Peace On Earth 1918 - An Archive Advent Calander #23

Yet another reminder that many soldiers were yet to be demobilised by the end of December 1918.  "A Christmas Greeting frae the Front", from Herbert Sinclair, 1918.

 

Update on The Mystery of the Blue Jacket Boy....are we there yet?

Huge thanks to all the researchers and followers on the Orkney Archive Blog for finding out all the information and spreading the word. Assuming that the "Uncle Dai" mentioned in the letter is The Bluejacket Boy, his full name would be David Phillips. Now, take a deep breath...
The Timeline so far is...
1889 - estimated DOB for David John Phillips born in Llanelli to John & Margaret (source census returns)
1891 – estimated DOB for David John Phillips, RNVR, Wales Division (source WW1 service record)
1891 – Census for Llanelli Family lived at ?1 Tregob, Llanelli. Siblings: Margaret A; Mary E; Hannah M; Jessie J; Katie M; Blowden
1901 – Census for Llanelli contains a Phillips family living at 15 Woodend Road, near Swansea Road
1911 – Census for Llanelli contains a Phillips family living at 15 Woodend Road, near Swansea Road

• Father:John Phillips;
• Mother: Margaret Phillips
• Son: David Phillips, age 22, groom [Dai?]
• Dau: Hannah Phillips, age 18;
• Dau: Blodwin Phillips, age 5 [Blodie?]
• Dau: Katie Phillips, age 10

1911 – Census for Kirkwall contains a Johnstone family living in Garden Buildings near Bridge Street

• Father: John Johnstone, 49, Plumber, born Halkirk, Caithness
• Mother: Jane P Johnstone, 50, born Wick, Caithness
• Dau: Mary J Johnstone, 22, born Wick, Caithness
• Dau: Cath I C Johnstone, 14, born Wick, Caithness

1914 - Outbreak of WW1
1914 – Birth in BMD Records Ethel Jayne to Jessie J Phillips & Edwin W Jayne.

Extract from Letter (Archive Reference D1/1124)
1914-1918 – Residence An Orkney resident’s grandfather billeted with a family in Bridge Street during WW1. Later, this grandfather married one of the daughters, Mary Jane Johnstone.
Photograph of Bridge Street by Tom Kent, c.1904 (Reference TK3253)

1916 – WW1 Service Record David John Phillips No.Z/3130; DOB 15 August 1891; Fruiterer; Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, Wales Division; Height 5ft 4in; Eyes Hazel; Served on HMS Cyclops [depot & repair ship based Scapa Flow] Sep 1916-Nov 1917.
1916/7 - Blue Jacket Boy wrote letter home to Llanelli from Orkney. It was never delivered.

Extract from Letter (Archive Reference D1/1124)
1919 – Marriage Johnston Family Website Catherine Isabella Coghill BELLA Johnston b. 1896 Wick, Caithness + David John Phillips, fruiterer, RNVR HMS Cyclops, b. at Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, Wales m. 11 Apr 1919 Congregational Manse, Kirkwall
1919 – Marriage in ScotlandsPeople BMD website David John Phillips, 30, fruiterer, 61 Swansea Road, Llanelly married Catherine Isabella Coghill Johnston, Garden Street, Kirkwall 11 April 1919 in the Congregational Manse, Kirkwall
1919 – WW1 Service Record Discharged 5 May 1919 at Pembroke.
1920 – Electoral Register for Llanelli John, Margaret and David J Phillips all live at 61 Swansea Road.
1923 – Birth from Johnston Family Website Minnie Phillips b. abt Mar 1923 Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, Wales
1923 – Birth in BMD Records Minnie Phillips born March Quarter 1923 daughter of David John Phillips and Catherine Johnston
c.1920s – Marriage (source Orkney resident) of his grandfather who worked at the Orkney Herald and Mary Jane Johnstone.
1941 – Marriage in BMD Records Ethel Jayne married Clifford Hopkin Hargreaves – no offspring found.
1941 – Marriage in BMD Records Katie M Phillips married Robert L Morgans in Llanelli, 1941 (Oct-Dec quarter)
1943 – Marriage in Johnstone Family Website Miss Phillips + Mr Hodge b. abt Jun 1920 Exeter, Devon m. abt Sep 1943 Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, Wales
1943 – Marriage in FreeBMD website Miss Phillips married Mr Hodge in Llanelly registration district, Sep quarter 1943.
1952 – Birth in FreeBMD website Miss Hodge, mother’s maiden name Phillips, June quarter 1952
c.1960s – Oral History Visit to Phillips family in Llanelli, Wales by Orkney resident and his parents, as they were old family friends (he didn’t know why)
1980 - Letter found behind a fireplace in a house in Bridge Street, Kirkwall in 1980. Letter addressed to Mr John Phillips, 61 Swansea Road, Llanelli.
2013 – Letter passed to Orkney Archives. The hunt began……
The story has since appeared on Radio Orkney, Llanelli Star and the Dyfed Family History Society Newsletter.
I have removed some of the more recent names for data protection. We are currently trying to get in touch with Miss Hodge, Dai Phillips granddaughter.
Sources used:

• www.findmypast.co.uk
• Orkney Family History Society Census booklet for 1911
• Johnstone Family Website https://sites.google.com/site/johnstonsinwallsorkney
• www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk
• Electoral Roll in Carmarthenshire Archives
• www.freebmd.org.uk
• Local Orkney resident

To see the beginning of the story, click here.
To see the end of the story and the mystery solved, click here.

