Crozier. Capt (HMS Terror)

[john sefton]

The memory of explorer Capt. Francis Crozier, who died during an expedition to the Canadian Arctic 140 years ago, has been honoured at last, thanks to the perseverance of his great-nephew.

Mr Francis Rawdon Crozier, of Wickham Market received the specially struck Arctic Medal during a ceremony at the Ministry of Defence. The presentation followed two years of effort by Mr Crozier.

Rear Admiral R O Morris who presented the medal said that Capt. Crozier took part in five Arctic expeditions between 1821 and 1848, his last being the doomed Franklin expedition of 1845 when he sailed as Captain of HMS TERROR and second in command to Sir John Franklin who sailed in HMS EREBUS.

Definite information about the Franklin expedition was discovered in 1859 in a tin cylinder placed in a cairn on King William island, said Mr Crozier.

A message revealed that Franklin had died in 1847 and both the TERROR and EREBUS becamed beset by ice in September 1846. The crews dwindling because of the ravages of scurvy, hung on until April 1848, when Capt. Crozier led the survivors on foot in a search for fresh food. None of them lived and the entire expedition cost the lives
of about 130 men.

Mr Crozier said the Public Records Office's medal rolls showed that his ancestor's relatives had never claimed the Arctic Medal to which Capt. Crozier was entitled. The medal was instituted in 1857 and was granted to everyone engaged in Arctic discovery expeditions between 1818 and 1855. Alongside Captain Croziers name in a column headed 'When delivered or sent' no entry had been made, it was simply blank, said Mr. Crozier.

First I had to prove the medal was not presented and then I had to prove that I was the rightful person to have it. Captain Crozier was not married. His eldest brother was his sole executor and he was my great-grandfather.
I persevered and now I feel honoured to have this medal. I feel it gives some recognition to Captain Crozier, who must have been a very brave man.

"He had born the brunt of the expedition after Franklin had died. He had all the worry of it and he had to make some very difficult decisions. He tried to lead his men back to civilisation, but the weather and scurvy probably finished them, his body has never been found"

Mr Crozier said he would keep and treasure the medal, which was specially struck by the Royal Mint from the original one.

The interesting article in Log Book re EREBUS and TERROR has coincided with a local man claiming a relatives Arctic Medal. This exerpt has been taken from a local newspaper, and I hope that you find it of interest, bringing to a conclusion the facts related to the story of this ill-fated Arctic expedition.
FRANK BRANNILL Log Book March 1989.

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[john sefton]

Captain Francis Crozier was Northern Ireland’s greatest ever polar explorer and a major figure in the three epic quests of 19th century Polar exploration – navigating the North West Passage, reaching the North Pole and mapping Antarctica.
Crozier first went to sea at the age of 13, working his way up the ranks from cabin boy to captain. He first attempted to find the Northwest Passage aged only 22 and in his lifetime, he made six trips to the Arctic and Antarctic. His voyages paved the way for men like Amundsen, Scott and Shackleton in the early 20th century and he sailed with legendary explorers such as Sir Edward Parry, Sir James Clark Ross and Sir John Franklin.
Historian Michael Smith described Crozier as a “modest, unassuming man who never sought the limelight”. He was a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and the Royal Society, the prestigious scientific institution, and one of the leading figures involved in the Royal Navy’s disastrous expedition to the Northwest Passage on the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, which is the subject of the TV series The Terror.
In 1838, the British Association for the Advancement of Science proposed an expedition to carry out magnetic measurements in the Antarctic. Sir James Clark Ross was chosen after previous experience working on the British Magnetic Survey from 1834 onwards, working with prominent physicists and geologists such as Humphrey Lloyd, Sir Edward Sabine, John Phillips and Robert Were Fox. Ross had made many previous expeditions to the Arctic, including experience as captain. The expedition was led by a Captain of the Royal Navy, James Clark Ross, who commanded HMS Erebus. HMS Terror was commanded by Ross's close friend, Francis Crozier.
In 1848, Erebus and Terror were the most advanced vessels on the planet with heating systems, retractable screw propellers and canned food for supplies.
Many historians believe that he should have been in command of the 1845 voyage because of his vast experience and believe it was his background and nationality that meant he was passed over for Sir John Franklin.
There is a monument of Francis Crozier at Avonmore House in Banbridge, County Down, where he was born.
Geographical features named after Crozier include Cape Crozier on the eastern side of Ross Island, Antarctica; Cape Crozier on the western flank of King William Island in the Canadian Arctic; Cape Crozier at the western entrance of the Bay of Mercy on Banks Island in the Canadian Arctic; and the Crozier Strait which lies between Cornwallis and Bathurst Islands in the Canadian Arctic.