Albert Hastings Markham

About

Royal Navy officer who designed the New Zealand flag and participated in an 1876 expedition to the North Pole.

Before Fame

He joined the Royal Navy at age fifteen and spent the next eight years engaged in fighting the pirates around China.

Trivia

While stationed in Australia, he came up with the idea of using the Southern Cross constellation next the the Union Cross for New Zealand's flag.

Family Life

His grandfather William Markham was the Archbishop of York.

Associated With

Henry Morton Stanley was another well-known British explorer.