February 2^nd, 2015 – Shetland Archives.

Staff at the archives were helpful, and the morning was spent accessing and copying various documents. Whilst a complete list of researched documents will be appended to the final submission, it is thought worthwhile to list the documents obtained below, and some of the potential uses.

1) file://\\archives1\publicAccess\2007\Maritime\Jilns53.htm – New Shetlander No.53 Jan – Mar 1960 - “Fram On” in the storm of '81 – by J.J. Laurenson. A retrospective account of the storm as passed down through time. Contains the lines below written by a Yell man at the time of the disaster, which could form the basis of a song.

“Their anchor now is cast, within the harbour fair.

They will not row their boats again, nor yet close-reef their sails.”

2) file://\\archives1\publicAccess\2007\Maritime\1881st.htm – Shetland Times articles from July 23^rd 1881 to late August on the disaster in a 71 page document. Includes lists of men and boats lost, numbers of dependents, and lists of donations. Also contains background from “correspondents”. The lines below (page 10, 11) are particularly striking, and could be used as dialogue.

“But though I do not like to mention names, I may say that one family of a mother and two young children have neither meat nor food of any kind other than salt skate within their house, and no means of getting any. Another widow and two poor children are in the same state, only, in addition to having no food, the mother is in poor health and one of the children is an idiot, the other not much better. Another, a family of seven- two people, widow and children, have no means whatever. I might multiply cases, but those will be sufficient for the present.”

3) file://\\archives1\publicAccess\2007\Maritime\JohnFraser.htm – Shetland News, April 4^th 1946 – Death of Mr. John Fraser, Lerwick. The last North Yell survivor of the disaster died aged 86. He was 21 in 1881, and was in a boat skippered by Mr Robert Robertson of North-a-Voe, mid-Yell.

4) file://\\archives1\publicAccess\2007\Maritime\Tt1881.htm – Tocher 30, 1979 – The 1881 disaster. As told by Tom Tulloch, a well known Yell “story teller”. It is written using local words and dialect. He describes an eyewitness account of his Grandfather's seamanship, the omens that (with hindsight) presaged the disaster, and the poor treatment of the widows by the landlords and owners.

The above document contains a reference to the involvement of the Quakers in the aftermath of the disaster. The first indication of that.

5) file://\\archives1\publicAccess\2007\Maritime\Toch21.htm – Tocher Vol. 21 1976 – The Devil and the Deep Sea. Various accounts of the Haaf fishing, and descriptions passed on of the condotions at sea during the 1881 gale. Nothing particularly “new” in the document.

6) file://\\archives1\publicAccess\2007\Maritime\ sn301881.htm -Shetland News 25^th September 1930. -Survivor's Account of Terrible Tragedy - and- Visit of Quakers Recalled. This 31 page document contains many insights, but describes the significant involvement of the “Yorkshire Quakers”. It also gives pointers to how the fund was disbursed through time. This document leads to the asking of more questions. Over £12,500 was donated – but it seems only £7000 was used to support the widows and dependents. It will be interesting to track down the disbursements and allocations. A number of folk have indicated that there is a lack of clarity on this issue. Further research to be conducted at the archives.

7) file://\\archives1\publicAccess\2007\Maritime\Jjlns64.htm – New Shetlander No.64 Voar 1963 Pages 25 -27. The Sixern Days. Some odds and Ends. J.J Laureson.

Description of Sixern boats sea-worthiness. Interesting background but nothing of particular relevance or significance .

8) file://\\archives1\publicAccess\2007\Maritime\Fiscal.htm _Procurator Fiscal papers AD 22/2/17/82 – Particulars of Havra Boat on 20^th July 1881. Details the 3 deceased from that boat in the storm. But further references AD 22/2/17/83 as a pencil list of persons lost in the disaster and families. Presumably compiled by the Fiscal in Yell.

I will attempt to source the referenced document – it will not add too much to the research, but just fascinating to see.

9) file://\\archives1\publicAccess\2007\Maritime\John Smith.htm – Shetland News, 14^th August, 1956. - Life of the Shetland Sixareen – by the late John Smith. Various descriptions of the fishing life, but contains a vivid, if low key, survivor's account of the 1881 storm. Told first hand to the author. This also contains an account of the foretelling as they were going to the grounds, to his eyes, of the disaster to befall the boats.

“I was sitting on the mid-room taft, I had been pulling on an oar, thewind being very light, to help the boat along. I had rested my oar to have a light of my pipe, when looking staight off the broadside what caught my gaze was the form of six boats distinctly sailing in end of each other and I saw men sitting on the tafts. At first I thought to ask the other men of our crew to look, then I found I had not the power to do so. I could not get anything said and when I looked again,after taking my eye off that sight for a second or two, there were no boats to be seen anywhere, so I kept silent, for what reason I cannot exactly explain; perhaps it may have been that if I said I had seen such a sight the crew might have thought I was talking nonsense, but the boats I did see as I see your face from where I am sitting.”

Six Gloup boats were lost in the disaster.

10) file://\\archives1\publicAccess\2007\Maritime\Awns136.htm – New Shetlander No. 136 Summer 1881 pages 15- 17. -The Gloup Disaster. Andrew Williamson. A retrospective at the time of the centenary. Interesting analysis by modern meteorologists as to why the storm might have been unusual and unpredicted.

Various articles from the Shetland Times of July, August and September 1881 detailing the progress of the fund. Mainly duplicated by item (2) above.

Much to consider as the research moves on.