The above painting dates to 1878 and is by William Ewart Lockhart R.S.A.. It depicts Largo Harbour, full of fishing boats with their sails aloft. The reddish-brown colour of the sails is the result of the white fabric being treated (or barked) with tar to make them more weather-proof. Among the vessels in this scene could well be the Largo-based fishing boat British Queen, registration KY 1419. British Queen was built in early 1877 for David Melville. Melville was born around 1842 and married Elizabeth Ballingall in 1862. He would have been in his mid-thirties when British Queen was completed. Details of her completion and launch at Buckhaven are given below (22 March 1877 Fife Herald). The clinker boat was built at the yard of John Kinnear. At the time it was reportedly the largest boat ever built in Buckhaven.
A few months after the British Queen arrived at Largo, the incident below took place, affecting fellow fisherman David Gillies's boat. In a small insight to fishing boat maintenance, this story tells of a fire resulting from the practice of tarring a boat. On this occasion, disaster was averted by the speedy intervention of fellow fishermen. Before modern varnishes, various tar-based mixtures were used to protect the wood and ropes of fishing boats. Further below is an 1873 painting by Edouard Manet, depicting the tarring process.
The 43-feet British Queen was listed in the Mariners' Almanacs of 1887 and 1889 as still being owned by David Melville. However, the 1895 almanac (see below) recorded a shift in ownership to David Gillies (the fisherman mentioned in the above incident). Tragically, on 24 February 1896, David Melville was drowned in a fishing accident, along with two others - his brother Thomas Melville and his brother-in-law, Thomas Ballingall. The three men were out line fishing in Largo Bay, about 3 miles from shore, in calm seas and little wind. Their 16 feet vessel was found bottom up by the crew of another boat (William and John Ballingall and John Gillies), who righted the upset boat.
The Ballingall/Gillies crew returned to Largo with the only body that could be found, that of Thomas Melville. Clergymen Reverend David Malloch and Reverend William Pulford broke the news to the affected families. David Melville, who was 53, left a family of eight (mostly grown up and including Alexander Kirk Melville). His widow Elizabeth died in September of the same year aged 51. Thomas Ballingall was 38 years old, while Thomas Melville was 40 (both men also had wives and families). The British Queen disappeared from official records shortly afterwards. If you know more about the British Queen or have a photograph of her, please do get in touch.