23 Facts About James Fitzjames

James Fitzjames's remains were rediscovered in 1993 and forensically identified in September 2024.

James Fitzjames was born the illegitimate son of Sir James Gambier on 27 July 1813.

Sir James Fitzjames' cousin was Admiral of the Fleet Lord Gambier.

Sir James Fitzjames Gambier had married Jemima Snell in 1797 and the couple had 12 children altogether.

At the time of Fitzjames' birth, Sir James was in grave financial difficulties.

James Fitzjames had been appointed British Consul-General in Rio de Janeiro in 1809 and held this office until 1814.

In 1815, with his financial affairs in the hands of trustees, Sir James Fitzjames resumed a diplomatic career by being appointed Consul-General to the Netherlands at The Hague, a position he held until 1825.

Presumably shortly after his birth, Fitzjames was given into the care of the Reverend Robert Coningham and his wife Louisa Capper, who wrote philosophical and poetical works.

James Fitzjames's nephew was the author John Sterling, a friend of such intellectuals as Julius Hare and Thomas Carlyle.

James Fitzjames served on Pyramus until, being promoted to volunteer of the first class on.

James Fitzjames was awarded a silver cup and the Freedom of the City of Liverpool for this feat of bravery.

In 1836, with the steamer Euphrates unable to sail up the shallows of the river, having broken its engine, Fitzjames volunteered to take the India Office mails she was carrying 1,200 miles across what is Iraq and Syria to the Mediterranean coast and from there convey them to London.

James Fitzjames was regarded as an effective officer and was especially commended by Admiral Sir Charles Napier for landing at night to distribute a proclamation to Egyptian soldiers at their camp.

Senior officers took further notice of an extrovert; Fitzjames wrote and published a 10,000-word humorous poem, The Cruise of HMS Cornwallis, describing the First Opium War and his part in that particular uprising, which was published in The Nautical Magazine.

James Fitzjames was on half-pay, meaning he was available for naval service but not presently working on a ship.

Sir John Barrow, a prime mover of what became the Franklin expedition, campaigned to have Fitzjames appointed to lead it.

James Fitzjames asked for his friend Edward Charlewood to be appointed as second in command.

Barrow was unable to provide the Board of the Admiralty with a persuasive argument to support these appointments, and Fitzjames was discounted due to his relatively young age, so after some prevarication Sir John Franklin and Francis Crozier were appointed instead.

Once appointed to the Franklin Expedition, Fitzjames was given the responsibility of recruitment of expedition personnel.

James Fitzjames selected many persons he was familiar with, including George Henry Hodgson.

James Fitzjames was idolised by Sir Clements Markham as the beau ideal of an Arctic officer.

James Fitzjames's signature appears on one of the last entries of the great explorer's log-book, and his name stands in the place of honour next to that of Sir John Franklin on the well-known monument in Carlton House Terrace.

James Fitzjames appears as a character in the 2007 novel, The Terror by Dan Simmons, a fictionalized account of Franklin's lost expedition, as well as the 2018 television adaptation, where he is portrayed by Tobias Menzies.