When I order items at archives I don't always know what I'll get. Sometimes it's a box full of disintegrating letters & documents and you have to just gently unfold them all. Info about Fitzjames' father Sir James Gambier somewhere in there! [The National Archives]

John Barrow's (1808-1898) journals span 30 years & consist of almost 60 (BIG) volumes. I will read every single page. After 2 years I'm about halfway through. It's incredible to be able to read about every day of his life & to get to know him so well. He wanted to be remembered. #19thC #research

My first archive visit of 2026 is to Oxford University, reading more journals of John Barrow Jr., Fitzjames' close friend & a friend to all Franklin Expedition searchers. He's so dear to me. These are some of my notes of today.😄 #19thC #research #NavalHistory

PROMISCUOUS LETTERS. (It just means various letters but it still makes me laugh.) #research

Merry Christmas from the Euphrates Expedition! 🥲🎄 [3rd in command James Bucknall Estcourt to his father, 26 December 1835. Gloucestershire Archives] #19thC

Sagæus/Sakeouse, a West Greenland Inuk who first visited Scotland in 1816 because he was curious about the wider world. He later joined Sir John Ross' 1818 Arctic expedition as interpreter & draughtsman. [National Portrait Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh] #Arctic #Inuit

Common mistake (I also got it wrong in the beginning): You either say HMS Erebus or the Erebus. It's never "the HMS (His/Her Majesty's Ship)". [Image not of Erebus, but ships drawn by Secret FitzUncle.] #NavalHistory

Never had a view this stunning from an archive's window. Spent a few days at the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh, photographing letters from Rear Admiral Sherard Osborn to his publisher Blackwood. I plan to write Osborn's biography.

"Soothing to Old Maids & Bachelors" John Barrow shares an interesting article, with statistics of the state of English marriages. "Those who are really happy: 6." JB feeling vindicated that he never married. [JB's journal, 17 April 1879] #19thC

Obtained a lithograph of my favourite Sir John Ross portrait, of him all cosy by a fire and no doubt scheming about something or other. [By Daniel Maclise aka Alfred Croquis, first published in Fraser's Magazine 1834.] #NavalHistory

The 'Aurora Borealis' newspaper by the crew of Franklin Expedition Search vessel HMS Assistance, on display at the Queen's House, National Maritime Museum Greenwich. In the header is shown Erebus and Terror and a sort of sea goddess version of Lady Franklin. #NavalHistory #Arctic

HANDSOMEST MEN IN THE NAVY. William Edward Parry and John Ross. [National Maritime Museum Greenwich] #NavalHistory

Jail for whoever colourised this photo, Fitzjames was a GINGER. Sigh, the paperback that should never have been. Buy the original hardback if you want to read Battersby's Fitzbio. Or just wait for my infinitely more accurate one! 🙃 #NavalHistory #FranklinExpedition

FINALLY I CAN START WRITING THE FITZBIO. Studied as many primary sources as I possibly could, now have some secondary sources left to read, but after 4.5 years I can finally begin to write that book. And then there's the Letters Book, too.... #NavalHistory #excited!

I gave a talk on polar explorer Frederick Cook at the Shackleton Autumn School. Here it is in written form, including some more text and visual material that I didn't get to include because of limited time: fabtet.blogspot.com/2025/10/the-...

The Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805, details of a 1806 painting by Louis-Philippe Crépin. The British flag is in the water and Nelson has just been shot. In this painting, you'd think the French were winning... [Musee de la Marine, Paris] #NavalHistory

On 15 October 1859, the Illustrated Times published this image of some of the Franklin Expedition relics found by McClintock's expedition. [My collection] #NavalHistory #Arctic

Euphrates Expedition, 30 September 1836: steaming into Baghdad with gay flags. [Charlewood's journal] #NavalHistory

John Barrow raises an important point in 1878 that the Titanic people also should've thought of: more lifeboats! [JB's journal]

"Thus most fortunately ends our voyage to Busheer, which as a Naval man I think was rather to hastily decided upon, but "Allhamdulilla" every [thing] turns up for the best." Learning the local language! [June 1836, Charlewood's Euphrates Expedition journal] #NavalHistory

Euphrates Expedition, April 1836: Fitzjames was made captain of some useless flatboat which according to every expectation broke and sank with all of their luggage. 🥲 Thank you, Colonel Chesney... [Edward Charlewood's journal] #NavalHistory

Felt like writing a new newsletter today: jamesfitzjames.substack.com/p/newsletter-3

"I have thought of Absent Friends – absent in The Happy Land – "not lost, but gone before" – let us hope." [John Barrow, 22 Dec 1875] Today last year news came that Fitzjames was finally found, craziest week of my life ensued but thankful for such an incredible historical breakthrough! #NavalHistory

"At Sunset we launched the flat, in very good style, she went in with scarcely any trouble, Fitzjames christens her the Ruggy Banger from the Sheik of Haffra who is about as ugly as the flat." The ruggy what now? 😅 [Charlewood's Euphrates Expedition journal] #NavalHistory

December 1835, the Euphrates Expedition was very ill prepared for the Turkish winter... [Edward Charlewood's journal] #NavalHistory

