A letter by the first man to discover the mysterious disappearance of three lighthouse keepers on a Scottish island in 1900 will go on display for the first time next month.
The letter by Joseph Moore will be featured in a new exhibition about the history of Scotland’s lighthouses at the National Records of Scotland in Edinburgh.
The notorious disappearance of the three lighthouse keepers at Flannan Isles Lighthouse on the island of Eilean Mòr in the Outer Hebrides was discovered on 26 December 1900 when Moore, the lighthouse’s relief keeper, arrived by boat.
The lighthouse was kept by James Ducat, accompanied by 2nd Assistant James Marshall and Occasional Keeper Donald McArthur.
On 15 December, the steamer Archtor had reported that the lighthouse’s light was out.
In the letter to the Northern Lighthouse Board, Moore writes: “It was with deep regret I wish you to learn the very sad affair that has taken place here during the past fortnight; namely the disappearance of my two fellow lightkeepers Mr Ducat and Mr Marshall, together with the Occasional Keeper, Donald McArthur from off this Island.”
He describes how he arrived at the lighthouse on board the lighthouse tender Hesperus.
He writes: “On entering the kitchen I looked at the fireplace and saw that the fire was not lighted for some days. I then entered the rooms in succession, found the beds empty just as they left them in the early morning.”
Describing the damage around the lighthouse, he says that a box on the west landing stage containing mooring ropes and tackle was gone, the iron railings on the landing were “broken in several places” and a handrail for securing boats’ mooring ropes was gone.
He also notes that Marshall’s oilskin and Ducat’s coat were missing but McArthur’s coat was still there.
The disappearance of the Flannan Isles lighthouse keepers was subject to rumous and speculation at the time. An investigation by the Northern Lighthouse Board concluded that the men had gone to the west landing to secure the box and been swept away by a powerful wave.
The letter will feature in a new free exhibition, For the Safety of All: Scotland’s Lighthouses. It will run from Monday to Friday between 3 August and 25 September and on Saturday 26 September during Doors Open Day.
