This letter is a photographed copy of a typed transcript of an original. It is dated 28 March 1962 and was written by Ian F. Sloane Esq. of Savernake Station, NSW. Sloane’s great uncle, Hugh Gibson, was the owner of Glenample Station, Vic., where Eva Carmichael stayed to recuperate from her ordeal as the only female survivor of the LOCH ARD shipwreck in 1878. The letter is in reply to an earlier inquiry for information about the LOCH ARD tragedy from Alasdair Loch, 10 Beaconsfield Parade, Lindfield NSW. Most of the letter consists of tantalising asides: about trips to Glenample in 1916 and 1917 and the digging up of an old piano at Loch Ard Gorge; the possession of his uncle’s personal account of the shipwreck and its aftermath; the existence of a painting of Eva when she was staying at the Glenample homestead in 1878; and the disputed ownership of “a very old black iron box” containing letters from relatives of the shipwreck victims (who Hugh Gibson had written to advising of their unhappy fate). Unfortunately the letter, written in haste prior to Sloane’s departure overseas, contains no substantive information. However it concludes with an interesting footnote concerning Eva’s emotional recovery at Glenample. Sloane’s postscript states: “Miss Carmichael was very well after the wreck, full of fun and laughter, until she suddenly cracked, and had a nervous breakdown…Mrs Gibson…got a young girl, the same age as Eva, as her companion[…She] proved trumps and saved Eva’s mind. They became lifelong friends. Both wrote to my aunt till they died. Miss Carmichael stayed about 6 months at Glenample I think.” The shipwreck of the LOCH ARD is of State significance ― Victorian Heritage Number S417A photographic copy of a typed letter-transcript. The original letter was written to Alasdair Loch, Lindfield NSW, and is from Ian F. Sloane Esq. of Savernake Station NSW. It is dated 28 March 1962 and is two pages long.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, letter, alasdair loch, ian f sloane, sloane, loch ard, hugh gibson, eva carmichael, glenample station, tom pearce, glenample homestead