GEORGE VANCOUVER

George was born in Lincolnshire (another source says Kings Lynn, Norfolk, England) on 22 June 1757 to John Jasper Vancouver and Bridget Berners.

George Vancouver was 15 years old when he joined the Resolution (with Captain Cook) as midshipman in 1772. Serving with him was midshipman William Bligh - later to become famous (or infamous) for the mutiny on the Bounty.

Vancouver sailed with Cook on 2 (one source says 3 but we believe he was with Cook only on the 2nd and 3rd voyages) voyages and was witness to the attack by Hawaiian natives that took Cook's life.

Vancouver returned to England in 1779 and was promoted to Lieutenant.

Vancouver saw action against both the French and Spanish navies before being given the task of exploring the North West American coastline.

In April 1791 Vancouver left England with two ships, the HMS Chatham and Discovery. He is said to have landed on the Australian coast but his main mission was not the exploration of New Holland.

He was the first to map King George Sound (which he also named) and the harbours at Albany and this was finally to bring British settlement to the west coast.

From Australia he sailed to New Zealand, Tahiti, Hawaii and then on to North America where today a major city bears his name.

After returning to England via Cape Horn, George was attacked in the press and even assaulted in public by Thomas Pitt (whom George had sent home in disgrace.) Claims and counter claims were made about his conduct during the voyage and in the end  he died just three years after returning home aged just 40.  He did not manage to publish the account of his travels but the work was completed by his brother John and Captain Puget. The six volume set called 'A Voyage of Discovery to the North Pacific Ocean' was published in London in 1798. George Vancouver was one of Britain's greatest navigators and the maps he made of the north American coastline were to remain in use for many generations.

The name George Vancouver may be better known in Canada than in Australia and the part he played in Australian history may have been small but his mapping of King George Sound was to eventually lead to settlement.

* One source says Vancouver was born in 1758.

** It is believed that the Vancouver family were of Dutch descent.