Bellot memorial inscription
Located on the riverside walk, adjacent to Greenwich Pier, Cutty Sark Gardens, this obelisk of red Aberdeen granite stands in front of the Royal Hospital buildings.
It commemorates a young French explorer, Joseph Rene Bellot (1826-1853). He took part in two of the five unsuccessful expeditions sponsored by Lady Franklin to find traces of her husband Sir John Franklin, who had died in his attempt to discover the water route across North America known as the Northwest Passage.
Eskimos' friend
Bellot joined the second Franklin search expedition in 1851 and although only 25 years' old, had already made a name for himself through expeditions to Madagascar and South America. To harden himself for wintering in the Arctic, Bellot allowed himself only a thin mattress and one blanket on bare boards. When he met his first Eskimos he endeared himself to them by constructing an artificial leg for a man who was disabled.
The expedition found no traces of Franklin, but was made memorable by other discoveries, notably of the stretch of water now called Bellot Strait. The team returned home in 1852 having covered 1,000 miles of new ground.
During another expedition the following year, Bellot was separated from his party and died after falling under the ice in the Wellington Channel.
Widely mourned
The young explorer was mourned widely, and £2,000 was raised after his death of which £500 went towards the memorial. The memorial was designed by Philip Hardwick, the architect of the original Euston station and Arch. The remainder of the money went towards supporting his sisters.
Related link
Nearby park – Cutty Sark Gardens