User:Ben Haywood Smith/sandbox

Robert Dawes Aldrich, born 19 October 1808, joined the Royal Navy in 1824 (22 January), age 15, was promoted to Mate in 1830 and Lieutenant in 1842 (7 March). He served as Lieutenant in HMS Resolute on the British Naval Franklin Search Expedition, 1850-1851 (leader Horatio Thomas Austin), sent by the Admiralty in search of Sir John Franklin's missing Northwest Passage expedition. His correspondence with Sophia Cracroft regarding the British Franklin Search Expedition, 1857-1859 (leader Francis McClintock) is held by Scott Polar Research Institute

In October 1850, Aldrich participated in a sledging programme to lay depots on Somerville Island in preparation for a search by sledge the following year. In the Spring of the following year (starting 15 April 1851) he was away for 62 days, travelling by sledge to Bathurst Island. He went over 550 miles, at an average rate of 9½ miles a day, examining part of the island's west coast before proceeding north to explore the western coasts of the small islands as far as Cape Aldrich

Cape Aldrich is located on the western shore of Ile Vanier and should be distinguished from Cape Aldrich on Ellesmere Island (both in Nunavut Province, Canada).

He retired with the rank of captain in 1860, and was reserved on half pay; he was subsequently promoted to Rear Admiral 1876 (31 December), Vice Admiral 1881 (23 November) and Admiral 1887 (24 May) ; he died in 1891 (2 June).

He was the son of Robert Aldrich and Anne Davey. He married Elizabeth Strutt Jeakes (daughter of William Jeakes) on 31 March 1852, and had two daughters, Alice M and Fanny K Aldrich. He was an uncle of Admiral Pelham Aldrich CVO (British Arctic Expedition 1875–1876) and Dame Louisa Aldrich-Blake.