tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042030196992977344.post5252880910495584896..comments2022-06-18T04:28:12.041+01:00Comments on Hidden Tracks: Thinking about HMS InvestigatorWilliam Battersbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00452863778733148002noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042030196992977344.post-37651655383920669952010-08-08T20:35:00.540+01:002010-08-08T20:35:00.540+01:00Interesting thoughts.
Given that bodies represe...Interesting thoughts. <br /><br />Given that bodies representing about 25% of the men who sailed on the Franklin Expedition have been subject to some form of scientific investigation, it is revealing to think that there is about a 1 in 4 chance that some remains of your ancestor Josephus Geater have already been analysed somewhere.<br /><br />The difference with the Investigator burials though, is that we know who the three buried there are, although as far as I am aware we don't which body is in which grave. Therefore if the next of kin of all three could be identified, with a probability of a DNA match for any two of them, it would be possible to do this with the relatives' consent.William Battersbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00452863778733148002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042030196992977344.post-89864837822759245702010-08-08T20:17:19.842+01:002010-08-08T20:17:19.842+01:00Re your last sentence: probably not.
As to whether...Re your last sentence: probably not.<br />As to whether the bodies should be repatriated for burial in "home soil" or autopsied to help unravel the mystery of why they and the Franklin crews ALL perished - I see a potential can of worms.<br />To start with, the obvious problems of identification arise. If I could be certain that the remains of Josephus Geater had been positively identified by means, say, of DNA testing, then I would feel happy to have him interred in Aberdeen. Otherwise, I would prefer that the Arctic remain his resting-place.Marilyn Hamiltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06904352656219793849noreply@blogger.com