Arctic expedition and posthumous degree for Scots explorer John Rae
One of Scotland’s greatest, but least-known, arctic explorers who was instrumental in creating trade routes within Canada will be honoured with a posthumous diploma today.
To further celebrate the achievements of Orkneyborn Dr John Rae (1813-1893), the Royal Incorporation of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is sponsoring the Arctic Return Expedition through the North West Passage, led by Scottish explorer David Reid in March 2019.
Rae, who studied medicine at Edinburgh University, joined the Hudson’s Bay Company and charted vast areas of unmapped territory .
However, his report to the British Admiralty about the outcome of Captain Sir John Franklin’s ill-fated expedition of 1845, in which he detailed reports from local Inuits that some of Franklin’s crew had resorted to cannibalism, attracted condemnation and damaged his reputation,
A campaign to discredit Rae, spearheaded by Franklin’s wife and Charles Dickens, successfully ostracised him, and all public recognition for the discovery of the Northwest Passage went posthumously to John Franklin – until now.
The RICS, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, will celebrate Rae’s achievements this evening at its headquarters in London where John Hughes, RICS president, is due to appoint Rae an honorary chartered surveyor, and present the John Rae Society with posthumous RICS diploma.
Rae’s discovery of the missing link to the Northwest Passage through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago was a culmination of his skills as an explorer, surveyor and survivalist.
Rae trekked 500-miles by foot from Moose Factory, near the southwestern top of James Bay, to Toronto to train as a surveyor.
He used his skills in more than four expeditions in the Canadian Arctic between 1846 and 1854, travelling over 13,000 miles and mapping approximately 1,800 miles of coast.
Rae is buried in the grounds of St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, Orkney.