Lightship men leave their stations while onshore shock!

 The Seagull on the Coningbeg station c. 1908

In 1915, when WW1 was just hotting up, an anonymous letter, addressed to the Chairman of Irish Lights, was received.

Dear Sir will you allow me to make a suggestion to you about our coast its very nessary (sic) you looked the matter up, all your lightship men leave their stations when on shore please help them to look after their stations like the light keepers they are very good men on their stations, their is Arklow, Kilmore, Wicklow, C_____ (illegible) and all the men go off the stations when they leave their ships, its not write this fearful time, sir you can help the goverment now a good deal keep those men on the stations to watch anything going out and in of the harbour Kilmore is a terrible place now without anyone looking after it Arklow all masters and mates leaves thoses stations, its our duty to do all we can for our King sir keep those men to look after the coasts it should have been done before this the enemy craft can come into any of thoses places get supplys and away again no one to see or make a report its a serious mistake on your part to let those men leave their stations if anything happens now you have been warned all your stations should be looked after better, sir you can help our King and our shores keep every man to do his duty mind our shores, the enemy craft has come into our very shores and got petrol and provisions and you with plenty of men to keep a good look out for the enemy let every one do their duty to the King Sir you can do a good deal now order all your men on their stations all open harbours should be looked after now for our King's sake keep all men to watch the enemy's craft let him not enter our unguarded shores all light ship men running from their coast its terrible, (OMG, that looked like a comma?) now the head of the board is warned before hand of danger of the enemy mind our shores for our King's sake, (another one! losing the run of themselves) begin from today then it will not be to late I will be looking out for you protecting our shores. Kilmore the enemy could enter any time keep him out keep him out
God preserve our poor King

Rather than making it into a paper aeroplane to dive into the waste paper basket (if not for the punctuation, then for the hilarious last line), the letter was forwarded to the 'District Captain Commanding HM Coastguard at Kingstown', who wrote back saying they would try and find the author of the letter. He then forwarded the letter to the beloved Royal Irish Constabulary based in Dublin Castle, who wrote back to Irish Lights, asking if they could furnish a list of former members of the company who now resided in Wexford.

This seems to indicate that they felt the author of the letter was a disgruntled former employee. Now, to me, who admittedly has had feck all training in detective work, it would seem that the author of the letter would have never worked in Irish Lights, as he (or she?) was labouring under the impression that the crews of lightships simply came back home and left an empty ship bobbing around on the ocean blue. But what would I know?

The writer also seems to be suggesting that the men should never come home but should stay out on their lightships at all times. A prime candidate for Minister for Industrial Relations, I'd have thought.

The Arklow lightvessel, abandoned while all the crew are onshore enjoying themselves

Anyway, I doubt they ever got to the bottom of the matter but one good thing did come out of it - the aforementioned list of former employees now residing in county Wexford. 

The letter and the list are to be found in the UCD Digital Archive Irish Lights War and Raids Collection. The list above is typed from a handwritten list, from which a few names have been omitted, chiefly, one suspects, that they suddenly realised that Arklow wasn't in Wexford. The names are:

Broad, Edward, 317, Ferrybank, Arklow

Byrne, James, 53, Ferrybank, Arklow

White, J, Kilmore Quay, Wexford

Cunningham, CW, 40, Ferrybank, Arklow

I haven't delved into the individuals named but many of the surnames would be recognisable from the lightships, a couple - Cunniam, Leary - from the lighthouses. As I said, its hard to believe that any of those, who were well aware of the concept of 'relief crews', would have written such a misinformed letter.

Note, crew member on the stern shouting to an enemy submarine that they'd soon be back onshore and they could come into port and fill up with petrol shortly