Journal kept by Arthur Jamieson on Gellibrand lightship, Victoria
Author
Arthur Jamieson
Date1893 - 1894
Object number00029923
NameManuscript
MediumInk on paper, leather
DimensionsOverall: 177 x 113 x 20 mm, 0.2 kg
ClassificationsBooks and journals
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionA handwritten journal kept by keeper Arthur Jamieson on the Gellibrand lightship, off Point Gellibrand, Williamstown, Victoria, Australia. The diary covers the period of 25 December 1893 - 27 July 1894 and is a mix of both offical and personal details.HistoryThe journal is rare because it is a personal journal, not an official one. While Jamieson recorded the details of weather and routine duties which are found in official logs, he also commented on such matters as going ashore, paying visits and being visited, and in particular the deficiencies of 'the Boss'. In fact it seems possible that the purpose of the journal was partly for evidence of the Boss's deficiencies. There appear to have been three or four men on the lightship. They had a system of 'legal days' for going ashore when one or other would be allowed ashore. They also had monthly leave which they took in turn, and they had 21 days long leave, presumably per year.
Jamieson appears to have gone home fairly often, so his home was apparently in Willamstown. There are quite a few glimpses into the kind of family life a lightshipman had, and the social context. On 28 March 1894 he writes;
"This of course is a Legal day for us going onshore. Consequenty the Boss, and I went. Lowered the Boat and proceeded onshore, in order to procure a Supply of fresh provisions. When we landed I went home. When I got there I
found one of my family laid up dieing of with[sic ]Typhoid Fever. So much for my holidays. The distress in and around here is becoming more and more intensified. No work going on anywhere and thousands of men walking about Idle. Something must be done soon. Our Boat returned to Ship at 3.15."
On 20th April he writes;
"'when I got home I found my poor "Girl" still alive but given up by the Doctors. I do not expect to see her alive again, hard Luck for me no mistake, our Boat returned to ship at 2.40 P.M."
SignificanceArthur Jamieson's diary is an interesting mix of official duties and personal anecdotes. It gives a good insight into the lives of these men whose lives were run by routine and time.
