John Hartnell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Hartnell
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| Born | 1820 or 1821 Gillingham, Kent, UK |
| Died | (aged 25) Beechey Island, Canada |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Navy |
| Service years | 1841–1846 |
| Rank | Able seaman |
| Served on | HMS Erebus |
| Expeditions | Franklin expedition |
John Hartnell (c. 1820 – 4 January 1846) was an English seaman who took part in Sir John Franklin's Northwest Passage expedition and was one of its first casualties, dying of suspected zinc deficiency and malnourishment during the expedition's first year.
He was buried on Beechey Island, next to John Torrington, who had become the expedition's first fatality on New Year's Day of 1846, and William Braine, who died three months later on 3 April.
The expedition had not yet run into trouble at this time and proper burials in the Arctic permafrost could be afforded. Because of the region's icy conditions, he was found in a remarkably well-preserved state when a scientific expedition exhumed his remains in 1984 to determine a cause of death.
Contents
Biography
Early life
John Hartnell was born in Gillingham, Kent to a family of shipbuilders. His parents were Thomas and Sarah (maiden name: Friar, born 1796) Hartnell who were married at Frindsbury, in the Medway Towns area of Kent, on 9 October 1815, and with whom he was living in Gillingham at the time of the census of 1841. He was baptised at the Parish church of St. Mary Magdalene in Gillingham on 16 July 1820. He was raised in the trade of shoemaker.
Franklin expedition
Together with his brother Thomas he was assigned to HMS Erebus as an able seaman on the Franklin Northwest Passage expedition. They set off from Greenhithe on 19 May 1845 with two ships, the other being HMS Terror. The trip was expected to last about three years, so the ships were packed with provisions that included more than 136,000 pounds (62,000 kg) of flour, 3,684 imperial gallons (16,750 L) of high-proof alcohol, and 33,000 pounds (15,000 kg) of tinned meat, soup, and vegetables. However, the expedition was never heard from again by Europeans after July 1845.
See also
In Spanish: John Hartnell para niños
