Royal Navy officer Mark Hankey is all set to follow in the frozen footsteps of one of his ancestors.

Mark joins a Royal Marines-led expedition back to the frozen wastes of Canadian Arctic, where more than 170 years ago his forebear, explorer Sir John Ross, sought the fabled North-West Passage in vain.

A seven-strong expedition is returning to the land of the Nunavut, the first British expedition to the region since Ross and his nephew Sir James Clark Ross were there from 1829-32.

The 19th century expedition almost met with disaster.

Ross’ ship Victory and her crew became trapped in pack ice, and after three years they abandoned the ship and trekked 300 miles across the wastes to reach the open sea before they were finally rescued.

The expedition wasn’t a total disaster - nephew Ross discovered the magnetic North Pole, which no doubt cheered him a little.

It’s a story Mark Hankey knows well from the family annals, but now he will experience some of the hardships his forebears endured.

“It is daunting, but there’s the adventurous spirit in me,” explained the RN Reservist, who usually oversees the Royal Navy’s official website at www.royalnavy.mod.uk

“The Rosses were polar pioneers - brave men - and now I will have a greater understanding of what they went through,” said Mark.

“It is dangerous. The whole party is going to be part of the food chain out there. Polar bears may look nice, but they have paws the size of dinner plates and regard you as a snack, so we’ve been practising our weapons training.

“There will always be a sentry on guard.”

Seasoned adventurer Dom Mee is in charge of the month-long exploration.

Dom, a reservist in the Royal Marines, is a veteran of a trans-Pacific rowing attempt which was cruelly ended in its latter stages by a collision, as well as a more successful slog around the Arctic ice which paved the way for this summer’s expedition.

Ross’ exploits have largely been overshadowed by Sir John Franklin’s ill-fated expedition to find the North-West Passage – the legendary route to the Pacific avoiding the troublesome Cape of Good Hope – two decades later which ended in disaster.

“This story needs to be told fully. Ross and his crew’s endeavours leave me numb with admiration,” said Dom. “This is truly an historic event.”

The party – Dom, Mark, Cpls Barry Campbell and Craig Haslam, C/Sgt Mark Cowell, Mne Cronin and civilian historian Susie Cox – is due back in Britain at the beginning of September.