Pentland Road - 2

This is the full story, as told on this blog in five parts between 6pm on December 31st and 9am on January 1st. It is Hogmanay 1918, and the war has been over for seven weeks. Survivors from the Western Front and the war at sea are flocking home. As are hundreds of sailors from the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Three trains pull into the harbourside station at Kyle of Lochalsh, and hundreds pour onto the platform and adjoining quayside to join a ferry home. The Skye men can take the short hop to Kyleakin, or join the steamer north to Portree. The sailors and soldiers from the Outer Hebrides have a longer journey ahead of them. The mailsteamer for Stornoway, the Sheila is alongside at Kyle, but it very rapidly becomes clear that she has nowhere near enough space to accommodate the hundreds that want to go home to Lewis and Harris. So, a cable is sent to the naval base at Stornoway, and Rear Admiral Boyle sends HMY Iolaire to Kyle to relieve th...

It is just after 9 o'clock, and the sun rises over the mountains of mainland Scotland. Its light sweeps west, and shows up a ship's mast protruding from the sea, only a few dozen yards from the shore of Holm Point. The figure of a man can be made out, as he holds on for dear life. As he has done for nigh upon seven hours. Others had been with him, but their strength had given out, and had fallen into the sea below. The man is saved from his precarious position. He had been one of about three hundred on board Iolaire who had left Kyle the evening before, expecting to arrive in Stornoway at 2 am. Instead, two hundred would never return home, and some sixty would never be retrieved. A gruesome sight presented itself on the shores, beaches and rocky outcrops of eastern Lewis, around the bay of Stornoway. East to Knock, north to Sandwick and Stornoway, south to Grimshader. One hundred and forty bobbed on the tide, lost in the Iolaire . Those that could ...

Iolaire was mortally damaged by her grounding, and would eventually slip from the rocks and sink into the depths beside the Beasts of Holm. Only her mast would be left showing above the waves. Flares were let off, which were spotted by the fishing boat and the Sheila , which were running into Stornoway behind Iolaire. Conditions, however, were too severe for any direct help to be offered by any vessel, as they would place themselves into severe danger. One intrepid man managed to bring a hawser ashore, which was to become a literal lifeline for nearly four dozen souls. Others attempted to use the lifeboats, which were almost immediately swamped by the heavy swell, or smashed on the rocks nearby. For Iolaire only grounded about 50 yards from shore. Those who jumped into the sea drowned almost at once, or were smashed onto the rocks, left lifeless. A life-saving apparatus, a breeches' buoy, which had been brought from Stornoway, came way too late to be usefu...

Conditions in the Minch are now poor, and all on board Iolaire are glad that the journey is nearly over. The passengers, most of them familiar with the passage to Stornoway, are snoozing their way, lulled to slumber by the steady if roughish motion of the waves that Iolaire rides. The captain goes down below to rest, his second-in-command takes over on the bridge. A fishing boat is also on its way home to Stornoway, and is running a broadly parallel course to Iolaire . The passengers can now see the lights of Stornoway ahead, as well as the familiar signal of the Arnish Lighthouse and its secondary beacon. All begin to stir and start to prepare for disembarkation, which is now only about a quarter of or half an hour away. But all is not well. The sound of waves striking shore becomes audible over the noise of wind and swell. The next noise is a far greater one. Iolaire changes course abruptly, as the crew realise they have overshot the harbour entrance. B...

The year 1918 is drawing to a close and Big Ben in London is about to start striking the midnight hour. Six hundred miles to the north, HMY Iolaire is ploughing her way north through the Minch, passing between Raasay, Rona and the Scottish mainland. The weather, which had been reasonable upon departure from Kyle, is turning increasingly windy. A heavy swell is beginning to rise in response to the strong southerly wind. The lighthouses, which serve as reference points for mariners in the Minch, blink their messages to Iolaire . Milaid, on the rocky cliffs near Kebock Head; Rona; Tiumpan Head on the eastern extremity of the Point Peninsula; and Arnish, near the entrance to Stornoway Harbour. In dozens of houses in Lewis, glasses are charged to the New Year. The last year of war is ending. Dry clothes are draped over beds, a stew is heating over the fire. In the blackhouses in Ness, and the town houses of Stornoway. A kettle is at the ready on the stove. A plate, ...

