by Clive Mathison, Galleries Volunteer
Having read the NMMC press release in the West Briton about the February 2010 new exhibition Lighthouses: Life on the Rocks, I said to my wife "Joy, this is a most interesting event for the staff and volunteers to facilitate after the fantastic Titanic exhibition." Her immediate response was "Did you know that my Great Uncle William Symonds was a Lighthouse Keeper at the Azores and Northumbria?" This caused me to immediately attempt to research his past service as a Lighthouse Keeper by getting in touch with Trinity House via the internet. Alas their internet personnel records available to the public view only cover a period in the 1800s. I did request information on dates that my wife's Great Uncle William would have possibly been stationed in the Azores and Northumbria but have not had any feedback as yet.
My continued search for information on where he served as a Lighthouse Keeper has uncovered a fascinating 'historical ev
ent' about the Azores lighthouse. The lighthouse was subjected to damage by a volcanic eruption which lasted 13 months from 2 September 1957 until 24 October 1958. The ruined lighthouse and visitor's centre of the Azores is now a tourist destination and, on 27 September 2007 special commendations marked the 50th anniversary of the volcanic eruption and its effect on the island's history and people which was broadcast in Portugal and throughout the Azorean dispora. A question I would wish an answer to is was our Great Uncle William in the lighthouse service at the time?
P.S. My wife was charmed by the Marks & Spencer Lighthouse Keeper advertisement on TV but said that for her it was not true; she wanted to marry a Royal Air Force NCO from Coastal Command (which she did).
Having read the NMMC press release in the West Briton about the February 2010 new exhibition Lighthouses: Life on the Rocks, I said to my wife "Joy, this is a most interesting event for the staff and volunteers to facilitate after the fantastic Titanic exhibition." Her immediate response was "Did you know that my Great Uncle William Symonds was a Lighthouse Keeper at the Azores and Northumbria?" This caused me to immediately attempt to research his past service as a Lighthouse Keeper by getting in touch with Trinity House via the internet. Alas their internet personnel records available to the public view only cover a period in the 1800s. I did request information on dates that my wife's Great Uncle William would have possibly been stationed in the Azores and Northumbria but have not had any feedback as yet.
My continued search for information on where he served as a Lighthouse Keeper has uncovered a fascinating 'historical ev
ent' about the Azores lighthouse. The lighthouse was subjected to damage by a volcanic eruption which lasted 13 months from 2 September 1957 until 24 October 1958. The ruined lighthouse and visitor's centre of the Azores is now a tourist destination and, on 27 September 2007 special commendations marked the 50th anniversary of the volcanic eruption and its effect on the island's history and people which was broadcast in Portugal and throughout the Azorean dispora. A question I would wish an answer to is was our Great Uncle William in the lighthouse service at the time?P.S. My wife was charmed by the Marks & Spencer Lighthouse Keeper advertisement on TV but said that for her it was not true; she wanted to marry a Royal Air Force NCO from Coastal Command (which she did).
