Skelendipity

Those who go down to the sea in ships  * have for centuries been at the mercy of the sea and its unpredictable moods. Although more famous shipping disasters such as the sinking of the Titanic get all the publicity and are imbued with much tragic romanticism, there are a multitude of other shipwrecks that can be just as heart-rending. One of these featured in the life of my late husband Peter’s great-great-grandfather. He was Joseph Darch, born in Stratton, Cornwall , in 1842. At the age of 9 (1851 Census) Joseph and his family lived in the Catsbridge Cottages, now just Bridge Cottages, Stratton. These houses date from the 17th Century, are still standing and heritage listed. Bridge Cottages, Stratton His father was an agricultural labourer and by the age of 18, Joseph seemed destined to follow in his footsteps as in the 1861 Census he is also described as a farm worker, but he was soon to change careers. Perhaps he was after adventure or had a fondn...

This amazing newspaper report in  Nottingham Evening Post of 5 August 1927 of an operation at sea in harrowing conditions captured my attention (full transcription follows) and I wondered who this admirable young doctor was, as well as his able lady assistant. (Merchant navy crewmen are notoriously difficult to trace so I already knew the likelihood of of finding anything on the patient and the cook would be minimal.) British Newspapers Archive   AMAZING OPERATION AT SEA. SURGEON'S MIDNIGHT FEAT. SCISSORS, SPOONS, CLOTHES PEGS, AND MEAT HOOKS.   Details of a feat of surgery off Cape Horn, carried out under almost incredible conditions with scissors, a safety-pin, bent spoons, clothes-pegs and meat hooks implements, but ending in success were told to Mail reporter by the officers and crew of the Commonwealth and Dominion Line steamer Port Auckland, yesterday, as she moved into dock at Woolwich.   The central figure is a young New Zealand su...

It's surprising the stories that can be discovered from a random image. This one comes from the Facebook and Instagram pages of Tansley & Co., vintage merchants in Maldon, Victoria, Australia . It is a prize presentation plate in a book entitled " Heroines of the Household " * given by the Ladies' School of Fitzroy (Melbourne) to a Miss J. Gillett for "General Improvement", and dated is Christmas 1869. Jane Gillett was born in Melbourne on 5 October 1853, and baptised at St Peter's Church, Eastern Hill , on 12 March 1854. That record shows that her father, Edward, had the occupation of "Land Owner" and her mother was Eliza.  The family's address was Napier Street, Collingwood. Further research shows the family continued to live in Napier Street for many more years and that it was later incorporated into the suburb of Fitzroy. Edward Gillett  is often simply described as "Gentleman" in various records. He was born...