OTTAWA – Captain Robert “Bob” Bartlett gained fame by accompanying fellow explorer Robert Peary on his 1909 expedition to the North Pole during which he reached farhter north than anyone had gone before. Canada Post issued a stamp today to mark the centennial of this historic trip and to pay tribute to Bartlett, a great Canadian hero.
“Bartlett traveled farther north than any explorer before him,” says Robert Waite, Chairman of the Stamp Advisory Committee and senior vice-president, Corporate Social Responsibility at Canada Post. “His brave expeditions and in later years his public lectures helped change people’s perception of the Arctic from a frozen mystery to an essential and beautiful region of the planet.”
“We’re very excited and honoured to have Captain Bob Bartlett commemorated in this way,” adds the Honourable Edward Roberts, chair of the Celebrating Bartlett 2009 steering committee on behalf of the Historic Sites Association of Newfoundland and Labrador. “We thank Canada Post for partnering with us in celebrating the life and legacy of this extraordinary Newfoundlander.”
“The truth was I could not stop myself in pursuit of adventure,” Bartlett wrote in his journals. Born in Brigus, Newfoundland on August 15, 1875 into a family of renowned sailing masters, Bartlett captained the Roosevelt for Peary on the historic journey to the North Pole. On another occasion, Bartlett made a 1,100-kilometres Siberian journey to save his ship’s crew, held captive by an Arctic pack ice. He also saved Crocker Land Expedition members who had been stuck on the edge of the Arctic Ocean for four years.
The stamp shows Bartlett holding a sextant against a vivid blue and white photo that captures the cool, harsh conditions of the Canadian Arctic, with the Roosevelt in the distance. The stamp’s top-left corner features an outline of the globe from the North Pole downward bleeding into the stamp’s frame.
The 54-cent stamp measures 40 mm x 31 mm horizontal and will be available in a 16-stamp pane with 13+ perforations on PVA gum type. Lowe-Martin has printed 1.75 million stamps using lithography in seven colours plus varnish on Tullis Russell paper. The stamps are general tagged on four sides. The Official First Day Cover will bear the cancel “BRIGUS NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR”.
Additional information about Canadian stamps can be found in the News section of Canada Post's website, and photos of this new stamp is also available. Stamps and other products will be available at participating post offices, or can be ordered online by following the links at Canada Post's website www.canadapost.ca/collection, or by mail order from the National Philatelic Centre. From Canada and the USA, call toll-free: 1 800 565-4362, and from other countries, call: 902 863-6550.
