John Hornby (1880–1927) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

explorer Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians. Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...

, best known for his expeditions in the Arctic region of

northern Canada Northern Canada, colloquially the North or the Territories, is the vast northernmost region of Canada variously defined by geography and politics. Politically, the term refers to the three Provinces_and_territories_of_Canada#Territories, territor ...

, notably in the "Barren Lands" in the

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Biography

Hornby was born to a wealthy family in England; his father,

A. N. Hornby Albert Neilson Hornby, nicknamed Monkey Hornby (10 February 1847 – 17 December 1925) was one of the best-known sportsmen in England during the nineteenth century excelling in both rugby and cricket. He was the first of only two men to captain ...

, twice captained England in

Test cricket Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings (two per team) and is scheduled to last fo ...

. John migrated to Canada in 1904. Hornby's first trip to the Arctic was to the

Great Bear Lake Great Bear Lake ( den, Sahtú; french: Grand lac de l'Ours) is a lake in the boreal forest of Canada. It is the largest lake entirely in Canada (Lake Superior and Lake Huron are larger but straddle the Canada–US border), the fourth-largest ...

region in 1908 and he developed a strong fascination with the Canadian Arctic wilderness. Apart from occasional trips to

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

and service in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Hornby spent the rest of his life in Canada's wilderness. Hornby enlisted in the 19th Alberta Dragoons to fight during World War I, where he met Norman Lubbock Robinson, who would later work with him in Canada's north. Robinson's journals describe their work together, and Robinson took photos of Hornby on some of their wilderness excursions. Hornby transferred to the British Army, where he was commissioned. He only served until 1917, when his wounds lead to his retirement. He became known as the "hermit of the north" for his efforts to live off the land with limited supplies. In 1923, Hornby teamed up with the Englishman James Charles Critchell Bullock (1898-1953) in efforts to spend an entire year in the Arctic near

Hudson Bay Hudson Bay ( crj, text=ᐐᓂᐯᒄ, translit=Wînipekw; crl, text=ᐐᓂᐹᒄ, translit=Wînipâkw; iu, text=ᑲᖏᖅᓱᐊᓗᒃ ᐃᓗᐊ, translit=Kangiqsualuk ilua or iu, text=ᑕᓯᐅᔭᕐᔪᐊᖅ, translit=Tasiujarjuaq; french: b ...

living off the land without supplies except for weapons. The pair barely survived and Critchell Bullock's diaries formed the basis of Malcolm Waldron's book ''Snow Man: John Hornby in the Barren Lands'', first published in 1931. Findings in an archive in England revealed letters that Bullock compiled into a manuscript to tell the tale from his own perspective. His manuscript was the base for the book ''Letters from The Barren Lands'', published in 2020. In 1926, Hornby tried to spend a year in a spot by the

Thelon River The Thelon River ('' iu, Akilinik'', "on the other side") stretches across northern Canada. Its source is Whitefish Lake in the Northwest Territories, and it flows east to Baker Lake in Nunavut. The Thelon ultimately drains into Hudson Bay at C ...

with his 18-year-old cousin Edgar Christian and another young man, Harold Adlard. Unfortunately, the trio missed the

caribou Reindeer (in North American English, known as caribou if wild and ''reindeer'' if domesticated) are deer in the genus ''Rangifer''. For the last few decades, reindeer were assigned to one species, ''Rangifer tarandus'', with about 10 subspe ...

migration southward and therefore lacked sufficient food to survive the winter. Hornby died of starvation along with his companions in 1927. The graves of the three men can be found by the Thelon River near Hornby Point. Hornby recommended in a report following his expedition with Critchell Bullock that the areas near the Thelon and Hanbury Rivers be created as a wildlife sanctuary. The Thelon Game Sanctuary was established in 1927, and renamed

Thelon Wildlife Sanctuary The Thelon Wildlife Sanctuary, at , over twice the area of Belgium, is the largest wildlife refuge in Canada. It is located in northern Canada's Arctic region, north of the tree line, straddling the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, halfway be ...

in 1956. This area remains the heart of the largest area of wilderness in North America. The publication of Waldron's book proved successful and sparked further interest in the Northern wilderness.

References

External links

Arctic Institute of North America review of ''Snow Man: John Hornby in the Barren Lands''University of Calgary summary of 1984 Arctic article on John HornbyInformation on ''Snow Man: John Hornby in the Barren Lands''
*[http://www.cowboysong.com/christian/dontblame.html "Please don't blame dear Jack" (well-documented article discussing the possible homosexual nature of the relationship between John Horby and Edgar Christian)]
John Hornby Exhibit
Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, Northwest Territories, Canada. Holds letters, photos, and artifacts associated with John Hornby.
Sherborne School Archives
nbsp;– holds the papers of Captain J.C. Critchell Bullock, including the diaries of John Hornby.

nbsp;
"Death in the Barren Ground: The Story of John Hornby's Last Journey"
A radio drama written b
George Whalley
first broadcast on CBC's Trans Canada Wednesday Night on 3 March 1954.
Hornby-Bullock Expedition Report
at Dartmouth College Library {{DEFAULTSORT:Hornby, John 1880 births 1927 deaths English explorers 19th Alberta Dragoons Explorers of the Arctic People educated at Harrow School

Biography

Further reading

References

External links