John Rae
The Northwest Passage through the Arctic north of Canada, the fabled alternative route to the East, has long been the subject of controversy. In the 19th century there were several unfounded claims of success and more importantly the true ‘discoverer’, John Rae, was vilified and never given proper credit by the Establishment.
Rae was a Scottish surgeon and explorer who was willing to learn and adopt the ways of indigenous Arctic peoples, which made him stand out as the foremost specialist of his time in cold-climate survival and travel.
Speaker Nigel Barraclough is an environmental scientist by profession and a yachtsman with extensive coastal and offshore sailing experience. He has also volunteered for many years at Littleton Phabsail, a sailing club near Staines for children and adults with disabilities and special needs, acting as its maintenance officer. This was recognised by the Royal Yachting Association, which gave him the prestigious RYA Volunteer Award in 2018.
In 2017 his pastime of offshore sailing took him to the Orkneys, where he first heard of John Rae.