At a recent meeting of the South Dorset Group of the Somerset and Dorset Family History Society, two members described some successes they had achieved in uncovering stories from the past. Michael North-cott-Deacon, a member of the Group, spoke of a period in the life of his great grand-mother, Sarah Clark, who lived on the island of Ascension in the South Atlantic, from 1865 to 1870. The Royal Navy was then gradually introducing steam propulsion to replace sails, and her husband worked there in a naval establishment, repairing ships boilers. Michael read extracts from many letters written by Sarah to her family, in which she described the barren nature of her surroundings, and the harshness of her life His grandmother was born there in 1869, and survived the hazards of childbirth with the help of friendly neighbours. In spite of the hard life, the Clark family managed to save £500 on the island, and on their return home built a large house, part of which was rented out to provide a future income
Ian Miller, our Chairman, then described an epic sea journey made by his great grandfather William Laurie in 1854. William was a master mariner on a ship of 810 tons owned by the P & O Steamship Company, which left Hongkong with passengers and cargo on a journey southwards, and then encountered a severe tropical storm. The ship suffered considerable damage, and ran on to rocks near an uninhabited island. With little prospect of rescue, a group of eight men, including William, decided to take the one remaining small open boat, and attempt to reach the Chinese mainland for assistance. After hair-raising adventures with typhoons, whales, pirates and running out of supplies, they finally sailed 700 miles to Hongkong. In due course the passengers and cargo on the wrecked ship were rescued, and only one person lost his life as a result of the disaster.
Tony Johnson
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