The Errol Flynn Blog

Below is a piece written about the sword. There are So many mistakes in this piece that Steve and I are taking the writer to task about it. As yet like with anything these days leave me a message and I will get back to you. And they never do so another phone call is warranted ASAP. I hate that so called un authorities can write such trash. Living in Hobart for many years we got to interview and talk to people that knew of Errol’s younger days. Just read the piece and see the mistakes for yourselves
JANUARY 22 2022 – 5:00AM
Captain Blood’s sword a thing of myth and legend
• Chris Michaels
Local News

OH ERROL: City of Launceston mayor Albert van Zetten and QVMAG senior curator of public history Jon Addison show off the sword. Picture: Phillip Biggs
Myths surrounding secret tunnels and a British military sword from the 1820s supposedly belonging to Tasmanian-born Hollywood star Errol Flynn have been well and truly busted by the diligent team at the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery.
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Well, almost.
City of Launceston mayor Albert van Zetten and the Art Gallery’s senior curator of public history Jon Addison were on hand on Friday at the QVMAG to show off the sword purported to have been owned by one of Flynn’s ancestors.
“As we head into 2022 there was a recent discussion in the office about what we’d like to see come to an end this year,” Mr Addison said.
“Obviously, the pandemic was a popular answer, as was conflict, poverty, and Channel Nine’s Married at First Sight.
“I have some historic bugbears that consistently get my goat that I’d like us to be well and truly rid of in 2022.”
Mr Addison said the myth surrounding the sword had grown over the years, but there was very little factual basis to the yarn.
“There is a story that the museum holds a sword supposedly owned by Errol Flynn, which had been inherited from his father,” he said.
“We are more or less certain that we don’t have Errol Flynn’s family’s sword here. At best, it is very unlikely to have been the sword we have here.
“Mid-shipman traditionally had a shorter sword called a dirk, and even though mid-shipman Young may have been promoted and gained himself an infantry officer’s sword, it’s very unlikely that’s what we would have ended up with.”
The story goes that the sword may have been owned by one of Flynn’s ancestors, a man called Young, who had been one of the soldiers who arrested Governor William Bligh in the 1808 Rum Rebellion.
“The sword that is claimed as being his is of the wrong type and date, and while the soldier named Young was part of the arresting party, there’s little evidence to show Young was related to the Flynns,” Mr Addison said.
“Still, some people continue to insist that QVMAG has Errol Flynn’s sword in its collection, and that the sword was used to arrest William Bligh.”
Apart form the sword, Mr Addison and Cr van Zetten were also on a mission to debunk myths on secret tunnels underneath Launceston, fountains and the famous convict Dicky White.
“One of the most pervasive myths we encounter is the tale of the alleged secret tunnel linking the courthouse building to the old Launceston gaol site,” Mr Addison said.
“Who doesn’t love a secret tunnel? It’s easy to see why this myth continues to be popular, but alas, it isn’t true. There is also a persistent story that the model for Johnnie Walker’s famous ‘Striding Man’ logo was one of Launceston’s most infamous sons, the former convict Dicky White.”
Cr van Zetten said the QVMAG was a fascinating place to explore Tasmania’s vast and unique history.
“Wherever you look in Launceston there are stories just beneath the surface, and they’re often absolutely fascinating,” he said. “We see myths crop up about aspects of the city’s past that seem to linger and live on, even when they’ve been disproven.
“One of the great things about the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery is that it is a hub for historical research in Launceston, and it provides us some wonderful opportunities to find out more of the facts about the city’s past.”

— tassie devil