MSP reiterates call for John Rae recognition

Speaking in the Scottish Parliament yesterday, Tuesday, Orkney MSP Liam McArthur highlighted the need for greater recognition to be given to the achievements of Orkney-born Arctic explorer, Dr John Rae.

During a debate on public engagement with science, Mr McArthur reiterated his call for more to be done to honour the contribution made by Dr Rae during the 200th anniversary of his birth.

“Getting the public to engage with science is important for Scotland as a nation. What better way of doing this than making sure we celebrate the remarkable stories of remarkable people doing remarkable things,” he said.

“Dr John Rae certainly falls into this category and can rightly lay claim to be the greatest Arctic explorer of them all. His discovery of the existence of the Northwest Passage and the fate of the Franklin expedition solved the two greatest mysteries of the 19th-century, but both have a very real relevance today.

“In this, the bicentenary of his birth, it would be good to think that this son of Orkney might be afforded due recognition at last.”