Wikimedia, Tyne & Wear, Charles De Lacy

We posted at the start of our time as Wikimedian in Residence with Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums and now near project's end, time for some reflection. The hard detail is all here. I should certainly mention my appreciation: to Daria and Jonathan at Wikimedia UK in London; to Carolyn, John, Ian, Alan, Anne, Emily and a good number more at Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums. I have been made very welcome. Naturally people might wish to know what have been highlights. I can safely say one was working with La Bonche. It has been a pleasure to help provide material in "virgin territory" on Wikipedia. Jimmy Forsyth (no relationships) and Foyboats are two varied articles. It has been very pleasing to help get people on board with Wikimedia. 21 new accounts at the last count.

There has been one quite late arrival which has gripped my imagination. Throughout the project it was clear that Warships built at Elswick attract an international response.What I had not expected though was the chance to develop linkages to a painter who had not hitherto featured on Wikipedia. His name is  Charles De Lacy. The Wikipedia result is here.

De Lacy attracts because he is one those Victorian/Edwardian artists increasingly being recognised. He is a SUNDERLAND lad, right from the centre of the brief. As things were unpacked we have been able to identify 13 De Lacy pieces hitherto not readily found which are in the Tyne Wear collections. As I write two are now on Wiki Commons and one will be shown.

To make sense of one particular item archives 450/1 I made up a table. It is beautifully bound but random compilation of Armstrong Whitworth launch ephemera from the turn of the 19th/20 centuries.


Index Name    Navy and name as in 450/1    Date of Launch    Artist    Note
673    Torpedo Boat Destroyer 673    1899 May 6th    None   
674    Torpedo Boat Destroyer 674    1899 June 28th    None   
ABDUL HAMID    Imperial Ottoman Cruiser    1903 Sept 25th     None   
ACHILLES    HMS Achilles    1905 June 17th    None   
ADVENTURE    HMS Adventure    1904 Sept 8th    B Woodrow   
AFRIDI    HMS Afridi    1907 May 8th    None   I think   
ALBANY    USN Albany    1899 Jan 14th    None   
AMETHYST    HMS Amethyst    1903 Nov 5th    B Woodrow   
ASAMA    HIJMS Asama    1898 March 22nd     J J Jelley   
ATTENTIVE    HMS Attentive    1904 Nov 22nd    B Woodrow   
BAHIA    Brazilean scout    1909 Jan 20th    Charles De Lacy    two images
CONSTITUCION    Chilean Battleship Constitucion    1903 Jan 12th    B Woodrow   
D CARLOS 1     Royal Portugese D Carlos 1    1898 May 5th    J J Jelley   
EIDSVOLD    Royal Norwegian Eidsvold    1900 June 14th    None   
ERTHOGROUL    HIM The Sultan of Turkey Yacht Erthogroul    1903 December 30th    B Woodrow   
HAI CHI    HICMS Hai Chi    1898 Jan 24    J J Jelley   
HAI TIEN    HICMS Hai Tien    1897 Nov 26    None   
HAMPSHIRE    HMS Hampshire    1903 Sept 24th    B Woodrow   
HATSUSE    HIJMS Hatsuze    1899 June 27th    J J Jelley   
IDZUMO    HIJMS Idzumo    1899 Sept 19th    J J Jelley   
INVINCIBLE    HMS Invincible    1907 April 13th    Charles De Lacy 1783 + 1907    two images
IWATE    HIJMS Iwate    1900 March 29th    J J Jelley   
JENERAL BAQUEDANO    Chilean Training Ship Jeneral Baquedano    1898 July 5th    J J Jelley   
JULY THE FOURTH    ????? July The Fourth    1898 July 4th    J J Jelley   
KASHIMA    HIJMS Kashima battleship    1905 March 22nd    B Woodrow   
LANCASTER    HMS Lancaster    1902 March 22nd    B Woodrow   
MINAS GERAES    Brazilean Battleship Minas Geraes    1908 September 10th    Charles De Lacy     two images  Discovery of Brazil and Minas Geraes
NORGE    Royal Norwegian Norge    1900 March 31st    Swainse and J J Jelley   
PARANA    Argentine gunboat Parana    1908 April 28th    Charles De Lacy   
ROSARIO    Argentine armoured gunboat Rosario    1908 July 28th    Charles De Lacy   
SEUGHUDLU    HIM The Sultan of Turkey State Barge    1903 Sept 25th     None   
SUPERB    HMS Superb    1907 Nov 7    Charles De Lacy    three images
TOKIWA    HIJMS Tokiwa    1898 July 6th    J J Jelley   
               
 and  there is item 696-7-5    Elswick 1911 and the Chao Ho  signed      Charles De Lacy    .


Loads of questions remain. Flesh to be put on  J J Jelley and B Woodrow. If you can help do react.

There is going to be a final wrap up event for Tyne & Wear Archives and Museums staff, volunteers. The official notice says "Wednesday 26 June, 2-3pm, Discovery Archives Education Room: Robert Forsythe - Looking forward: TWAM and Wikimedia This session brings to a close Robert's Wikimedian Residency. Robert will share with us his key findings, talk about the collections research which he has enabled and suggest next steps for TWAM and Wikimedia."