IT has transpired that a Londonderry Lieutenant, killed at Gallipoli in 1915 was the grandson of one of the pioneers of photography.
Richard Brendan Buchanan, of Chiswick Lodge, Templemore Park in the city was killed aged 21 on June 20, 1915.
Son of R Eccles and Ethel M Buchanan (Nee Williams) , Richard Buchanan had come of age just a month before his death and had received his early education at Foyle College before entering Bedford School and later Edinburgh University Medical School in October 1911.
On the day after the Great War was declared he applied for a commission and was "gazetted" into a lieutenancy.
By the middle of May 1915 he proceeded with the 1st/5th Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers to the Dardanelles and found himself in the trenches.
In St Columb's Cathedral on Sunday, June 27, 1915 reference was made to Lt Buchanan and another Londonderry soldier, Captain EG Harvey who had been killed in France.
The report from the Cathedral service read: "Two brave soldiers lay far apart-Could they doubt with the approach of death, if time and strength allowed, both hearts would turn with instinctive affection to the one point of home and Derry, and both be comforted perhaps by the thoughts that their life's endings was not unworthy of the noble traditions of the city?"
Yet records show that Richard Buchanan's mother was the daughter of Thomas Richard (TR) Williams, forerunner of the press photographer, official photographer to Queen Victoria and lifelong obsession of legendary Queen guitarist Brian May.
Ethel Maud Williams arrived in Londonderry with her brother Herbert in 1882.
On April 4 1891 Ethel Maud was married to Robert Eccles Buchanan, a civil engineer, of Fintona, County Tyrone. Richard Buchanan was born on May 6, 1894 when his parents lived at 12 Harding Street.
Ethel was to live until 1949 and her fellow traveller to Londonderry, her brother Herbert, died in 1934.
Lt Richard Buchanan's Grandfather TR Williams was born in England in 1825 and the first professional record of him comes from 1850 when he set up a photographic business in London.
In 1854, while working for Phillip Henry Delamotte, Williams made his celebrated 'stereograph Daguerreotypes of the Crystal Palace, some three years after it's opening at the Great Exhibition of 1851.
Some commentators consider to be one of the first photographers to record events as they happened, making him a predecessor of the press photographer.
By the mid-1850's TR Williams turned his attention to portrait photography and later on to still lifes, where he achieved the greatest artistic success. However, much of TR's personal history remains elusive.
The tale of Richard Buchanan's link to one of the great innovators of the Victorian era was uncovered by the research of Londonderry historian and author Trevor Temple.
In the course of his research into Lt.Buchanan Trevor discovered that TR Williams was an obsession held by one of the musical worlds best known figure Brian May. May has spent over 30 years researching the life and work of Williams and on a website devoted to the photographic pioneer said: "Williams succeeded on his reputation by word of mouth. His portraits of Royalty, including Queen Victoria and her daughter Princess "Vicky" were evidently highly prized by the Queen herself, who ordered duplicate copies in case they should fade."
Yet, such was the precision and technique of TR Williams that the prints have never faded and are in existence to this day.
Speaking to the Sentinel, Trevor Temple said: "To think that Richard Buchanan, named on the War Memorial was the grandson of TR Williams, official photographer to Queen Victoria is fascinating."
In fact when Trevor discovered that Brian May was interested in TR Williams he emailed the legendary guitarist to tell him.
In response from Brian May he received: "Many thanks Trevor. There is a current branch of the family in Ireland, so this would make sense."
At the end of the 1860s, TR Williams' health deteriorated. He took on a partner, William Mayland, to ensure the continuity of the business, and died shortly afterwards, on April 5, 1871 at his home, Sellers Hall, Finchley. His son Arthur Richard continued the partnership with Mayland for a few years, until its dissolution in 1876.
Through his work, Williams is now widely recognised as pivotal in the history of stereoscopic photography, since his stereo cards were the first examples of photographic art for its own sake ever to achieve wide commercial success.
However, as fascinating as his career is the link through his family to Londonderry and his grandson Richard who died in the heat of battle in 1915.
As late as the 1970's, the Londonderry Sentinel was still recording mentions of the Buchanan's and their military links. On September 19, 1979 the Sentinel carried an obituary on Richard Buchanan's brother, Brigadier Edgar James Bernard Buchanan DSO, born at 12 Harding Street on May 6, 1892-it read: "The death took place at Halesmere, Surrey, of Brigadier EJB Buchanan, a native of Londonderry, who was the elder son of Robert Eccles Buchanan, a well known civil engineer in the city."
As part of the Diamond War Memorial Project, www.diamondwarmemorial.com, contains the records of the 756 names listed on the city's War Memorial. The site will eventually be expanded to contains the names of all those who served from the North west, not just in the Great War but all conflicts during the twentieth century.
The project has been nominated for a prestigious national award and votes are currently being taken to see the project win the prize from the Heritage Lottery Awards.
To vote call 08453861091 or log onto www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards to vote for the project. Voting closes on July 4.