Sir William Edward Parry (1790–1855)

English Rear-Admiral and Arctic Explorer

At 13 years of age Parry joined the flag-ship of Admiral Cornwallis in the Channel fleet as a First-Class Volunteer. In 1806 he was a Midshipman, and by 1810 he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in the frigate Alexander, which was charged with protecting the whaling fleet at Spitzbergen. Whilst in the Arctic Circle, Parry made a series of astronomical observations, which were published under the title, Nautical Astronomy by Night in 1816.

In 1818 Parry was in charge of the brig Alexander in Arctic waters under Captain John Ross. By 1819 he was in sole command of HMS Griper and HMS Hecla for a new Arctic expedition. The expedition was a resounding success as they solved the problem of finding a route through the Northwest Passage.

Parry was promoted from Lieutenant to Commander and in 1821 set sail again for the Northwest Passage, this time with the Fury and Hecla. However, due to bad weather this expedition had to return to England without success. In 1824 Parry set out with HMS Fury and Hecla again, but was unsuccessful in navigating the Northwest Passage as the Fury was wrecked in the process.

Next, Parry got permission from the Royal Navy to make an attempt at reaching the North Pole. Starting out from Spitzbergen, his attempt reached 82° 45’ N – a record that remained intact for almost 50 years after!

In 1829 Parry was given a Knighthood and he then set sail for New South Wales, where he served as the Commissioner of the Australian Agricultural Company. Parry became Controller of the newly created Royal Navy Department of Steam Machinery in 1834 – a role that he held until his retirement from active service in 1846.

During his retirement from the Navy, Parry was Captain-Superintendent of Haslar Hospital in Gosport, Hampshire. He became a Rear-Admiral in 1852 and served as a Governor of the Royal Naval Hospital at Greenwich, London until his death in 1855.