Dr John Rae's Grave - SMC025
Dr John Rae was born in Orphir in 1813 and died in London in 1893. He was educated at Edinburgh University and qualified as a surgeon in 1833. Upon his death his body was returned to Orkney and he was buried in the graveyard of St Magnus Cathedral.

He spent 30 years in Canada in the employ of the Hudson Bay Company. During this time he explored and mapped a large part of Northern Canada, discovering the North West passage He led many expeditions and discovered the fate of the Franklin expedition.

After completing the trans-Greenland survey in 1864 he returned to London where he worked on Arctic and Canadian affairs.


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