Flybe to the moon...

Today is the anniversary of both Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earharts' solo flights across the atlantic. He was the first man to fly non-stop across the ocean in 1927 and she was the first woman in 1932.

Orkney has quite a fascinating flying history. It was here in 1917 that the landing of a plane on the deck of a moving ship was first achieved.

This may not sound that important until you think about how planes had previously been transported on and off of ships. Seaplanes were hoisted in and out of the water, planes that had taken off from ships could not return and had to find somewhere to land and some planes just ended up plopping into the sea and being towed back.

In August 1917, Squadron Commander Ernest Dunning landed on the deck of HMS Furious.

The plane basically hovered over the ship and a waiting crowd  pulled it down onto the deck. Clumsy, yet effective. Unfortunately, Dunning was drowned during further trials five days later, but his efforts changed sea warfare forever.

Another interesting Orkney flying  fact is that the flight between Papa Westray and Westray is the World's Shortest Scheduled Flight. It usually takes between two and three minutes but has been known to take only 58 seconds!

A lot of the northern isles teachers take small planes like this from  mainland Orkney out to their schools several mornings a week. There is space for about 6 people and the atmosphere is lovely. Sadly, there is no drinks and snacks cart. A video of the previous night's episode of 'New Tricks' was being offered 'round the Stronsay plane the last time I went, however.

What a lovely routine that must be. What could be better, an early morning flight, with a view of beautiful Orkney as you and your work chums sing "It's all right, it's okay, doesn't really matter if you're old and grey..." ?

I would insist on this Waterman Warble on the Friday afternoons however:

(The pilot could be Dennis Waterman and we could all harmonise in the back!)

Information taken from Howard Hazell's Orcadian book of the 20th Century.

Photograph of Dunning landing taken from our Photographic archive.

Photograph of islands plane taken from wikipedia.

Ging gang goolie goolie goolie goolie goolie goolie goolie woggle

Uniforms, rituals, nonsense words sung in the round, initiation ceremonies, tasks, woggles, toggles, pixies, kelpies, vows and bobble hats. Is this post about a terrifying new cult hoping to entice Orcadians? No, it's about an old one, Girl Guiding, which is celebrating an 100 years history in the UK.



Surely there are many women who wonder how on earth they would have coped with life without their lessons in semaphore, flower pressing and knot recognition. Camping certainly taught many valuable life-lessons such as balancing all your possessions on top of two logs in a tent, saturating all meals with heart-healthy lard and sticking chocolate digestives together using only melted marshmallows.





Orkney Museum is marking this anniversary with an exhibition running from the 3rd until the 24th of April.

Girl Guides gathering sphagnum moss in Orkney, 1917. Sphagnum moss, or bog moss, is famed for its ability to evenly absorb enormous amounts of moisture. Consequently, it was in great demand during the First World War for use as dressings for wounds. (Ewwwwwwww)

This Holm Brownie troup appear to have made some useful shell-encrusted wells.

A Kirkwall troup of Brownies and Guides photographed by Tom Kent in 1922.
Nice hats, ladies.


A grooovy American Girl Guide catalogue from the seventies which looks like an ace 1970s album cover but contains the travesties of fashion that are pictured below.

Photos from the Orkney Photographic Archive.

Catalogue of polyester woe from the D95 collection (uncatalogued.)

War HUH! What is it GOOD for? Absolutely NUTHIN'.. (say it again wooooo)

If you have enjoyed watching Tony Blair squirm during the Iraq enquiry, or indeed, wish to have a break from him constantly referring to 911 in an attempt to link that event with Saddam Hussein in the public mind, then pop down to the Archive and read about all the other wars!

We have publications, personal documents, correspondence, diaries and photographs from World War 1 and World War 2. You can read newspapers clippings and telegrams which follow the process of the Spanish American war of 1898 and the Boer war (reference D47/2/11).

Why not come in and read the correspondence between Isabella Wilson and her brother Andrew who moved to America, ran up hideous debts and signed up for the American Civil War to escape them? (Reference D1/538)

We also hold a pair of medals from the Second Afghan War of 1878 - 1880 in collection D94.

And much, much more...

Wartime Donation

We received a new donation this week from the son of an R. A. F. mechanic, Sidney Hall, who was stationed in Orkney during World War 1.

The collection of papers includes over 30 photographs of military life in Orkney, discharge papers, and a (pictured) programme of a concert held at Balfour Hospital with joke adverts inside and neatly censored mentions of Kirkwall on the front and back pages.

Sidney became friends with the Work family of Heathfield, and later Craigiefield house. He helped teach two of the sons violin and one photograph shows both Sidney and Magnus Work, fiddles in hand at a musical gathering. There are already several collections of papers and memorabilia relating to the Work family already in the archives.