I photographed all 5 volumes of Edward Charlewood's Euphrates Expedition journals a few years ago, & only now have time to read them. Fitzjames similarly kept a journal during the expedition, but his has sadly 'disappeared'. Only excerpts remain: jamesfitzjames.com/report-by-mr... #NavalHistory

On the Euphrates Expedition, the crew had been provided with tents that were not meant to be lived in. 🥲 Fitzjames was elsewhere during this particular storm. #NavalHistory [Edward Charlewood's Euphrates expedition journal, BL]

❤️ [My John Barrow scrapbook] #NavalHistory #FranklinExpedition

AND NOW WE WAIT. My first ever academic journal submission. Looking forward to receiving feedback! I'm very happy with my research on the painting 'The Arctic Council' and so excited for the day when you can all read it. Lots of new insights & info, 2 years in the making! #NavalHistory

People mixing up the words expedition and exhibition is a thing of all time. Here Leopold McClintock does it in a letter to John Barrow. He's referring to the Royal Naval Exhibition but writes 'Expedition'. [JB's 1891 journal] #NavalHistory

I've started a scrapbook inspired by John Barrow (Jr.), to keep & display some of my ephemera collection and I had pictures I took in the archives printed. JB kept scrapbook journals himself, & reading those is a great joy. #NavalHistory #19thC #scrapbook

Excuse me, I wanted to read that! [John Barrow to William Bailie-Hamilton, 29 June 1852, ADM 7/194, TNA] #NavalHistory

Sherard Osborn knew how to dreamily pose on chairs. [Illustrated London News, 1 May 1852/Photo 1860s (The original was torn in half, so I fixed it and had it printed on photo paper). Both my collection.] #NavalHistory #19thC

Fitzjames' sketch of the town of Hillah, turned into an engraving for the 7 July 1838 issue of The Saturday Magazine. Where is the original sketch now?! 🤔 All of Fitzjames' Euphrates Expedition sketches are lost, but hope they'll turn up one day. [My collection]

I know John Rae means to be complimentary, but it's still funny to me how he's like, for someone as delicate as you John Barrow, & who's only used to sitting behind a desk, you did very well climbing those mountains! [Barrow Bequest, British Library] #Mountaineering

MASTER OF ARTS IN NAVAL HISTORY. ⚓️ Already graduated in November 2024, but finally had my ceremony this week! Felt pretty damn good to wear the gown and cap after my tumultuous academic journey.

Captain James Fitzjames was born this day, 27 July 1813! 🥳🎉 Yesterday, I gave a tour to a group of 17 people, of Watford & Abbots Langley, where he had a happy childhood. Such a lovely day remembering & learning about Fitzjames, I was happy to see so much interest. ❤️ #NavalHistory

Got a tiny Sherard Osborn letter! I'm currently on a Sherry deepdive; he's a lot like Fitzjames & was close friends with John Barrow. Like Barrow, he published several books & was a very good writer! [Letter and photo my collection] #NavalHistory #FranklinExpedition

I'm going through John Barrow Jr's Franklin Search correspondence & found this fun overview Captain Henry Kellett sent him of the captains of the vessels in the 1852-54 Search. Steady Sherry & Irish Macca!! [Kellett to Barrow Jr. 26 April 1852] #NavalHistory

Sir John Ross, engraving, 1833. [My collection] He's looking very honest and friendly. #NavalHistory

I'm excited to present new portraits of the Gambier family, namely: Fitzjames' half-brother Gloucester, the wife of his half-brother William, and Jemima, the wife of his father who uh, was not his mother. #FranklinExpedition jamesfitzjames.com/gambier-port...

5 years after the Franklin Expedition was at the Whale Fish Islands, one of the Search Expedition officers wrote home. "It will be strange if we find no trace of Franklin." They would discover the graves on Beechey Island. [ADM 7/190, TNA.] #NavalHistory

Good luck diving in this thing. A 1882 prototype that was never used because it was leaky. [Musee de la Marine, Paris] #MaritimeHistory

Carte de visite of an unidentified mutton chopped Lieutenant wearing two medals (Crimea?). Photographed by A.D. Roche, Cork. [My collection] #NavalHistory #19thC

Think I'll close the form soon, sign up for my Fitzjames tour on 26 July! #NavalHistory #FranklinExpedition

Sir John Ross has a very prominent spot at the National Portrait Gallery while all of his enemies are in storage. Sweet revenge! #NavalHistory

On 23 May 1861, a dinner was organised by the King of Hawaii, Kamehameha IV, in honour of Lady Franklin's visit. Here is the menu: [British Library]

'Officers of HMS Arethusa in Naples, April 1867'. From photo album by Casper Joseph Baker, at auction Dominic Winter, May 2025. #NavalHistory

Transforming my MA essay about the portrait of 'The Arctic Council' into an article for an academic journal that requires in text citations... In text citations for Humanities articles, hate it. It might be fine for science articles but I have too many footnotes. 😑

On 25 April 1848, Captain Fitzjames wrote an addition to what is now known as the Victory Point Note. As per Captain Crozier's one-sentence contribution, they would start the next day for Back's Fish River. This is the last known written record of the Franklin Expedition. [RMG] #NavalHistory