Customer Reviews

Barrow's Boys

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I bought this book to read about Barrow's role in John Franklin's career and several Arctic expeditions, but was pleasantly surprised to find information on aspects of Barrow's enthusiasm for exploration that I don't believe I'd ever really heard about before.

The same (really remarkably influential) gentleman who sent the Royal Navy into the Arctic in search of the Northwest Passage also sponsored several expeditions into Africa to discover, among other things, the course of the Niger river.

This book forms a very nice summary of the history of the Royal Navy's attempts to discover that all-important Northwest Passage, giving form and coherence to series of expeditions that otherwise rather boggle my brain. The most pleasant surprise for me, however, was reading about the African expeditions; new information for me, and engagingly presented as well.

You will find it well written and striking a nice balance between presenting sufficient information to communicate the gravity of the issues faced by "Barrow's boys," and overwhelming the casual reader with too much information.

The history of the interactions between Barrow and those Rosses is particularly engaging, and tempts me to revisit M.J. Ross' very thorough joint biography of Captain John Ross and Sir James Clark Ross (Polar Pioneers : John Ross and James Clark Ross).

An interesting book, beautifully written, and full of unexpected wry humor, light but not light-weight; I enthusiastically recommend this book to persons interested in British polar exploration, the Franklin expeditions, and the decades-long animosity between Barrow and Captain John Ross.

This was a well written book on the many Polar and African interior explorations that were sponsored by the British in the first half of the 19th centry. From trying to find the North-West Passage above North America to searching for the legendary "city of gold" called Timbucto in Africa this book kept me interested throughout. Never before or for that matter since has such a group of explorers been assembled. The man responsible for these quests was John Barrow, a man who had a dream of mapping uncharted areas of the world. He set into motion the largest and most expensive series of explorations in the history of mankind. This is a story of courage and determination like no other that I have read before. This book recounts the stories of men who spent years stuck in the freezing cold in their dreams of being the first to find a passage across North America. The book also details the adventures that other men had in their quest to map the interior of Africa. Other stories of different areas in the world that were explored are also included. John Barrow might not have been as successful as he would have liked but his dream inspired later explorers and set a benchmark that carried on into the 20th century.

The Author explains that this book originated as the name of John
Barrow is to be found in the Bibliographies on English Expeditions of
Discovery, for a good portion of the first half of the 19th
Century. Those that lead or were notable participants in these
ventures have books written by them, and about them, many times
over. Evidently this is the first time the man who was a driving force
behind these events has been profiled alongside the voyages. Just some
of these events include the search for The Northwest Passage, the trek
for The North Pole, documenting the North and South Magnetic Poles,
and exploring Antarctica. And when you have frozen through these epic
travels, the writer takes you to Australia, and the overland marches
in search of Timbuktu, the beginning and end of The Niger River, and
many other historical firsts.

Along with the details of the trips and
the men that participated, the Author also explains the construction
of the ships, how these wooden vessels were able to break through ice
instead of their being broken. There are remarkable details noted,
such as there was a black member of the group that first crossed the
Northwest passage from West to East, and also a man of color when the
North Pole was attacked. The tales range from remarkable folly when
officers were to wear dress uniforms when crossing the desserts of
Africa to maintain the pride of Britain, to other men who adopted not
only the dress of The Muslims, but also learned to speak their
language!

In his position at The Admiralty and other distinguished
posts, Barrow not only could direct what expeditions took place, but
also those that were to lead them. With this power he made or
destroyed the reputations of many brave men whose only failure was
that they did not succeed according to Barrow. Most of his beliefs
about The Northwest Passage, The North Pole, and the rivers and cities
of Africa were wrong. Despite this, his persistence and those that
shouldered these journeys filled in the voids on the worlds map that
had until then been blank. But while alive he was a bitter taskmaster
who would brutally discredit the same men he had sent to destinations
never before seen by a European, if he did not gain the information
and confirmation of the beliefs he held to be true.

Different readers
will select those actions they find to be the most remarkable, for me
it was those trips that in futility sought The Northwest Passage by
ship. These ships and crew would at times be gone for 2, 3, or even 4
years depending on the whims of the ice. During one such voyage after
surviving another brutal winter a vessel again made its way toward
home. When once again locked in the ice for yet another winter the
ship had traveled a distance that a man could easily walk in 2 hours!

