Captain Arthur David LINKLATER 1879 - 1955
His Folio Commonplace Book
The Folio Commonplace Book
The ‘Folio Commonplace Book’ gives some details of his employment
by the Commissioners for the Port of Calcutta both before and after
he was appointed Commander of the Retriever.
Like Polonius the ‘Folio Commonplace Book’ appears to have
been at supper with “a certain convocation of politic worms.”
The whole book is affected. The front end paper is inscribed in Arthur's
large, bold writing A. D.Linklater - D.V.
Retriever Telephone Dock Office 707 Page 1 has a copy
letter dated 11 December 1913; the Folio ends on page 95 with a copy
telegram to Dhunjibhoy dated 29 July 1916. The pagination is mostly,
but not always, serial. Some ‘pages’ are more than they
seem e.g. ‘page 38’ covers two pages whereas ‘page
73’ fills eight. The volume as a whole is about ¾ full,
and seems to have been compiled in a more-or-less contemporaneous and
chronological sequence. The other ¼ was left blank.
Some pages were typed or written on separate sheets which were then pasted in, as in the image at right, as were several newspaper cuttings. Not all the handwritten entries are in the same hand. The majority are certainly in Arthur's ‘normal’ sloping hand as shown in the image at right where “D.V. Retriever, Calcutta 10th. 12.13” is in Arthur's hand as is “No. 199” on the pasted in section; the other, more upright hand is by someone else. It might conceivably be his, but I'd put money on it not being. [I am dithering as I tend towards graphological schizophrenia myself.] However there are at least three other styles which I take to be assistants of some sort rather than colleagues; as some of the writing looks less mature than Arthur's to my eye - see below left; how about yours? Note particularly the two versions of “in abeyance” and in the lower example the mis-spelling “resination”. Whoever the other writers, they remain anonymous with the possible exception of a single entry entitled ‘Hints of the Weather in the Bay of Bengal’ which is signed A. S. Hall, Commd. L.V. Hesperus. Why Arthur's amanuenses, if such they were, also took it upon themselves to sign his name [below at right] I have no idea. Only the top example is the real McCoy.
As for the content, it is all pretty humdrum stuff and is either quoted elsewhere or unlikely to be of general interest. The ‘Index’ entry [see below] for Page 1 - “Letter re Patterson” [dated 11 Dec 1913] conceals the underlying causa epistoli; that Patterson was drunk in charge.Sir, I regret to have to report Mr Patterson the officer in charge of the Canopus on Dec 2nd for coming off to this ship under the influence of liquor and for gross insubordination. I have the honour to be Sir...
This is one of the most interesting entries! Thereafter Arthur was embroiled in gas pressures, shackles and shekels - for yes, mammon rears its ugly head from time to time as will be seen in due course. I am greatly assisted by the fact that Arthur compiled an ‘Index’ which gives a good general flavour of the contents as a whole. Here 'tis.
