Sir John Franklin

Sir John in 1845

**Sir John Franklin** was a British polar explorer, and leader of the Franklin expedition.

## Early Life

John Franklin on was born on the 16th of April 1786 in Spilsby Lincolnshire. He was the son of Hannah Weekes Franklin and Willingham Franklin.

## Naval Career

At the age of 12, John became interested in going to sea. His parents were reluctant at first, but his father secured him a position on the *HMS Polylphemus* in 1800. One year later, *Polylphemus* with John aboard joined Lord Nelson's squadron at the battle of Copenhagen. In 1802, midshipman John Franklin joined captain Matthew Flinders of HMS Investigator for the first expedition to circumnavigate Australia. Two years later, Franklin was serving under captain Nathaniel Dance of the *Earl Camden* when it fought at the battle of Palo Aura. In 1805, Franklin served on the *HMS Bellerophon* at the Battle of Trafalgar. During the War of 1812, Franklin, who had now become a lieutenant served on the *HMS Bedford*. In December 1814, during the battle of Lake Borgne, Franklin and two other officers from the *Bedford* were wounded.

## Coppermine Expedition

In 1819, Franklin had his first trip to the Arctic. The goal was that he and 20 men would head overland from Hudson Bay and follow the Coppermine river and chart it as they went along.

When the expedition returned home to England in 1822, 9 of the original 20 had died. While most of the men died from starvation, one of sailors was murdered. When the expedition's supplies ran out, the survivors ate lichen and the leather from their shoes. This established Franklin as "The man who ate his boots".

## Marriage and Mackenzie River Expedition

After returning home, Franklin married Eleanor Porden. They gave birth to a daughter named Eleanor Isabella the following year. Unfortunately, Eleanor sr would die of tuberculosis in 1825.

At the same time, Franklin left for his second expedition to the Arctic, this time, they would sail down the Mackenzie River and hopefully meet up with Captain William Beechey.

Eventually, Franklin and his men reached the mouth of the Mackenzie on August 16, 1825. He would spend the next two years exploring the region before he finally went home.

After returning home in 1827, Franklin married again, this time to Jane Griffon, who was a friend of Eleanor Anne. Two years later, Franklin received his knighthood and became the first person to earn the Grande Médaille d’Or des Explorations et Voyages de Découverte. In 1836, became a knight commander of the Royal Guelphic Order and a knight of the Order of the Redeemer.

## Lieutenant Governor of Tasmania

In 1837, Sir John was appointed as the Lieutenant Governor of Tasmania (then called Van Dieman's Land). He and his wife helped to improve life for the people living there by establishing an education system, creating the Tasmanian Journal of Natural History, and opening the Governor's private gardens to the public.

In 1843, following a series of allegations and accusations, Sir John stepped down as Lieutenant Governor and was recalled to England.

## Franklin Expedition

In early 1845, the British Admiralty announced that it would be sending an expedition to locate the Northwest Passage. When their first choice Sir James Ross was unavailable, Sir John became leader of the expedition, with Captain Francis Crozier as second in command.

Sir John was given command of HMS Erebus with commander James Fitzjames as her captain, while command of HMS Terror being given to Crozier.

The expedition received its instructions from the admiralty on May 8th, and set sail from Greenhithe on the 19th.

## Death

According to the addendum to the Victory Point note, Sir John died on June 11, 1847. Exactly what his cause of death was and where he is buried is currently unknown.

## Discovery of Artifacts

From 1854, to the present, several items that were owned by Sir John have been found by explorers and researchers. In 1854, Sir John's Royal Guelphic Order medal, five forks, three spoons, and an engraved silver disk from a pistol butt were recovered by John Rae from the Inuit at Repulse Bay. Five years later, two forks and six spoons were found by the McClintock expedition from the Inuit at Cape Norton and "the Boat Place" on Erebus Bay.

In 2015, Parks Canada divers recovered a Royal Navy officers button from the captain's quarters on *HMS Erebus*. It is difficult to say wether or not it belonged to one of Sir John's uniforms.

## Gallery

Sir John's Royal Hanoverian Guelphic Order 2nd classOne of Sir John's many spoons which were recoveredSir John's posthumous Arctic medalA life mask of Sir John