets Westminster Abbey Plaque (Link Removed)

Timing can play interesting games with the mind.  Just several weeks ago one of Franklin’s ships, HMS Erebus, was discovered on the ocean floor by archaeologists.  Its location is consistent with the information the Inuit hunters told John Rae so many years ago.

Here is a fascinating article with incredible pictures:

HMS Erebus: Canadian Shipwreck Identified as Sir John Franklin’s Long-Lost Flagship

Bushcraft expert Ray Mears was in the audience for the ceremony honoring John Rae.  In his Northern Wilderness DVD series on Canada, Mears tells Rae’s story:

 
Here is a song that tells the story of Franklin and the Northwest passage:

 
What do you think?  Are all injustices righted with the passage of time?   Does this make up for the way this great explorer was treated?  Leave your comment below…

 
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