Death Wins in the Arctic The Lost Winter Patrol of 1910

摘要

Death Wins in the Arctic, The Lost Patrol of 1910 is a very well-researched and factual accounting of the 92 days from the time that Insp. Francis Joseph Fitzgerald, along with Constables Sam Carter, George Kinney and Richard Taylor, left Fort McPherson, N.W.T., destined for Dawson City, Yukon, until the relief patrol headed by Cpl. W.J.D. (Jack) Dempster returned the bodies of The Lost Patrol to Fort McPherson on March 22, 1911. Kerry uses the diary of Insp. Fitzgerald and a plethora of historical information to construct their tragic journey through the vast and unforgiving landscape of Canada's north. Her clever use of facts interwoven with campfire stories, along with legends from the Native Indians, provides the reader with a greater understanding of the RNWMP at that time, along with the challenges these Mounties faced. By reading this book you can better understand what life must have been like for these dedicated and determined members of the Force who were a part of Canadian history and the development of the country. You sense the emotional and physical struggles that Insp. Fitzgerald and the patrol continued to endeavour while conducting their duties in such harsh conditions. Severe winds, -65 degree Celsius temperatures, ice, snow, falling through the ice, starvation, having to kill and eat your dogs, frostbite, isolation and loneliness are but a few of the overwhelming experiences these men faced on their final patrol. Consider the mental anguish Insp. Fitzgerald must have endured knowing that he led his team to its ultimate demise. He watched them die a long, painful and tragic death.