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Adventures of the Famine Diver, William Campbell by Roy Stokes

– a man who lived more lives than one, and on opposite sides of the world –

William Campbell (1813-1894) lived more lives than one and on different continents too. His story stands out even in the context of a time when millions of people were on the move, criss-crossing the globe in search of a livelihood. His life is now the subject of a book by maritime historian, Roy Stokes and it is a story that is well told.

It begins in Portpatrick, Scotland before finding himself in Ireland, travelling through the country during one of the darkest periods in its history – the famine years that spanned 1845 to 1852. He served in a programme of public works that saw the building of fishing piers and harbours, in an attempt to create employment and alleviate suffering caused by starvation and want. Coastlines around Cork, Galway, Waterford, Wexford are where Campbell’s multi-talents were employed and still on view today. Diving was a skill that he became particularly known for, earning him many accolades.

Later, he would become Superintendent of Works at Kingstown (now Dún Laoghaire) Harbour in County Dublin – then one of the biggest harbours in Europe. Shipwrecks and other calamities feature during this period of his life, in addition to regattas and royal visits that were also part of the fare. This was also the time when the US Civil War (1861-1865) reached Ireland’s shores, as Union ships chased Confederate blockade runners up and down the Irish Channel.

In 1864, Campbell with his family, suddenly and inexplicably upped stakes in Ireland and travelled, by various adventures, to the other side of the world: a journey concluding at Streaky Bay near Adelaide in South Australia, where he is commemorated to this day in street names and in the documented history of a community where his descendants continue to reside.