Don's Blog Beechey Island II

 Beechey Island was the site of great activity during the age of British Northwest Passage exploration. It was chosen by Sir John Franklin with his 2 ships, the Erebus and the Terror, as a safe place to overwinter in 1845.

Beechey  Island (left) is peninsula connected to the coast of Devon Island (right) by a narrow gravel isthmus separating Erebus and Terror Bay from Union Bay. The isthmus is covered at high tide.

During the winter of 1845-6 three of Franklin's men died and were buried near the shore on the northern coast of the island. The dead included Petty Officer John Torrington (20) of the Terror, and Royal Marine Private William Baine (25)  and Able Seaman John Hartnell  (32) of the Erebus. The graves are near the tip of the island near the Devon Island mainland.

The graves are the most famous archeological site in Arctic Canada. They are currently marked with replica boards instead of the original timber boards. In the 1980's the bodies were exhumed.  Autopsies showed that the men succumbed to inanition, lung disease, and lead poisoning. The day we visited was perfect in its stark desolation and bleakness.