Edward Joseph Bird joined the Royal Navy in 1812, seeing service at the battle of Algiers in 1816. He was appointed midshipman in HMS Hecla, under George Lyon, on the British Naval Northwest Passage Expedition, 1821-1823 (leader William Edward Parry), sent by the Admiralty to search for a passage along the west coast of the unexplored Foxe Basin, north from Repulse Bay. He returned north with Parry as midshipman in HMS Fury on the British Naval Northwest Passage Expedition, 1824-1825, sent to seek a passage by following Prince Regent Inlet to the American mainland coast. Serving again as midshipman in HMS Hecla on the British Naval North Polar Expedition (leader William Edward Parry) in 1827, Bird was a member of the party attempting to reach the North Pole over the ice with two boat-sledges.
In 1834, Bird was appointed first lieutenant of Medea under Horatio Austin. He was appointed first lieutenant of HMS Erebus on the British Naval Expedition, 1839-1843 (leader James Clark Ross), sent by the Admiralty to conduct a series of magnetic observations in the southern hemisphere and to locate and reach the South Magnetic Pole if possible. Promoted commander in 1841 and captain two years later, he served as captain of HMS Investigator on the British Naval Franklin Search Expedition, 1848-1849 (leader James Clark Ross), sent to search for Sir John Franklin's missing expedition along the shores of Lancaster Sound, Barrow Strait, Wellington Channel and Prince Regent Inlet. Exploring parties sledged close to the point where the missing vessels had been abandoned, but on attempting to sail westward through Barrow Strait, Investigator and HMS Enterprise were beset and drifted into Baffin Bay and the expedition was forced to return to Britain. Retiring as vice-admiral in 1869, Bird was promoted to the rank of admiral in 1875. He died in 1881.
From the guide to the Edward Bird collection, 1858, (Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge)
