Pitchforth, Hector, 1886-1927
Dates
- Existence: 1886 - 1927
Biography
Hector Pitchforth was born in India in 1866. Although deaf from a very early age, he qualified as an engineer and served as an engineer with the fishing fleet during World War I. In 1918, he sailed for Baffin Island in the auxiliary schooner "Erme" for the Sabellum Trading Company, but the voyage ended abruptly when a German submarine crew boarded the "Erme" and set her on fire. In 1919, he became engineer on "Erme's" replacement "Vera." From 1920-1921 Pitchforth traded at Cape Henry Kater. He remained in the Arctic, trading with various successes and being labeled the "World's Loneliest Man" until his death in 1927.
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Hector Pitchforth papers
Collection
Identifier: Mss-115
Stefansson Mss-115
Date(s):
1924 to 1972
Abstract
Hector Pitchforth, trader. Consist of two reports in letter form from Pitchforth to W. P. Jobson the reports contain recommendations for the maintenance and upgrade of the fur-trading stations at Kivitoo, Cape Kater, and Durban and for additional supplies for the stations. A supplementary report describes the Cape Kater area of Baffin Island. The collection also includes a typescript of a monograph, entitled "Eskimo accounts of Hector Pitchforth," in which Kenn Harper relates the...