Lot 167
A PERSONAL ARCHIVE OF LEITH HARBOUR PILOT, THOMAS PATERSON (SCOTTISH 1841-1913)
LATE 19TH / EARLY 20TH CENTURY
Auction: Day One | Wednesday 19 August from 10am | Lots 1 - 198
Description
including a large Union Jack flag, and a selection of documents, notebooks, discharge papers, carte de visité, letters etc, all contained in a black toleware box (qty)
Dimensions
the union jack 260cm x 125cm; the black toleware box 38cm long, 28cm wide, 12cm high
Footnote
Thomas Paterson (1841-1913) was a licensed pilot for Firth of Fort, Leith & Granton, residing at 40 Craighall Road, Newhaven.
Death notice in "The Scotsman", dated 23rd May 1913; “Death of a Leith pilot - One of Leith's oldest pilots, Mr Thomas Paterson, who resided at 40 Craighall Road, Trinity, has died at the age of 72. He retired about two years ago. For over forty years Mr Paterson acted as a pilot at Leith, during which time he was the means of saving many people from drowning. On one occasion his boat was run into and sunk by a sailing ship he was about to board, and he was instrumental in saving the lives of his two brothers, who were along with him. At another time he was the means of effecting the rescue of his three shipmates when their boat sank.”
It appears that two of his sons also worked as pilots too at some point in their lives, it is assumed that the present flag probably belonged to one of them.