Transcription of letter sent by Lieutenant Fairholme to his father

Lieutenant Fairholme was part of the Franklin Expedition to discover the North West Passage which left England in 1845. Al 129 crew members were lost. Described as “a smart, agreeable companion, and a well-informed man” by Commander James Fitzjames, his senior officer on HMS Erebus. Like many of the crew, Fairholme wrote letters home whenever possible, the last chance being at Greenland. The expedition left Disko Bay in Greenland in July 1845. The last time that the expedition was seen by Europeans was in Baffin Bay later that month.

These late 19th century transcribed copies are of letters sent from Greenhithe, 17 May, off Aberdeen, 29 May, and inside the Arctic, 1 July 1845.