Letter on mystery of three missing lighthouse keepers to go on display

A letter detailing the mysterious disappearance of three lighthouse keepers more than 120 years ago is to be exhibited for the first time.

Thomas Marshall, James Ducat and Donald McArthur vanished from the Flannan Isles lighthouse, on Eilean Mòr west of Lewis, in December 1900.

It was assumed they had been blown over cliffs or washed into the sea by a powerful wave while attempting to rescue equipment in bad weather.

In a letter dated 28 December, assistant keeper Joseph Moore said he and other members of relief staff arrived at the islands on a steam ship and found the lighthouse deserted, and metal railings outside damaged.

National Records of Scotland (NRS) is to display the letter as part of an exhibition in Edinburgh in August.

The three keepers disappeared on 15 December 1900.

Their last written entry that morning recorded that routine duties had been completed.

Around midnight the steam ship Archtor passed en route from Philadelphia in the US and reported that no light was visible from the lighthouse.

The men's relief team arrived on 26 December and were immediately concerned because the lighthouse flag was not flying as it should be.

Moore was the first to land on Eilean Mòr, and was tasked with looking for the men.

In his letter to the Northern Lighthouse Board, Moore said he found the entrance gate and door locked, but the kitchen door was ajar.

He noted the kitchen's fire had not been lit for several days, and he went on to check the other rooms in succession.

The men's beds were "empty just as they left them in early morning", he wrote.

Moore added: "I did not take time to search further for I only too well knew that something serious had occurred."

Looking through the men's clothing, it was possible to work out two of the men had pulled on their sea boots and coats but McArthur likely left in his shirt sleeves - suggesting they went outdoors in a hurry.

Moore also found heavy iron railings had been damaged and mooring equipment moved about, but the lighthouse itself was in good order.

Moore's letter was published in the past but NRS has no record of it being on display to the public.

It will be part of an exhibition that will also tell the story of Bell Rock lighthouse off the Angus coast. It is the world's oldest surviving lighthouse situated on a rock in the sea.

NRS archivist Jessica Evershed said: "Scotland's coastal waters are among the most beautiful and treacherous in the world.

"They have fed and sustained communities for centuries but they also claimed many lives."

The exhibition will take place in the Adam Dome at General Register House, Princes Street, Edinburgh, from 3 August.