Explorer to follow in the footsteps of 19th century adventurer in Arctic Return
● Bid to bring Orcadian hero ‘out of dark shadows’
An explorer will follow in the Arctic footsteps of 19th century Orkney adventurer Dr John Rae to raise funds to restore the childhood home of the islander and create a worldclass heritage centre to honour his legacy.
David Reid will lead a fourperson team on a 400-mile trek across Boothia Peninsula in April 2019 to trace the route travelled by Rae in 1854 which his supporters consider to be the third most important Arctic expedition of all time.
Then, with two indigenous companions, Rae located the Rae Strait, the last navigable link in the Northwest Passage, the sea route that connects the Arctic and Pacific oceans.
Crucially, the Orcadian – a trained surgeon hired by the Hudson’s Bay Company – also determined the fate of the doomed 1845 Franklin expedition, which led to the deaths of 129 Royal Navy seamen.
Some believe the achievements of Rae, who worked closely with the Inuit people to learn Arctic survival skills, have never been fully recognised given the controversy that raged around his findings that some of the Franklin crew resorted to cannibalism in a bid to survive.
Mr Reid hopes the Arctic Return expedition will raise funds to support the ongoing effort to restore Hall of Clestrain at Orphir, Orkney, the now derelict Rae family home.
Mr Reid, who is originally from Bishopton but moved to Canada to work with the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1989, said he wanted Clestrain to become a centre for study and recognition of Rae and to honour a man who has been “too long in the dark shadow of Arctic history and failed exploration”.
He said: “More attention should be given, not only to Rae’s achievements but to exploration in general done right, successfully and well.
“Clestrain stands as an example of something once proud, dignified, and strong. The passing years have not been kind to it. We hope the expedition will inspire the funding of a restoration – indeed, a transformation.”
Mr Reid described Arctic Return as a “huge physical challenge” which he hoped to complete between 31 March and 6 May – the height of blizzard season – to mirror the dates of Rae’s expedition. A further 60 miles will be added to the end of the journey with extreme weather and polar bears among the key hazards.
He added: “As with any major Arctic expedition, the bigger part is the mental challenge. The expedition is 15 months away but both physical and mental training starts now. Biggest challenges will be the cold, exhaustion and morale.
“It’s vital that the team work together and creating a bond of trust and reliance is very important. It is certainly not lost on me that people die doing things like this, travelling in this part of the world at the time of year Rae did.”
Rae faced the fiercest of condemnation from the widow of Captain Sir John Franklin and her friend, Charles Dickens, who together publicly tar- nished the Orcadian’s reputation in the press.
The explorer continued his work but he was one of the few Arctic explorers of his generation not to receive a knighthood. The John Rae Society in Orkney has been working to promote his achievements.
In 2014, a memorial stone to Dr Rae, who is buried at St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, was unveiled at Westminster Abbey, near the memorial to Sir John Franklin.