The Expedition
The original aim of the 1934 Wordie Expedition was to travel to Cape York, Melville Bay in northwest Greenland and then across to Lancaster Sound, Canada, in order to map these areas. The expedition left for Greenland on 24th May and progressed up the west Greenland coast. However, due to thick ice obscuring Melville Bay, the expedition was forced to improvise their route and navigated a new course to Baffin Island, Canada. They returned to Aberdeen on 15th September.
The expedition, led by James Mann Wordie, included a diverse crew of experts in such fields as ornithology, botany, archaeology, geology, zoology and photography. During their voyage, M.H.W. Ritchie took photographs of the Arctic landscape and Inuit people, and T.T. Paterson collected anthropological and archaeological artefacts – collections now held by the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Christopher Dalgety, the expedition's ornithologist, recorded his experiences in a journal now held by the Scott Polar Research Institute. These collections provide a valuable insight into the 1934 Expedition.
Green marker denotes start, red denotes journey end. Select control icons to move and zoom, select a marker for place name and date.
P.69607.PAT (MAA). Expedition ship, the Heimen.
Source: T.T. Paterson, Photographer: M. H. W. Ritchie.
