Flannan Lighthouse Mystery

While researching the maternal side of my family, I came across several newspaper articles from 1939 about my great-grandfather's brother, Fred Leonard. These articles related Fred's links to the strange tale of the Flannan Lighthouse mystery. Since childhood, I have been a fan of the unexplained, and I was familiar with this mysterious Scottish tale. So, you can imagine my excitement when I discovered I had a family connection to this unsolved mystery! 

Newspaper articles from 1939 (British Newspaper Archive).

On the 15th of December 1900, the transatlantic steamer Archtor, bound for Leith, was sailing by the Flannan Isles when its captain noticed something strange. Despite poor weather conditions, no light came from the Eilean Mòr lighthouse (built in 1899). After arriving in Leith three days later, this was reported to the Northern Lighthouse Board. The lighthouse steamer, the Hesperus, was due to set sail for Eilean Mór on the 20th of December. The ship was used to transport lighthouse relief crew and goods to and from the mainland. However, on that date, the sailing was delayed due to bad weather and didn’t reach the island until the 26th. It was on this ship that the Northern Lighthouse Board employed Fred Leonard as a bo’sun. Fred had not long started working for the NLB by 1900, a job he would find himself doing for 38 years.

Fred was born Fredrick Cunningham Leonard on the 12th of June 1869 on the Island of Rousay in Orkney. The Leonard family’s links to Rousay can be traced back to the 17th century. However, this all changed in 1883 when a Royal Commission was established to look at the condition of crofting in the Scottish Highlands and Islands. Fred’s father, James Leonard, gave evidence against their laird, General Burroughs, speaking up about his harsh treatment of the Rousay crofters. In revenge, Burroughs evicted James and his family from the family croft known as Digro, which had been home to the Leonard family for generations. James moved his family to Oban in Argyle, and it was here that Fred found employment with the Northern Lighthouse Board. A memorial stone now stands outside Digro in memory of James Leonard and his stand against General Burroughs.

  Birth record for Fred Leonard, 1869  (Scotland’s People).

Digro, Rousay, Orkney, the birthplace of Fred Leonard.

When the Hesperus finally arrived at Eilean Mòr on the 26th of December, The captain, James Harvie, sent up a flare and sounded the horn, hoping that this would alert the three lighthouse keepers, and they would come to the landing station to greet the relief keepers. This did not happen; from the ship, there appeared to be no sign of the three keepers, James Ducat, Principal Lightkeeper; Thomas Marshall, Assistant Lightkeeper; and Donald McArthur, Occasional Keeper. It was also noted that no flag was flying from the flagpole, which was part of the lightkeepers’ duties. It was decided that the relief lighthouse keeper, James Moore, would go ashore and look for the three lighthouse keepers.

 From left to right: James Ducat, Thomas Marshall and Donald McArthur circa 1900 and the Flannan lighthouse.

When entering the living quarters of the lighthouse, there was no sign of a living soul apart from a canary in its cage. The table had been set for a meal that had never started, with one of the dining chairs lying on its side as if it had been knocked over in a rush. The clock had stopped and, on the wall, hung one set of oil skins, meaning that one of the three keepers was not wearing his oil skins when he left the lighthouse quarters.

Moore reported his findings to the rest of the men waiting for news on the Hesperus, including Fred Leonard. The Hesperus crew all went ashore and started a search of the whole island. During the search, they found more evidence that something strange had happened on the island. A supply box had been destroyed, its contents lying across the ground, and metal railings and railway tracks had been twisted out of shape. Captain Harvey sent the following telegram to the Northern Lighthouse Board:

A dreadful accident has happened at Flannans. The three Keepers, Ducat, Marshall and the occasional have disappeared from the island. On our arrival there this afternoon no sign of life was to be seen on the Island. Fired a rocket but, as no response was made, managed to land Moore, who went up to the Station but found no Keepers there. The clocks were stopped and other signs indicated that the accident must have happened about a week ago. Poor fellows they must been blown over the cliffs or drowned trying to secure a crane or something like that. Night coming on, we could not wait to make something as to their fate. I have left Moore, MacDonald, Buoymaster and two Seamen on the island to keep the light burning until you make other arrangements. Will not return to Oban until I hear from you. I have repeated this wire to Muirhead in case you are not at home. I will remain at the telegraph office tonight until it closes, if you wish to wire me.

On the 29th of December, Robert Muirhead, the superintendent of the Northern Lighthouse Board, arrived to investigate the disappearance of the three lighthouse keepers. His findings led him to believe that the keepers had been swept out to sea by an extra-large wave when trying to secure the supply box. He concluded this happened on the 15th of December when the last entry was made in the logbook. He stated:

I am of the opinion that the most likely explanation of this disappearance of the men is that they had all gone down on the afternoon of Saturday, 15 December to the proximity of the West landing, to secure the box with the mooring ropes, etc and that an unexpectedly large roller had come up on the island, and a large body of water going up higher than where they were and coming down upon them had swept them away with resistless force.

Sometime after the keepers went missing, speculation was made about the entries in the logbook. It has been stated that the entries between the 12th and 15th of December were regarding a great storm that had hit the island, the likes of which the keepers had never witnessed before, causing them to pray to God for their safety. The logbook apparently also discussed the men's mood, stating that MacArthur had wept during the storm and Ducat was unusually quiet. However, it is now commonly agreed that these entries were faked, that’s if they ever existed in the first place. According to Robert Muirhead, the last entries in the logbook were mechanical notes made on the 15th of December.

Over the years, many theories have been put forward to explain the disappearance of the lighthouse keepers, including murder, kidnap and even ghosts and sea creatures.

Entry for Thomas Marshall in the Lightkeeper registers. Crown copyright, NRS, NLC4/1/3, image 519

The story continues to captivate the public’s imagination. It has been the basis of many popular TV shows and movies, including Doctor Who, the 2018 movie The Vanishing, starring Gerard Butler and the 2019 movie The Lighthouse.

Doctor Who (1977)

The vanishing (2018)

The Lighthouse (2019)

As for Fred Leonard, he died on the 25th of October 1939, aged 70, of throat cancer. Fred never married and had no children.