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Auction: 22101 - Orders, Decorations and Medals - e-Auction
Lot: 32

Arctic Medal 1875-76 (Hy. Andrews. Qr. Mr. Pandora.), good very fine

33 Medals to the crew of the Pandora.

Henry Andrews served as Quartermaster aboard the Pandora. She was a steam yacht owned and commanded by Allen Young, a Royal Naval Reserve Lieutenant whose Arctic experience had begun as Sailing Master of the Fox under McClintock during 1857-59. With the object of assisting the government Arctic Expedition which set out in May 1875 under the command of Captain George S. Nares, he took the Pandora to Baffin’s Bay and collected Nares’despatches from the Carey Islands. He then attempted to make the North West Passage but found his way blocked by heavy ice in Peel Strait and was compelled to return home. At the Admiralty’s request he again took Pandora to the Arctic the following summer and managed to land despatches for Nares at Cape Isabella and Littleton Island, but, finding no trace of the other two ships, returned home again.

As recalled by Innes-Lillingston, in Land of the White Bear, Andrews found himself 'in the drink' whilst seal hunting:

'At noon on the 29th Pandora was at 60°14'N / 68°20'W and when the weather cleared Cape Desolation was clearly visible. Quite a number of hooded seals (Cystophora cristata) were seen basking on the ice and numerous attempts were made at shooting them. On one occasion when a seal had been hit, afraid that the seal might still slide or wriggle into the water, Quartermaster Henry Andrews jumped onto the floe on which the seal was lying, planning to give it a fatal blow but part
of the floe broke off and Andrews and the seal ended up in the water; the former was then rescued by his laughing shipmates.'

Having been sold to James Bennett, she was renamed Jeannette, after his sister, but after attempting to make the Bering Straight was caught firm in the ice. Over the next 21 months she was carried in the ice, finally being crushed and wrecked, the survivors being forced to make their own way to safety. On 18 June 1884, wreckage from Jeannette was found on an ice floe near Julianehåb, near the south-western corner of Greenland.

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Sold for
£32,000

Starting price
£4800