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George Francis Lyon
Born: 1795, England - Died: October 8th, 1832 at sea, en-route to England
Interesting Trivia:
- Was both an African and an Arctic explorer
- Was a very skilled artist
- British Naval officer with the rank of Captain
His Story:
George Francis Lyon was a man who loved life, and was well liked for the entertaining journals he wrote from his journeys. He painted water colors of his experiences, both in Africa and in the Arctic. He had also a more serious side, that of a competent British Naval Officer.
His first expedition, to find the course of the Niger River and the location of Timbuktu in 1818 was a complete failure. The expedition was ill prepared and under funded. His expedition leader, Joseph Ritchie, died and Lyon returned home a year after they had departed. Lyon developed a general interest in the people of the countries he visited. He very much looked like a native, wearing the Arab and Muslim clothing and learning Arab fluently while he was there. This was a rare thing for a European to do at the time.
In 1821, after being promoted, he was given command of the “HMS Hecla” and under the leadership of William Edward Parry, they set out North on Parry’s second attempt to find the Northwest Passage. This expedition was not successful either, they spent two years in the Arctic and came no further than Fury and Hecla Strait before being stopped by ice. Again, Lyon blended in with the Inuit of the Arctic regions they visited, even getting an Inuit tattoo.
When he returned to England he got promoted again, this time to Captain and was given the command of the “HMS Griper” in 1824. Again he set out for the Arctic, but extreme weather conditions and a ship that was not built for these conditions, he was forced to return back to Britain after only five months.
His previous arguments with the Admiralty and this last failure saw him blacklisted in the Royal Navy. He never got another command.
He died on October 8th, 1832, en-route from South America to Britain to be treated for eye problems.
He might not be remembered for his expeditions, but he was a skilled artist and posters and books of his private journals (for instance “The Private Journal of Captain G. F. Lyon of H. M. S. Hecla”) are still available for sale.
Te Papa Whale exhibition in Washington, DC