David Lingard
So what is Dartmouth Museum all about?
It’s a small, fascinating collection in an old merchant's house, built in 1640. There are over 15 thousand historic artefacts with models, paintings and photographs. There are, as you might expect, a lot of maritime and military links with a tapestry about the town’s contribution to D-Day in 1944.
How long have you been involved with the museum?
Nearly 20 years.
Why did you want to sign up?
Although a Naval Officer and Engineer, I’m a frustrated historian at heart. We weren’t given the choice to learn history at O Level when I was a boy. I would have loved it.
Is it hard work?
Well, there’s a lot to think about, it’s not just showing off a few historical artifacts to visitors! I have to keep on top of the finance, historical records and health and safety and access issues. We have National Accreditation to achieve and maintain. This is the same one the V&A and others have to complete. The submissions are incredibly complex – the main one being over 75 pages long.
How many volunteers do you have?
There are about 300 members on the books and 70 are active.
Are there specific roles?
We have some clearly defined jobs like treasurer and education officer. People tend to stick to the things they enjoy and become very good at, for example the education officer is a retired teacher. Some just like to pop in and keep things neat and tidy, others enjoy updating the records, we have a couple who like running the shop. That’s the beauty of this place, no one is made to come – we are all volunteers and turn up because we want to, so there’s a great atmosphere.
Do you get a lot of school visits?
Yes. There’s plenty for children to do here - they can be placed in the stocks, search for answers to questionnaires or look through the microscopes and open drawers to see what artefacts are inside.
Tell us about the Jesse Room…
It has a Tree of Jesse in plasterwork on the ceiling - which is a genealogy of Jesus. It’s thought to be the only one of its kind made of plaster and is of international importance. It was probably created by Italian craftsmen in the 1640s and managed to survive the Civil War. A World War Two bomb brought it to the floor in 1944, but the Borough Surveyor painstakingly put it back together.
What did you used to do?
I was in the Royal Navy. I joined when I was 18 because I wanted to see the world. Back then people didn’t travel as they do now! I trained at Dartmouth’s Royal Naval College. My first job was a Deputy Weapons Engineer and I went to the Mediterranean, South America and the Far East. I experienced the Cold War and the Falklands War. My wife was a physiotherapist so on occasions she came with me and worked where ever I was posted which included two years in Canada. We moved to Dartmouth in 1977.
Do you volunteer anywhere else?
I’m the vice chairman of the Naval College Museum, and I sort out the admin for a scuba diving club but I have done several other things including welfare with the Royal British Legion.
So you dive?
I have done since I was young. I learnt in the Navy. We would dive from ships, there were some great spots in Turkey where I worked for three years. I had to stop a couple of years ago, due to health issues, but I hope to return to the water. I still have all my diving gear hanging up in the garage!
What else do you do when you aren’t at the museum?
We have a vintage sports car which I rebuilt between 1998 and 2004; I bought it in 1963 for £6! It’s designed for the leafy streets of Surrey really, not the tiny back roads of Dartmouth but I do take it out from time to time. We have been down to the Eden Project in it. We also built a small sports car from a kit as a family project. That was in 1990 and it still runs well now!
What is your guilty pleasure?
Getting away from it all. We like to go to Tenerife. We are heading over there in November.
What’s your favourite thing to do in Dartmouth?
In the past it was definitely diving. There are some great spots around here with amazing underwater scenery. The wrecks and cold-water corals near Brixham kept me entertained for hours! There are also some wonderful walks in the area.
If you would like to volunteer in the museum, just drop in during opening hours and collect an application form.
First published By The Dart May 2018 Issue
