Brass, boatsand big questions
Meet one of the most intriuging residents of our Shipwreck! Gallery - a mysterious brass instrument recovered from the wreck of the 'Kyarra', an Australian ship torpedoed off Swanage in 1918.
Long thought to be a humble euphonium, this instrument has been hiding a much bigger story.
Thanks to some seriously impressive detective work by Finlay, our Heritage Collections and Engagement Employability placement student from the University of Southampton (who also happens to play Bass Trombone), its true identity has come to light.
The instrument has now been reidentified as a rare E‑flat bombardon - an older name for a tuba, and a much larger and rarer beast than first thought.
By carefully piecing together worn inscriptions, factory production records, historic photographs and international museum archives, Finlay's research has been able to trace the instrument’s story from a London workshop in 1917 to its watery fate during the First World War.
Along the way, Finlay uncovered fascinating connections to Australian brass bands, the world‑famous instrument makers Boosey & Co., and the highly skilled craftspeople whose specialist work quite literally made the instrument sing.
Names of polishers, grinders and makers emerge from the archives, offering a rare glimpse into the people behind the music and the global journey of British‑made instruments in the early twentieth century.
There are even tantalising clues suggesting the bombardon was bound for Australia when disaster struck - possibly as cargo for sale or as the prized possession of someone onboard the Kyarra.
Curious to know how a musical instrument ended up on a torpedoed ship, and what secrets its inscriptions revealed once they were cleaned and deciphered? Read the full research document to discover the bombardon’s remarkable journey and uncover the evidence behind the change in object label.