Franklin Expedition Bodies: Beechey Island Mummies Photos

Bylot · #1 ● 02-14-2012, 11:03 AM

The following pictures show the ice mummified remains of several crew members of the famous lost arctic voyage named The Franklin Expedition. These bodies were eventually recovered from Beechey Island, which is an island located in Canada.

Franklin's ill-fated expedition was a doomed Arctic exploration mission led by Captain Sir John Franklin, which set sail from England in 1845. Franklin, a seasoned Royal Navy officer and explorer, had previously participated in three Arctic expeditions, with the last two as the commanding officer. His fourth and final venture, undertaken at the age of 59, aimed to traverse the last uncharted portion of the Northwest Passage.

Unfortunately, the expedition encountered early fatalities, and the two ships eventually became trapped in ice in Victoria Strait near King William Island in the Canadian Arctic. Tragically, the entire expedition party, including Franklin and 128 men, perished.

In 1981, a team of scientists, led by Owen Beattie, an anthropology professor at the University of Alberta, initiated a series of scientific investigations into the graves, bodies, and other physical remnants left by the Franklin crew members on Beechey Island and King William Island. Their findings suggested that crew members whose graves were discovered on Beechey Island likely succumbed to pneumonia and possibly tuberculosis. Additionally, lead poisoning may have exacerbated their health issues, possibly due to poorly soldered cans used in the expedition's food stores.

However, subsequent research raised the possibility that the source of lead exposure may not have been canned food but rather the distilled water systems aboard the expedition's ships. Furthermore, cut marks on human bones found on King William Island raised suspicions of cannibalism. Collectively, the evidence from various studies indicated that a combination of factors, including hypothermia, starvation, lead poisoning, diseases like scurvy, and the overall harsh environment, as well as inadequate clothing and nutrition, led to the demise of everyone on the expedition in the years following its last contact with Europeans in 1845.

The individuals buried on Beechey Island are John Torrington (Petty Officer and Royal Navy Stoker, deceased at 20), John Hartnell (Able Seaman, deceased at 26), and William Braine (Royal Marine Private, deceased at 33).

Bylot · #2 ● 02-14-2012, 11:06 AM

John Torrington (1825-1846)

Bylot · #3 ● 02-14-2012, 11:09 AM

John Hartnell (ca. 1820-1846)

Bylot · #4 ● 02-14-2012, 11:11 AM

William Braine (ca. 1813-1846)

Bylot · #5 ● 02-14-2012, 11:13 AM

Something on the possible cannisbalism under the men.

"The Final Days of the Franklin Expedition: New Skeletal Evidence" - Bertulli, Margaret; Fricke, Henry C. (March 1997) - 46 pages in PDF on the forensic analysis of some skeletons in regards to the cannibalsm hypothesis.
http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic50-1-36.pdf