Title: SIR GEORGE BACK: "At 6 AM. We set out amidst extremely deep snow – sinking frequently as deep as the thigh – such toil to men in our worn out and debilitated state was sufficient to make us stop all together – “ At the age of twelve, he went to sea as a volunteer. He was captured by the French and remained a prisoner until the peace of 1814. During his captivity, Back practiced his skills as an artist, which he later put to use in making images of mood, natural beauty and an accurate depiction of his travels in the Arctic. Following his release, he served as a midshipman before volunteering to serve under John Franklin in his first expedition to the Arctic in 1818. Back also served under Franklin in his two overland expeditions to survey the northern coast of North America, in 1819-1822 and 1824-1826. He was promoted first to lieutenant and then to commander. Back led his own expedition in 1834 to complete the survey and explore what was later called the Back River. In 1836, Back was promoted to captain and given command of HMS Terror for an expedition to the northern part of Hudson Bay, with plans to cross the Melville Peninsula overland and explore the opposite shore. Terror was beset in the ice for 10 months. At one point the vessel was forced 40 feet up the side of a cliff by the pressure of the ice. In the spring of 1837, an encounter with an iceberg further damaged the ship, which was in a sinking condition by the time Back was able to beach the ship on the coast of Ireland. Poor health caused Back to retire from active service. He was knighted on March 18, 1839, and maintained an interest in Arctic exploration for the rest of his life. He served as an advisor to the Admiralty during the search for John Franklin's lost expedition, and as vice-president of the Royal Geographical Society. He was promoted to vice-admiral in 1863 and admiral in 1876. His drawings and watercolor paintings are on the same level in the Arctic as Dr. Edward Wilson’s art in the Antarctic. They create mood and presence with an ability to also capture actual place and time.
|