The National Maritime Museum Cornwall has received a dedicated visitor to its new gallery. John Wilson travelled over 11,000 miles to see his family's sword on display in the museum's dedicated Falmouth exhibition.
For many years Mr Wilson, from Melbourne, Australia, and other Wilson family researchers have been trying to uncover what had happened to an ancestral and very special presentation sword - the MacDonnell sword. Last seen with John's family around the 1950s, the Wilsons have been determined to find its whereabouts.
Through their efforts they soon discovered the sword had been acquired and put on display at the maritime museum and John was the first of an expected long line of relatives to make the pilgrimage to see the family icon.
"After years of research, it was incredible to finally track down this elusive member of the family. We're now trying to find out how the sword left the Wilson family and believe it was passed down the family line through a marriage and as such ended up with a distant relative. A number of the family are making their way to the museum to see the sword and learn more of the history surrounding it, so expect Falmouth to be swamped with Aussies in the months to come," he said.
The MacDonnell sword commemorates a dramatic moment in maritime history when a British Royal Navy ship fought with a Falmouth Packet ship. A case of today's modern terminology of friendly fire' which resulted in loss of life and a great number of severely wounded.
On 12 March 1814, the Falmouth Packet ship, the Duke of Marlborough, captained by Falmouth's famous Packet Captain, John Bull, was carrying its usual goods of passengers, dispatches, mail and bullion en route to Lisbon when it encountered the Naval frigate the Primrose. The protocol for identification failed for whatever reason and, in a known haunt of French privateers off Cape Finistere, both ships assumed the other vessel was an enemy privateer and a heavy battle ensued.
The Primrose, complete with a crew of 125 naval men and 19 guns, fought with the Duke of Marlborough's 30 men and six to ten small canon. Ably supported by Master William MacDonnell and crew, Captain Bull once again proved his dogged obstinacy and true grit. Incredibly there was just one passenger killed and 11 men wounded on the Packet Ship, with the Royal Navy Ship, the Primrose, suffering the death of three men and 12 injured.
Jenny Wittamore, acting curator of maritime museum in Falmouth said: "It was wonderful to meet John and see his face light up as he saw the sword that has played such a large part in his family's history. To us, the MacDonnell sword represents so much about the Falmouth Packet Ships and helps us to tell the story of their courage and importance in Britain's maritime heritage. To John it's the end of a very long search to find the final resting place of this crucial and enormously important and proud part of his family history."
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