These winters, which occupied most of the calendar, were filled with
activities to literally keep all members healthy and sane. Seamen who
could not read or write came home literate, and the majority of the
time scurvy was kept at bay by Captains that truly seemed to care for
their men. There were of course Captains whose sanity could be
questioned, and at least one who was certifiably a mental
misfit. However these were the exception and not the rule. The Author
also shares the first human encounter that an isolated group of
Eskimos had experienced in 400 years. The story will contradict every
evil cliché that has been too easily attached to those who set out on
these voyages.

The book is a remarkable piece of work, and pays
tribute and passes judgment when appropriate. A wonderful piece of
scholarly work that is a privilege to read.

This is a fascinating and enjoyable account of a number of brave men, sent to the furthermost points of the world to fill in the blank spots on the British Navy's globe. John Barrow, Second Secretary to the Admiralty sent a number of expeditions to find the source of the Niger River, to locate and traverse the North-West Passage, to locate Magnetic North, to find out what was actually at the Antarctic.

There are some great adventure stories here, of brave men, blundering fools and gentle heroes. Travel the Sahara on a camel or with a slave convoy, drag boats and sleds across ice flows in the Arctic whilst on half rations or travel across the Canadian wilderness whilst near death from starvation. Experience the affects of scurvy and hunger whilst trapped in a wooden ship with massive icebergs slowly crushing the frame.

Read about the majestic sights seen by these intrepid travelers, pink ice, the aurora borealis and the aurora australis, Eskimo's and polar bears. Read about the tragic end to a number of these expeditions and the fate of many of the ship's crews, most notably John Franklin's 1845 expedition in the 'Erebus' and 'Terror' to find the North-West Passage.

This is a great book, the narrative flows along like a well-written novel. At times I found it hard to put the book down, reading late into the morning trying to finish a chapter. I must admit that I have no previous expertise in this field other than having read "Ice Blink" but I found the story well presented and believe that the author has done his research. This is an easy and enjoyable book to read and I think anyone who loves a good adventure story will certainly enjoy this account.

It often appears that 19th century Britain was notorious for sending its sons to odd places to do unusual things, and this book chronicles some of the strangest. Chair and desk-bound upper-class officeholders sent idle military men all over the globe to explore and map places, some of which had no earthly benefit to the mother country. The tales this book tells are thrilling, and even when you know that a specific expedition is going to come to a bad end, you keep hoping the conclusion will be different. The author does an excellent job of retelling what happened on these trips to Africa and the two polar areas, and interest never flags. There were a few typographic errors, but they didn't detract from the enjoyment of reading this work. I recommend it to anyone intersted in 19th century exploration, or British eccentricities in general.

Despite the misleading though catchy title, an engaging account of the Barrow's reign at Britain's Admiralty. While his letters typically began "I am directed by my Lords of the Admiralty," when it came to exploration ships, it was clearly Barrow who did most of the directing.

Among the expeditions launched by Barrow were Sir John Franklin's ill-fated quest for the North-West Passage in 1845, which had recently been the subject of renewed debate and interest as to what, ultimately, killed its 129 men. Barrow himself died before any definitive news of Franklin's fate was discovered, but he no doubt would have thought the undertaking worth the risk. The danger of loss, for men of Barrow's background and generation, was simply part of the noble calling of the discovery service -- the greater the loss, the greater the service.

Though perhaps eliding some significant cultural differences, it's nonetheless a rollicking read, and will do a great deal to engage readers who are new to this fascinating era.

