Explorer awarded the freedom of Orkney 124 years on

● Arctic hero Rae established the final section of north-west passage

An Arctic explorer has been awarded the unusual honour of the freedom of Orkney – 124 years after he died.

Dr John Rae established the final section of the north-west passage linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans via the north of Canada, a route which has become known as the Rae Strait.

He also discovered the fate of the lost crew of Sir John Franklin’s expedition which was lost trying to chart the passage.

Members of Orkney Islands Council have unanimously granted the posthumous honour to Dr Rae following a nomination by council leader James Stockan.

His motion was timed to tie in with the 200th anniversary of the explorer’s home town of Stromness becoming a “burgh of the barony” in 1817.

The freedom of Orkney is a rare honour which has only been bestowed ten times since 1948 and the arctic explorer is the first to receive the honour since 1990.

Despite the explorer’s achievements, his reputation was tarnished because of his findings about the Franklin expedition which included suggestions the crew turned to cannibalism.

The Franklin expedition left

0 John Rae is one of a select few to receive the honour England in 1845 but none of the 129 people returned home.

Mr Stockan said the controversy meant that Dr Rae was never given the credit he deserved for his achievements, saying he had been “vilified” because of his findings.

He said: “We are looking to set the record straight and honour one of our greatest explorers. His achievements should be celebrated and we want to remind people of a hero from Orkney.”

Dr Rae travelled to Canada to work as a surgeon for the Hudson’s Bay Company, after leaving his native Orkney to study in Edinburgh.

Dr Rae is buried in the grounds of St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall.