A relic of Sir John Franklin's last expedition 1845-48. A fiddle-pattern, silver dessert spoon owned by Lieutenant. Graham Gore (HMS 'Erebus'). It was obtained from the Inuit at Repulse Bay in 1854 by the Rae Expedition. The Inuit said that they had found the material at a camp to the north west of the mouth of the Back River where a party of Europeans had died of starvation.

The spoon has London hallmarks with the date code for 1824-25 and the maker's mark of John Harris IV (the initials 'IH'). The handle is engraved with the monogram 'GG'. It was presented to Greenwich Hospital by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, 2 December 1854.

Graham Gore entered the Navy in April 1820. He took part in the Battle of Navarino whilst serving as Midshipman on HMS 'Albion'. During 1836 and 1837 he served as Mate in 'Terror' under Sir George Back during Back's voyage to the Arctic. Now a Lieutenant, he served in 'Modest' and 'Volage' during the Chinese war. Appointed Lieutenant on Franklin's ship HMS 'Erebus' in 1845, he was promoted to the rank of Commander after the expedition sailed. Commander Fitzjames said he was a 'man of great stability of character, a very good officer, and the sweetest of tempers'. In May 1847, Franklin sent Gore, Des Voeux, and six men to King William Island, probably to explore the then uncharted link in the North West Passage. The party marched for some distance along the west coast of the island to the south before returning to the ships. By the time the ships were abandoned in April the following year, Gore was dead.