|
Sir Robert John Le Mesurier McClure, explorer, adventurer (b at Wexford, Ire 28 Jan 1807; d at London, Eng 17 Oct 1873). McClure obtained a lieutenancy for his 1836-37 service on Terror under George BACK in the ice of Hudson Bay. He served on Sir James Clark ROSS's abortive Franklin rescue mission in 1848-49, and in 1850 was appointed commander of Investigator in the expedition led by Captain Richard Collinson, who was taking 2 ships to the Arctic via Bering Strait. This commission brought McClure fame and success. He proved brave, lucky and inordinately ambitious.
Arriving ahead of Collinson at Bering Strait, he decided to continue on alone. From August to October 1850 he coasted east hundreds of kilometres to Cape Parry, wheeled north to Banks Island and reached and wintered in Prince of Wales Strait, the last link in the fabled NORTHWEST PASSAGE, which he undoubtedly discovered. Sir John FRANKLIN's earlier claim, for which all witnesses were dead, was only discovered by Sir Francis MCCLINTOCK in 1859. McClure encountered great danger in Prince of Wales Strait and in rounding Banks Island in 1851. He was forced to winter in Mercy Bay and was frozen in. His crew was saved from starvation in 1853 by Captain Henry KELLETT of the Resolute and finally returned to England in 1854. McClure ungenerously informed a parliamentary committee that he could have kept his men alive without Kellett's aid, thereby denying his rescuers a share in the £10-000 voted to the discoverers of the passage. McClure served on the China Station 1856-61 and died a vice-admiral.
 McClure, Sir RobertMcClure accomplished what Franklin had died attempting. He connected Parry's voyage of penetration from the east with Franklin's coastal survey from the west (courtesy National Portrait Gallery).
 HMS InvestigatorRobert McClure's ship trapped in the ice and abandoned in the winter of 1852. Painting by Samuel G. Cresswell. (Courtesy Metropolitan Toronto Library).
Author
L.H. NEATBY
Links to Other Sites
Exploration of the Northwest Passage
An overview of European expeditions to Canada’s northern Arctic region from the 16th to the early 20th centuries. Brief bios, illustrations, maps, and other reference material. An Industry Canada website.
Renewed Search for the Northwest Passage
About the Royal Navy's search for a Northwest Passage in the 19th century. From the Canadian Military History Gateway.
The discovery of the North-West Passage
This site features notes and images from "The discovery of the North-West Passage by H.M.S. “Investigator”... edited by Commander Sherard Osborn...from the logs and journals of Capt. Robert LeM. M’Clure. London, 1856." Images by artist Lt. Samuel Gurney Cresswell. From the Toronto Public Library.
Scurvy and Canadian Exploration
An article about various historical remedies for the prevention and treatment of scurvy and the connections between scurvy and Canadian exploration. From the Canadian Bulletin of Medical History (Wilfrid Laurier University Press.) A PDF file.
The Discovery of the North-west Passage
This Google site offers lengthy excerpts from the book "The Discovery of the North-west Passage," edited by Commander Sherard Osborn...from the logs and journals of Capt. Robert LeM. M’Clure.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
| Time waits for no man… and neither do trains... |
|
| Pierre Elliott Trudeau, politician, writer, constitutional lawyer, prime minister of Canada 1968-79 and 1980-84 (b at ... |
|
|
| Few countries were affected as severely as Canada by the worldwide Depression of the 1930s. It is estimated that ... |
|
|
| Louis Riel, Métis leader, founder of Manitoba, central figure in the NORTH-WEST REBELLION (b at Red River ... |
|
|
| The Group of Seven was founded in 1920 as an organization of self-proclaimed modern artists. The original members - ... |
|
|
| Sir John Alexander Macdonald, lawyer, businessman, politician, first prime minister of Canada (b at Brunswick Place, ... |
|
|
| Few countries were affected as severely as Canada by the worldwide Depression of the 1930s. It is estimated that ... |
|
|
| John Ware, "Nigger John," horseman, rancher (b near Georgetown, SC 1845; d near Brooks, Alta 11 Sept 1905). ... |
|
|
| Créditistes, Québec party involved in federal politics. For nearly 2 decades before its 1958 formation ... |
|
|
| Julia Verlyn LaMarsh, "Judy," lawyer, politician, broadcaster, novelist (b at Chatham, Ont 20 Dec 1924; d at ... |
|
Browse the rich visual resources of The Canadian Encyclopedia through thematic galleries of Canadian Art, History, Nature, People, and Science and Technology.
Illustrations, lively text, animations, sounds and games help make learning about Canadian history, art, geography, architecture and other topics entertaining as well as informative.
The ultimate test of your knowledge of Canada, trivial and otherwise. You can choose from more than 60 dynamic quizzes with visual or text clues. Your scores depend on the speed with which you answer and the number of clues you need. Results are sent to you by email and high scores are posted on the site.
This unique resource includes more than 6000 events from Canadian and world history. It can be searched by era, subject, keyword or date. To find out what happened on your birthday, select the month and day of your birth.
This selection of the 100 "greatest" events in Canadian history was made by editor in chief James H. Marsh to draw attention to events that have left an indelible memory in the minds of later generations.
| THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MUSIC IN CANADA |
|
| Opera West. Association of western Canadian opera companies. The principle was initiated in 1968 by the Vancouver and Edmonton Opera Associations , which joined forces to improve opera standards, sharing manpower and production ... |
|
|
