Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
MY PRIZED POSSESSION: 100-YEAR-OLD MODEL BOAT
In the second of our new feature revealing readers’ treasured items, Daphne O’sullivan, 70, from East Wittering, West Sussex, shows us a model that tells the story of her Viking boat building ancestors…
My most prized possession is my Grandpa Jarrett’s apprentice piece – a 100-year-old clinker-built model boat. He made this when he qualified as a master boat builder before he went into Chatham Dockyard in the 1900s.
“The clinker method of boat building was where the edges of hull planks overlap each other and was first used by the Vikings to build their longships back in 500BC.
“Grandpa Jarrett grew up in the Medway towns and started work in 1893 when he was 15. All apprentices had to make an apprentice piece before they could qualify. He went on to build and repair boats all his life, first at Chatham Dockyard, and then in his own boat yard at Strood before he retired in 1946 and died in 1974.
“This picture of him was taken by the Kent Messenger in 1930. We always thought it funny that he wore a collar and tie to work in!
“The apprentice piece reminds me that the Jarrett family came from a long line of seafarers and had their fair share of tragedies.
“My great great grandfather William Jarrett used to captain a barge called Earl of Macclesfield which carried cargo from London along the English east coast or across to France.
“In November 1864 they were taking fertiliser from
London to Sheerness and onboard was William, his wife and seven of his nine children as the barge was their home – two other children were working on other boats. “Rough seas forced William to weigh anchor intending to put into Sheerness harbour for safety, but the tarpaulins blew off, the hatches burst open and the barge filled with water.
“The family perished, including 18-month-old Elizabeth when the barge sank, except for two teenage sons who were saved next morning by the coastguard.
“My great grandfather, also William, had been on another ship at the time.
“The Jarretts have always treasured the boats our family built and there is a story that one boat, The Viking, even took part in the Dunkirk evacuation.” ■ If you have a special item with a story to tell, get in touch at siobhan.mcnally@mirror.co.uk with a photo and details.