Cochrane Blog Posts from the NMS
In order to coincide with their Admiral Cochrane: The Real Master and Commander exhibition the National Museums of Scotland have recently published two blog posts on Cochrane.
Admiral Cochrane: entrepreneurial engineer
By Desmond Thomas, Volunteer, National War Museum
"The idea that a great naval hero such as Admiral Cochrane could simultaneously be the type of man who might work by flickering light on some far fetched idea in his garden shed was one that greatly intrigued me.
Those familiar with Admiral Cochrane will be aware of his ‘secret war plans’ which advocated the use of chemical warfare against Britain’s enemies but the wide range of subject matter his projects touched upon proved surprising. Some of the things he worked on included street lighting, rotary steam engines, practical uses for bitumen, air compression in tunnel construction, pipe laying, smoke/gas extracting machines and screw propellers."
Charting a heroic career: Cochrane and his archive
By Dr Tristram Clarke, National Records of Scotland
"One of the best things about being part of the exhibition team for Admiral Cochrane, the Real Master and Commander has been the chance to delve into Cochrane’s rich collection of personal papers. They form the major part of the family papers of the Earls of Dundonald in the National Records of Scotland, which is a partner in the exhibition.
You don’t have to know much about Cochrane to be aware that he packed a lot into a long and almost incredible life. The highs and lows of his career as a naval officer and politician, and his life as an inventor and family man, are all documented in his personal archive."
The latter post is particularly interesting as it happens to be written by a man who is the great-great-great-great-nephew of the heraldic official who carried out the "midnight degradation" when Cochrane was stripped of the Order of the Bath. How about that?!
Admiral Cochrane: entrepreneurial engineer
By Desmond Thomas, Volunteer, National War Museum
"The idea that a great naval hero such as Admiral Cochrane could simultaneously be the type of man who might work by flickering light on some far fetched idea in his garden shed was one that greatly intrigued me.
Those familiar with Admiral Cochrane will be aware of his ‘secret war plans’ which advocated the use of chemical warfare against Britain’s enemies but the wide range of subject matter his projects touched upon proved surprising. Some of the things he worked on included street lighting, rotary steam engines, practical uses for bitumen, air compression in tunnel construction, pipe laying, smoke/gas extracting machines and screw propellers."
Charting a heroic career: Cochrane and his archive
By Dr Tristram Clarke, National Records of Scotland
"One of the best things about being part of the exhibition team for Admiral Cochrane, the Real Master and Commander has been the chance to delve into Cochrane’s rich collection of personal papers. They form the major part of the family papers of the Earls of Dundonald in the National Records of Scotland, which is a partner in the exhibition.
You don’t have to know much about Cochrane to be aware that he packed a lot into a long and almost incredible life. The highs and lows of his career as a naval officer and politician, and his life as an inventor and family man, are all documented in his personal archive."
The latter post is particularly interesting as it happens to be written by a man who is the great-great-great-great-nephew of the heraldic official who carried out the "midnight degradation" when Cochrane was stripped of the Order of the Bath. How about that?!