Bedford Clapperton Trevelyan Pim (June 12, 1826 – September 30, 1886) was a prominent British naval officer, Arctic explorer, author, barrister, and politician.Queer Places:
Cannibal Club C/O Bertolini’s, 32 St Martin's Ln, Charing Cross, London WC2N 4ER, UK
Kensal Green Cemetery, Harrow Rd, London NW10 5NU, United Kingdom
Bedford Clapperton Trevelyan Pim (June 12, 1826 – September 30, 1886) was a prominent British naval officer, Arctic explorer, author, barrister, and politician.
Born in Bideford, Devon, he was the son of naval officer Edward Bedford Pim. He entered the Royal Navy in 1842. His early career included service on HMS Herald (1845–1849) in the Pacific.
He is perhaps best known for his role in the search for the missing Sir John Franklin expedition. In 1853, while serving on HMS Resolute, he performed a daring, cold-weather journey by dog sledge to locate the stranded crew of HMS Investigator. He is credited as the first man to travel from a ship on the eastern side of the Northwest Passage to one on the western side.
He served in the Baltic during the Crimean War and in Chinese waters during the Second Opium War, sustaining injuries in both conflicts. He retired from active service in 1861, eventually reaching the rank of Rear-Admiral on the retired list in 1885.
After leaving the Navy, he became a barrister, specializing in Admiralty cases. He was also a Conservative Member of Parliament for Gravesend from 1874 to 1880. He was a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and an associate of the Institute of Civil Engineers.
Pim was deeply involved in promoting land and colonization schemes, as well as a proposed transoceanic canal and railway in Nicaragua. These ventures ultimately proved unsuccessful and led to financial difficulties.
The "Cannibal Club" was a small, informal group of members associated with the Anthropological Society of London, which was known for its controversial and often racially charged views.
Bedford Pim was a leader within this group. The club was characterized by its provocative behavior and colonial ambitions.
The group was noted for its support of land-grabbing and aggressive colonization policies. Pim's own failed financial schemes, such as his Nicaraguan railway project, were closely linked to his advocacy for these types of colonial expansionist activities. The club often adopted stylized, offensive imagery—such as a mace shaped like a "Negro head"—to reflect their provocative identity and ideology.
Bedford Pim died in Deal, Kent, on September 30, 1886.
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