Fonds

George Back – naval officer, explorer and artist – was born in Stockport, England, in 1796. In 1808, he enlisted in the Royal Navy as a First Class Volunteer. The following year, he was taken prisoner by French soldiers and held in France until his release in 1814. Upon his return to the Royal Navy, he volunteered for the Arctic expedition led by Captain John Ross. He was appointed midshipman on the HMS Trent, under the command of Captain John Franklin. Sailing from England in April 1818, this initial expedition failed when the ships were blocked by ice. However, Franklin had noted Back's artistic talent and consequently asked him to join his Arctic overland expedition of 1819-1822, the goal of which was to explore the northern coast of the North American continent from the mouth of the Coppermine River eastward. Back earned praise for the numerous drawings he made and for saving Franklin's team from starvation by going ahead to seek assistance from local Aboriginals. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant in January 1821, even before the expedition was over.

A short time later, Franklin began organizing a second Arctic overland expedition with another officer; when the latter died, Back stepped in to replace him. After wintering in Fort Franklin, near Great Bear Lake, the expedition began travelling up the Mackenzie River in June 1826. At the mouth of the river, the group split into two parties: Franklin and Back headed west, while another party led by John Richardson explored eastward. Franklin and Back made it as far as Return Reef before deciding to turn back due to dwindling supplies. They reached Fort Franklin on September 21, after having explored 370 miles of previously unmapped coastline. Back's drawings were used to illustrate Franklin's published account of the voyage.

After Back returned to England in 1827, his health began to fail and he decided to visit the Continent for some rest. When he learned of Captain John Ross's disappearance in the Arctic in 1832, he offered to lead an overland search party northward up the Great Fish River (later named Back River). Sailing from Liverpool in April 1833, Back stopped in at Fort Alexander and Fort Resolution before wintering at Fort Reliance, at the easternmost edge of the Great Slave Lake. In spring 1834, when he heard that Ross had been found, he decided to continue exploring the Great Fish River and the seacoast adjoining its mouth. When he returned to England, Back was promoted to Captain (Navy) and elected a member of the Royal Geographical Society in 1836. Unsurprisingly, he was appointed to head another Arctic expedition. As commander of the HMS Terror, he travelled to the northern end of Hudson Bay, where the ship was beset by ice in August 1836. When finally freed the following spring, Back was forced to head back to England in a badly damaged ship. Despite the failure of the expedition, he was showered with new honours, including a knighthood in 1839.

Thereafter, Back enjoyed a comfortable life in London and, despite his poor health, maintained an active interest in Arctic exploration. In particular, he helped organize the 1847 search for the lost expedition of Captain John Franklin and, in the 1850s, was a member of the Arctic Council, which advised the Admiralty. He was awarded an Honourary Doctorate in Civil Law by the University of Oxford in 1854. Although retired, he continued his involvement in the Royal Geographical Society, serving as its vice-president for seven years. George Back died June 23, 1878, in London.