Brian Masterson (1875-1919?) was a noted entrepreneur, photographer and humanitarian. Born in Mulranny, near Achill Island, Co. Mayo, Ireland to JJ and Elsie (nee Barrett) Masterson. Little is known of Masterson's early life. After leaving school at sixteen, he began and quickly left a number of jobs - storehand, apprentice carpenter, baker - before emigrating to London in 1901-02. It was here that his name first began to be mentioned in the newspapers of the day.

Life and Work

Early Career

He emerged as a "natural photographer" when he popularised the art of potholing - the journey through the old mines and cave structures across the north of England. While not one of the leading lights of the movement, he became one of it's more recognised names by his pioneering use of photography while underground. These images of light-filled caverns and the craggy faces of the miners show a technical mastery and the beginnings of his social commentary. The popularity of these scenes made him into something of a society photographer, and he earned a significant amount of money from portraiture of London's rich and famous. (An image of his of Sir Henry Morton Stanley - who on finding David Livingstone stated, Dr.Livingstone I presume - has become the most recognised potrait of the explorer and journalist). Growing tired of the easy life, Masterson applied for (but did not make) the crew of Captain Scott's ill-fated 1909 Antarctic expedition. A few short months after this disappointment and amidst rumours of inappropriate behaviour with the niece of the Russian ambassador, he disappeared from London.

The Missing Years

It has been claimed (though there is no definitive proof) that Masterson joined the Merchant Marine under a pseudonym. From this time there are promotional photo's issued by the Silverline Merchant Marine Company of England from 1908 which are taken by a Robert Ishmael Masters, but which exhibit the style of his earlier photography. As well as the typical promotional images that would be expected, the Silverline Company records (held by the Thomson family archive, Sunderland, England) include a large number of documentary-style images of some of the far-flung destinations to which the company operated - New Zealand, Rhodesia, Venezuela. There is also a record in the company archives of testimony given by a B.I. Masters, Marconi Radio Operator, at the parliamentary investigation into the tragedy of the sinking of the RMS Titanic (it was at this investigation that a recommendation was made that the Marconi radio on larger ships should be manned at all times. This was based on the fact that the SS Californian, which was the closest ship to the tragedy, did not respond as it's radio was not manned on that evening).

Reappearance

Masterson's next confirmed appearance is in 1913 in the Dutch East Indies. His name is recorded under two headings: firstly in the setting up of a hotel in the ancient capital of Yogyakarta in southern Java, and secondly in several articles in local papers which refer to meetings organised in support of the Ethical Policy on the island. Introduced in 1901, this Dutch provision included for investment in indigenous education, and modest political reforms. It was in the promotion of these reforms that Masterson gained local attention. (In 1949 when Indonesia gained independence from Dutch rule, a street in the capital Jakarta was named after Masterson. This area was subsequently remodelled during the Tiger Economy years of the early 1990's, and the name no longer exists). A better judge of photograph than he was of business associates, the hotel was closed by the Dutch authorities in 1915 when Masterson's partner in the venture was charged with Immoral Behaviour and the Illegal Importation of Livestock - a charge that at that time carried a mandatory five year prison sentance. It was only through Masterson's friendship with governor-general J.B. van Heutsz that he was saved from a lengthy spell in prison, although he was advised to leave the country.

The Last Crusade

Masterson's final appearance occurs in the reporting of the Civil War in Russia in 1919. The war broke out almost immediately after the collapse of the provisional government and the Bolshevik takeover of Petrograd. Although several countries had troops involved in the conflict, the main fighting was between the Red Army (the Communist forces) and the loosely-allied White Army (the anti-Bolshevik forces).

Shaped by his time amongst the miners of the north of England and increasingly anti-capitalist after his years with the indigenous peoples of the southern hemisphere, Masterson used his contacts to become a correspondant for the London Observer. While the newspaper was mainly right-leaning in its readership, Masterson's reports were strongly supportive of the Bolshevik cause. In 1919 he made one final trip to London and Dublin for an exhibition of his photographs from Russia. Masterson's last reports, dated August 1919 from Odessa in the Crimea, detail the battles being fought between the Bolsheviks and the Western forces that landed from the Black Sea.

Although his body was never identified, Masterson's name appears on the walls of the Memorial to the Bolshevik War Dead in the Crimean city of Sebastopol. A commemorative plaque has also been placed on Masterson's birthplace in Ros Galliv, Mulranny.