George Augustus Gifford was born on 20 February 1849. In 1862, he entered the Royal Navy, serving under Francis Leopold McClintock in the West Indies between 1863 and 1867, and in the Channel Squadron between 1868 and 1870. Advancing to the rank of lieutenant in 1870, he served again in the West Indies from 1871 to 1874. Gifford was appointed third lieutenant in HMS Alert on the British Arctic Expedition, 1875-1876 (leader George Strong Nares), sent by the Admiralty to attempt to reach the North Pole by way of Smith Sound and to explore the coasts of Greenland and adjacent lands. Gifford was a member of the Ellesmere Island exploring party, which, in April 1876, accompanied Albert Markham's Pole party to Cape Joseph Henry before continuing westward along the coast. Gifford's party turned back on 25 April at Cape Colan. Although the attempt to reach the North Pole was unsuccessful, the expedition made some geographical discoveries and returned with a large quantity of scientific data.
Gifford resumed his duties with the Navy, serving during the Egyptian campaign in 1882 and as commodore in command of the Newfoundland Fisheries between 1899 and 1901. Promoted rear admiral in 1903 and vice admiral in 1907, he was appointed admiral superintendent of Chatham Dockyard where he remained until 1901. Advancing to the rank of admiral in 1911, he retired in 1913. He died on 23 September 1925.
From the guide to the George Gifford collection, 1875-1876, (Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge)
