FOR those who have been watching supernatural drama The Terror on the BBC, there are very clear Scottish connections to the ill-fated expedition led by Sir John Franklin in 1845. Commanding ships HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, he sought a route through a section of the Arctic Ocean known as the Northwest Passage.
Hemmed in by pack ice at the northern tip of Canada, both ships were lost along with all 129 crew, amid grisly reports of cannibalism. The TV drama features real characters from the expedition, including a number of Scots.
READ MORE: John Rae: The Scottish hero of the Arctic who was denied his place in history
These included Edinburgh-born, Lieutenant John Irving, who served on HMS Terror and whose body was found in 1879. It was one of the few bodies to be found and brought back home. He was buried in Dean Cemetery in Edinburgh in 1881, following a grand public funeral.
Also buried in Dean Cemetery is Robert Anstruther Goodsir, brother of Anstruther-born Dr Harry Goodsir, Franklin Expedition surgeon and former conservator of Surgeon’s Hall Museum in Edinburgh. Robert took part in two expeditions in 1849 and 1850 to try and find the crew, to no avail.
The Terror is inspired by a work of fiction, but one hopes that it sparks a resurgence of interest in a quite incredible story in which many Scots played a key role but which had largely been forgotten.
Alex Orr
Edinburgh
WHILE watching yet another showing of the most entertaining film Blithe Spirit (written by Noel Coward), which I’ve enjoyed many times, I noticed for the first time a line delivered by Rex Harrison: “Disturbing how MANY people are shocked by honesty, and how FEW by deceit.” Never noticed it before, but seems apt, in light of current events.
Barry Stewart
Blantyre
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