It is Hogmanay 1918, and the war has been over for seven weeks. Survivors from the Western Front and the war at sea are flocking home. As are hundreds of sailors from the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Three trains pull into the harbourside station at Kyle of Lochalsh, and hundreds pour onto the platform and adjoining quayside to join a ferry home. The Skye men can take the short hop to Kyleakin, or join the steamer north to Portree. The sailors and soldiers from the Outer Hebrides have a longer journey ahead of them. The mailsteamer for Stornoway, the Sheila is alongside at Kyle, but it very rapidly becomes clear that she has nowhere near enough space to accommodate the hundreds that want to go home to Lewis and Harris. So, a cable is sent to the naval base at Stornoway, and Rear Admiral Boyle sends HMY Iolaire to Kyle to relieve the congestion. Iolaire, the former private steamyacht Amalthea, arrives in the early evening, bumping into the pier as she dock...

On 20 April 1917, the converted trawler HMT Ruthin Castle was torpedoed east of Middlesbrough. The 275 ton vessel went down with the loss of 9 hands. Her wreck was dived in 2003 by the late Carl Racey, and her bell was retrieved. One of the casualties came from Barra (James Galbraith), I give details: Leading Deckhand JAMES GALBRAITH Seumas Iain Néill Iain Mhóir Son of Neil Galbraith, of Allasdale, Isle of Barra. Last known address in Barra: Cleat Service unit: Royal Naval Reserve, HMT Ruthin Castle Service number: 882/SD Date of death: 21 April 1917 Ship sunk by mine laid by UC-50 off Skinningrove, east of Middlesbrough Interred: Tynemouth (Preston) Cemetery, C. C. 9583 Local memorial: Barra & Vatersay The Castle Bell shop in Ruthin (North Wales) was in touch to say that they have the bell on display in their shop. They have very kindly shared these images of the display. The below image shows the bell being retrieved from the sea in 2003

On 9 June 1888, Annie Macleod, living in the village of Knock, Point (in Lewis), gave birth to another child, Donald. He was the sixth, and not the last child. Two more followed, and by the start of 1894, eight children, varying in ages from 1 to 15 years, crowded into the dwelling. It drove the father, Hector, to distraction, to such an extent that he ended his life in September that year. Three months later, Annie also passed away. The eight youngsters were taken into the care of the Quarrier Homes in Glasgow, and emigrated to Canada two years later. Donald signed up for the Canadian Expeditionary Force at Calgary in October 1914, and was injured during the Battle of the Somme. He was transferred to War Hospital at Napsbury, where he passed away on 4 August 1916, at 9.45pm. Due to an error in the paperwork, his remains were transferred to Benbecula, rather than Lewis, and the next-of-kin notified. The next of kin was thought to be Alex Macleod of Gramsdale, but when Alex came t...

This year, 2016, will see the centenary of two major battles during the First World War. The first is the Battle of Jutland, 31st May, the second is the start of the Battle of the Somme. Jutland took place at sea, and led to victory for the Royal Navy, confining the German Hochseeflotte to port, apart from their U-boats. Although the Somme started on July 1st, 1916, it ground on for months, leading to a paltry gaining of territory against terrible, terrible loss of life. The sister blog to Pentland Road, Centenary of Sacrifice , has been running for nearly two years now, and will mention the names of the losses from the islands in both battles on May 31st and July 1st - and beyond. Lest we forget

