A unique memorial in the grounds of Holy Trinity has featured in the local newspaper as part of efforts to restore it to its former glory.

Pictured in The Southern Reporter are Mary Cuthbert and Fr. Philip Blackledge, next to the imposing cenotaph, erected in 1860, to commemorate Lt James Walter Fairholme RN, who perished on the doomed Victorian expedition to find the fabled Northwest Passage.

In 1845, maverick Royal Navy captain Sir John Franklin sailed off the map of the known world with 128 men, to chart the elusive Northwest Passage.

A recent Channel Four documentary, Hunt for the Arctic Ghost Ship, reported on last September’s successful quest in Canada’s freezing Arctic waters to locate the wreck of Franklin’s flagship, HMS Erebus.  

Fairholme had been aboard HMS Erebus when it disappeared into the Arctic ice floes and was eventually listed as officially dead along with the rest of his shipmates after subsequent searches over the following 15 years found only bits of wreckage and abandoned supplies.

As well as an inscription, the memorial bears an ornate metal plaque depicting two angels in relief hovering over an Arctic scene and the doomed Erebus.

Holy Trinity’s Mary Cuthbert has special responsibility for the graveyard and believes that with the success of the mission to find Franklin’s ship and on-going exploration work, interest in the ill-fated venture and those who took part will continue to grow.

Mary told The Southern Reporter newspaper:“This is a private graveyard and so it is our responsibility to keep these special monuments in good condition and we have been worrying that this one needs some renovation – it’s just that we don’t know how to go about it and are seeking advice.

“The memorial could be in a bit better condition and we felt that some publicity might help us locate appropriate expert help and advice and perhaps lead on to any fundraising needed to pay for such repair work.”

For more details about the expedition and the memorial, see The Southern Reporter's interview with Mary and the Rector, Fr. Philip Blackledge.