I hope that Fergus Fleming has a long, healthy, happy life and writes a lot more books! I really enjoyed "Barrow's Boys". A cynic might say that this is a story that sells itself. But that would be unfair and untrue. After all, we are talking about a book that is mostly about trip after trip to arctic waters, in search of that other Holy Grail, the Northwest Passage. In the hands of a less skilled author this could become tedious. How many ways are there to describe wind, cold, stormy seas and icebergs? But Mr. Fleming really delves into the personalities of the explorers and when each trip is over he goes back to England and takes you inside the walls of the Admiralty and the Royal Geographical Society to show you the jealousy and backbiting and political shenanigans that went on between voyages. He ladles up a generous amount of quotations from Barrow and "his boys", who were thoughtful enough to provide us with extensive written records in the form of government memoranda and journal entries. Mr. Ferguson describes life aboard ship, wintering in the long, dark arctic night. How did the men pass the time? Well, they ate and exercised and many of them took reading lessons so that they could become literate. They also rigged up a stage aboard ship and put on shows, some of the men getting themselves "rigged up" as women by performing in drag! Another thing that prevents this book from ever becoming boring is that, especially in the middle section, Mr. Fleming alternates between telling us about the arctic explorations and the men who were sent to Africa to find the source of the Niger and to find Timbuctoo. The sections on Africa provide a nice contrast, sort of like a tangy sorbet in between the appetizer and the entree! One of the interesting explorers that went to Africa was Gordon Laing, who was an absolute fanatic about going through the Sahara to find Timbuctoo, despite warnings that he was going smack dab through bandit country. Before he set off on his journey he fell in love with a young English lady and wanted to marry her. Her father was none too happy about his daughter marrying someone who was quite possibly deranged. The father couldn't stop the marriage, but he got the newlyweds to agree not to consummate the marriage until Laing got back from his great adventure. Needless to say, Mr. and Mrs. Laing never got to enjoy conjugal bliss. After barely surviving one bandit attack, Laing was not so lucky the second time around. He was strangled and then decapitated. Mr. Ferguson closes the book with a twenty page section telling us about what happened to the explorers in their later years (those lucky enough to make it back, that is!). You get interesting and amusing insights into their lives. Let me finish this review by quoting a paragraph concerning Richard McCormick, who sailed with an 1852-3 arctic expedition: "McCormick retired to Hecla House in Wimbledon, where he spent his last years with a menagerie of stuffed animals that he had collected on his journeys, an irritable Greenland husky called Erebus, and a tame Aylesbury duck that slept on a cushion by the fire alongside a pet sparrow. Dog, duck and sparrow followed McCormick wherever he went until one day he walked from his sitting-room to the dining-room and closed the door too hastily behind him. The sparrow flew into it and broke its neck." Poor sparrow, but great writing!

"Barrow's Boys" reads like an anthology collection of great exploration stories. From the darkest depths of Africa to the coldest reaches of the arctic, Barrow sent British naval officers in search of geographical truth for almost forty years. The stories of these expeditions are expertly told by Fleming, who adds to his narrative insightful commentary and a sense of humor. What is striking is just how many of these adventures ended in death and failure--with no deterrent effect! Anyone with an interest in the history of exploration will love this well written provacative book.

For 41 years John Barrow manipulated the Royal Navy and the British Government to pursue his own fixed ideas on geography.
His mistaken belief that there was an open, ice-free sea at the North Pole, a permanently clear North-West Passage and that the Niger emptied into either the Nile or the Congo, caused the deaths of unknown numbers of men, the loss of ships, the expenditure of a king's ransom and the physical and mental breakdown of many of Britain's elite officers.

This is the story of that prolonged tragedy; the irony of it is that it fathered the most amazing feats of endurance and privation, that they are regarded today as the pinnacle of human endeavour - only the similarly ill-equipped expeditions of Scott come close.

Barrow's 'Boys' are his hand-picked officers (strangely, they were usually totally ill-suited to the tasks he set them) who are either ambitious, incompetent, zealots or plain insane (or any combination!) and Barrow goes out of his way to ignore all the best advice from those with the real experience, to either under- or over-equip the expeditions, seemingly never hitting the right balance.
The internecine rivalry of the officers, the badly-picked crews, the obstructions of companies and kings, all combine to produce farce after explorational farce. On top of this, each failed expedition only fires his zeal, perversely convincing him that he is right, so off goes another doomed expedition.

If anything tells us that inhabitants of ivory towers have no idea of the real world, it is this book ... Get it and enjoy!

The hugeness of the undertakings described in this book leaves one to believe that it could only be fiction. No one is this brave--or crazy. The explorations that John Barrow's (Second Secretary of the Admiralty)intrepid recurits undertook were a profound example of hardships in the extreme. Hardships beyond anything most sci-fi authors could dream up. Yet the truth of these adventures has been well documented, and the presenation by Mr. Fleming caused me to alternate between freezing in my chair to sweating copiously. If you like historical fiction, you'll love unbelievable historical TRUTH.