This is an amended repost of an original entry, which I made on 16 October 2013 . Gallipoli, known in Turkish as Çanakkale, which lies at the entrance to the Dardanelles Strait, west of Istanbul. In 1915, this was the site of a nine-month battle between Allied and Turkish forces. The Allies, including a large contingent of Australian and New Zealand (ANZAC) forces, were trying to capture the fortresses and thereby the Dardanelles Strait, opening up a way to Constantinople (as Istanbul was known then) and a way to take Turkey out of the First World War. Poor intelligence is quoted as one of the reasons for the catastrophic failure of the Allies to achieve their aims. Both sides lost a quarter of a million lives. The names Gallipoli and Dardanelles now live on with a shadow over them. Among the Allied casualties were (at least) twelve men from the Isle of Lewis. This post is a salute to the Fallen of Gallipoli, particularly to the twelve men from Lewis, whom I list below. ...

On this day, four sailors from Barra, Eriskay and Vatersay were lost in the sinking of SS Bagdale . The steamer was heading from the Clyde to Naples, when she was sunk by U-boat UC-66 off Ushant, Brittany, France, with the loss of 23 lives. UC-66 was lost about six weeks after the sinking of the Bagdale , on 12 June 1917. The story is that she was forced to dive and when she was depth-charged by HMT Sea King , her own mines blew up. Like in the sinking of the Bagdale , 23 lives were lost with UC-66, among them her captain, Herbert Pustkuchen. Sailor John Macdonald At the age of 17 Iain Néill Ghréitheir Son of Neil MacDonald, of No. 14, Cleat, Barra, Oban, Scotland. Born at Barra. Last known address in Barra: Cleat Service unit: Merchant Navy, SS Bagdale Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial Local memorial: Barra & Vatersay Sailor John Macdougall At the age of 20 Son of Effie McDougall (nee McInnes), of Coilleac, Eriskay, South Uist, Inverness, and the late Donard McDougall. ...

One hundred years after the day on which they fell, Centenary of Sacrifice will publish the names of those from the Western Isles, from the Butt of Lewis to Vatersay, who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of King and Country during the First World War. The project will run by means of scheduled blogposts, and will continue until 1 January 2019, the centenary of the Iolaire Disaster.

Armistice Day is nearly upon us, and I feel it is appropriate to post a reminder of my links that commemorate the Fallen from the Outer Hebrides in both World Wars. Centenary of Sacrifice is an on-going project, which will post the names of all the Fallen from these islands on the date, 100 years later, on which they died. Isle of Lewis Faces from the Lewis War Memorial A listing of the casualties from Lewis from WW1. Lewismen lost in the Great War A listing of the casualties from Lewis from WW1, including all available information (e.g. images of war graves, transcript of Stornoway Gazette tributes etc). Roll of Honour, Isle of Lewis 1914-1919 A transcript of Loyal Lewis, Roll of Honour, listing all from the island who served during WW1 Tributes for the War Memorial A transcript of tributes from the Stornoway Gazette to WW1 casualties from Lewis Tributes for the War Memorial (WW2) A transcript of tributes from the Stornoway Gazette to WW2 casualties from Lewis...

One of my two sites showing the casualties from the First World War from Lewis has been extensively revamped, and updated with references to the Lewis War Memorial. Faces from the Lewis War Memorial shows this information now. The more detailed listings on Lewismen lost in the Great War do (as yet) not. A literal transcript of Loyal Lewis Roll of Honour 1914-1918 has been placed on line. This includes transcripts of all the prefaces by the district school head masters, and features on (groups of) military men. The original can be viewed on this link .

The war memorial for North Uist at Clachan lists Thomas Coull, Fairfield Works as one of the casualties from the First World War. Although he is referred to as a private, it soon becomes clear that he was a civilian. The Fairfield Works was a shipyard in Govan, Glasgow. Thomas's death certificate says he was an iron driller at the yard, living at 1269 Govan Road. He was aged 23, the son of James and Sarah-Ann Coull. Thomas died at 11.55pm on 1 June 1915, having suffered from meningitis for eight days. His death was reported by his brother Duncan. Thomas also had a brother, Frank, who had joined the Royal Engineers. He died in military hospital at Etaples, on the northwestern coast of France, in 1919. Research into Frank Coull yielded the census return for 1901 from which the above information on Thomas was corroborated. Frank appears in the 1901 census aged 17, a game watcher, the son of James (48) and Sarah Ann (47) and brother of Rhoda (15), William James (13) and Duncan ...

