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British MP is taking John Rae into Westminster Abbey



STROMNESS, ORKNEY – A John Rae plaque is going into Westminster Abbey.
Alistair Carmichael, MP for Orkney in the British House of Commons, announced this evening that in 2014, a plaque will be mounted in the Abbey recognizing the Orcadian explorer as “the discoverer of the final link in the Northwest Passage.”
Carmichael made the announcement at a reception following the unveiling of a new statue of Rae (1813-1893) overlooking Stromness harbour.
Carmichael has twice brought motions to the British House of Commons seeking support for what many regard as overdue recognition of Rae. This time, he went straight to the Dean of Westminster Abbey, who quickly agreed.
In a brief chat following his 
 announcement, Carmichael said final confirmation awaits some “byzantine paperwork, but the Dean is onside, and that is what matters."
In my book Fatal Passage, which is the reason I am here as writer-in-residence, I celebrated the Scottish-Orcadian Rae for charting 1,800 miles of Arctic coastline, and for solving the two great mysteries of 19th century Arctic exploration. He discovered the final link in the Northwest Passage, and also the fate of the 1845 expedition led by Sir John Franklin, whose last survivors were driven to cannibalism.
The plaque will be made of Orkney stone, Carmichael said. “We have identified a spot on the wall near the Franklin bust.” The inscriptions beneath that bust and the larger-than-life statute of Franklin in nearby Waterloo Place have drawn criticism from the growing numbers of people who believe that the credit given to Franklin rightly belongs to Rae.
Several hundred people turned out for the ceremonial unveiling of the bronze statue, which was donated to the people of Orkney by Stromness native Alan Twatt. The inscription celebrates Rae  as “the discoverer of the final link in the first navigable Northwest Passage.” 
[Photos by Sheena Fraser McGoogan]
Ken McGoogan
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3 comments:

Russell Potter said...

Well, actually I was the one who wrote to the Dean, at Mr Carmichael's request -- I'm glad that my letter seems to have proved persuasive, though an announcement of the plaque's actual placement might be premature; I certainly hope it meets with the approval of the relevant committees!

Ken McGoogan said...

Good on you, Russell. Mr. Carmichael said he had personally spoken with the Dean and gained his support for that placement. Given that, he said, the rest should follow.

Russell Potter said...

Thanks Ken, I appreciate it. And, although you know we differ somewhat on some historical questions, glad we both agree this honor for Rae is long overdue. Hope it moves smoothly through whatever committees the Dean and Chapter have to approve such things!

Before turning mainly to books about arctic exploration and Canadian history, Ken McGoogan worked for two decades as a journalist at major dailies in Toronto, Calgary, and Montreal. He teaches creative nonfiction writing through the University of Toronto and in the MFA program at King’s College in Halifax. Ken served as chair of the Public Lending Right Commission, has written recently for Canada’s History, Canadian Geographic, and Maclean’s, and sails with Adventure Canada as a resource historian. Based in Toronto, he has given talks and presentations across Canada, from Dawson City to Dartmouth, and in places as different as Edinburgh, Melbourne, and Hobart.