George Back

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Sir George Back (6 November 1796 – 23 June 1878) was a British naval officer, explorer of the Arctic and artist.

Back was born in Stockport. As a boy, he went to sea as a volunteer in the frigate HMS Arethusa in 1808, but was captured by the French the following year and remained a prisoner until the peace of early 1814. During his captivity, Back practiced his skills as an artist, which he later put to use in recording his travels through the Arctic.

Following his release, Back served on HMS Akbar and HMS Bulwark 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, during which time 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 his honor.

HMS Terror as drawn by Back

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 and at one point was pushed 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 at Lough Swilly.

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.

In spite of the high regard in which he was held in Great Britain and the many honors he received, Back had a history of being disliked and distrusted by many of the people he worked with in the Arctic, including Franklin. He was variously criticized for being rude, a weak leader, selfish, sycophantish, and quarrelsome. Later in life he gained a reputation for being a dandy and a womanizer.

[edit] Bibliography

Recent

Peter Steele (2003). The Man Who Mapped the Arctic: The Intrepid Life of George Back, Franklin's Lieutenant. ISBN 978-1551926483
Back, George (1994). C. Stuart Houston (editor). I.S. MacLaren (commentary). Arctic Artist: The Journal and Paintings of George Back, Midshipman with Franklin, 1819-1822. ISBN 978-0773511811

Historical

Back, George (1823). Canadian Airs, Collected by Captain George Back, R.N. during the Late Arctic Expedition under Captain Sir John Franklin, with Symphonies and Accompaniments by Edward Knight, Junior.
Back, George (1836). Narrative of the Arctic Land Expedition to the Mouth of the Great Fish River, and along the Shores of the Arctic Ocean, in the Years 1833, 1834 and 1835. Re-print edition Adamant Media Corporation (January 31, 2002) ISBN 978-1402160981.
Back, George and Edwin Williams and John Ross (1835). Narrative of the Recent Voyage of Captain Ross to the Arctic Regions...
Back, George (1838). Narrative of an Expedition in HMS Terror, Undertaken with a View to Geographical Discovery on the Arctic Shores, in the Years 1836-37.

Online