| Index | Page |
|---|---|
| Letter re Patterson | 1 |
| Report on laying Eastern Brace | 2 & 6 |
| Letter re Lightship officers uniform | 3 |
| Report on deterioration of gas buoys “21” & “22” | 4 & 5 |
| Saugor [Survey of lighthouse and ancillary buildings.] | 7, 8 & 9 |
| [Maintenance of gas buoys.] | 10 |
| Clearing Comet's chain | 11 |
| Gas pressures & capacities | 12 & 13 |
| Overhaul of the Moore | 14 & 15 |
| Communicating with Light vessels | 16 |
| July and August cyclonic winds | 16 |
| Flasher for Moore | 17 |
| Rolling weights on Moore shaft | 17 |
| Vaporisers from Saugor | 17 |
| Coal tar for buoys | 18 |
| Mixing litharge | 19 |
| Price of Gillanders [Gillandus?] anti-corrosive paint | 19 |
| Requisition for the Moore | 20 |
| Report on Saugor | 21-23 |
| Moore to Town procedure | 24 |
| Filling a gas-buoy from Moore | 25 |
| Floating tanks from Saugor | 25 |
| City of London's passengers | 26 |
| Letter re. same | 27 |
| Explosions in sinking ships | 27 |
| Aga gas buoys [Amalgamated Gas Accumulator. Swedish invention enabling lighthouses, buoys etc. to be run unattended for long periods of time at low cost.] | 28 |
| Aga flashers | 29 |
| Mooring of Aga boats | 30-33 |
| Some cuttings | 34 |
| Weather signals | 35 |
| Winds North & South of a storm | 36 |
| Weather in March | 36 |
| Weather in April | 37 |
| Jessingham weather in April | 37 |
| Remarks on weather signals | 38 |
| Towing Aga boat buoys | 39 |
| Mooring Aga boats | 40 |
| Remarks on Aga boats | 41 |
| Channel Lights | 42 |
| Letter on chan. lights | 43 & 44 |
| Steaming down Gabtola (night) | 45 |
| June weather | 46 |
| Retriever (inspection of) | 47 |
| Letter re. R.N.R. | 48 |
| Wood polish and notes re. Guide | 49 |
| Drawings of Guide & Retriever | 50 |
| Report re. keepers at Saugor | 51 |
| Weather notes | 52 |
| Weather notes etc November continued. | 53 |
| December | 54 |
| Conversations | 55 |
| Letter regarding grounding | 56 |
| 1914 Overhaul of the Moore | 57 |
| Letter re. Saugor Light House keeper | 57 |
| Semaphore notes | 58 |
| Sailing orders for Madras | 58 |
| Salving of Lotusmere | 59 |
| Telegrams from Madras | 60 |
| Report on salving Lotusmere | 61 |
| Position (sketch of Lotusmere) | 62 |
| Letter re. increase of salary | 63 |
| Chart of Ennore Shoal | 64 |
| Notes on Aga accumulations | 65 |
| Lotusmere (salving fees etc) | 65 |
| Weather notes (A.S. Hall) | 66 |
| Capacity and consumption, Retriever | 67 |
| Humidity | 68 |
| Night navigation | 69 |
| Chief Officers advertisement | 69 |
| Connecting piece to Coir cable [Mooring light vessels.] | 70 |
| On making a will | 70 |
| Letter re. increase of salary | 71 |
| Letter re salvage award of Lotusmere | 72 |
| Towing from Calcutta to Colombo Voy. 1 | 73 |
| Letter re cause of Hilsa foundering | 73 |
| Letter to R.I.M. on arrival [Royal Indian Marine.] | 74 |
| Letter to D'y director R.I.M. re Hilsa foundering | 75 |
| Calcutta to Pamban Voy. 2 | 76 |
| Calcutta to Pamban Voy. 3 | 77 |
| Letter to R.I.M. re. pilotage | 77 |
| Calcutta to Pamban Voy. 4 | 78 |
| Calcutta to Pamban Colombo, & Bombay Voy. 5 | 78 |
| Letter re. sinking of Iris | 79 |
| Letter re. sinking of Ardbeg | 80 |
| Letter re. escorting steamers Bombay | 81 |
| Bombay to Karachi Voy. 6 | 81 |
| Letter re. Karachi arrival | 82 |
| Letter re. Bombay arrival | 83 |
| Karachi to Bombay & Colombo Voy 7 | 83 |
| Colombo to Calcutta Voy. 7 | 84 |
| Letter to R.I.M. re pilotage | 85 |
| 5 ton derrick | 86 |
| Resignation to Commissioners | 87 |
| To Dhunjibhoy letter no. 1 | 88 |
| Pilotage letter to R.I.M. | 89 |
| Leave proposal letter | 90 |
| Leave letter | 91 |
| Sailing ship voyages [A short résumé entitled The Youthful Voyaging of Link on the page.] | 92 |
| To Dhunjibhoy letter no. 2 | 91 |
| To Dhunjibhoy letter no. 3 | 93 |
| To Dhunjibhoy letter no. 4 amp; 5 | 94 |
| To Dhunjibhoy letter no. 6 | 95 |
| To Dhunjibhoy telegram | 95 |