98 years ago today saw the start of the Battle of the Somme , which was to last into the middle of November 1916. The death toll on both sides exceeded 1 million. Of those that died on the first day of the battle, 25 came from the island of Lewis, and this post remembers them. Private Malcolm Campbell Last address in Lewis: 26 Cross Son of Donald and Catherine Campbell, of Cross Service unit: 2nd Seaforth Highlanders Service number: 3/7308 Killed in action on the Somme at the age of 22 Interred: Serre Road Cemetery no 2, grave I. K. 6. Local memorial: North Lewis, Cross Private Kenneth Graham Last address in Lewis: Aird Dell Son of Catherine Graham, of Aird, South Dell Service unit: 2nd Seaforth Highlanders Service number: 3/7457 Killed in action on the Somme at the age of 19 Memorial: Thiepval Memorial, Pier and Face 15C Local memorial: North Lewis, Cross Private Malcolm Gunn Last address in Lewis: 15 Eorodale Service unit: 2nd Seaforth Highlanders Service numb...

Crossposted from Atlantic Lines This evening, I found a comment, made on one of my local history sites by a Danish man who had visited the Outer Hebrides. Upon crossing North Uist, he visited the cemetery of Clachan Sands, about 6 miles west of Lochmaddy on the road to Berneray. I visited that graveyard in July 2009 and photographed the gravestone of Ewen Nicholson, who was lost during the First World War. An image of the actual gravestone in the Railway Dugouts Cemetery can be viewed on this link . My Danish correspondent researched the fate of Ewen, displaying some very graphic and gruesome images of conditions on the frontline. I have looked into Ewen Nicholson's information and came out with the following: Ewen Nicholson Born: Grimsay, North Uist Date of birth: 29 May 1892 Trade / calling: Labourer Married: No Volunteered at Valcartier on 23 September 1914 Age upon enlistment: 22 years 4 months Height: 5 ft 10¼ in Complexion: fresh Eyes: light brown Hair: brown...

Saddler PHILIP MACLEOD Last address in Lewis: Golf House Stenish, Son of Roderick McLeod, of Sandwick Hill, North St., Stornoway, Isle of Lewis. Service unit: 123rd Bty. 28th Bde. Royal Field Artillery Service number: 54183 Enlisted at Richmond, Yorkshire Date of death: 26 August 1914 at the age of 27 Killed in action Interred: Troisville Communal Cemetery, Sp. Mem Local memorial: Lewis War Memorial Killed during retreat from Mons. First Lewisman to fall in the War Philip is shown in the 1891 census at 8 North Road, Skipsea, Yorkshire. He is aged 3, the son of Roderick (36) and Jean (35) and brother to Christina (12), Kenneth (9), Roderick (6) and Catherine (3 months). His brothers Roderick and Kenneth both served in the Royal Navy; his brother Angus was in the Ross Mountain Battery. These three survived the war.

Twenty-one Lewismen were lost on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, today in 1916. Private MALCOLM CAMPBELL, Seaforth Highlanders, 26 Cross aged 22 Private KENNETH GRAHAM, Seaforth Highlanders, Aird Dell aged 19 Private MALCOLM GUNN, Seaforth Highlanders, 15 Eorodale Lance-Corporal DONALD MACARTHUR, Seaforth Highlanders, 29 Breasclete aged 19 Private ALLAN MACDONALD, Seaforth Highlanders, 18 Habost, Ness aged 19 Company Sergeant-Major MURDO MACGREGOR, Seaforth Highlanders, 12C Tolsta Chaolais aged 30 Private JOHN DUNCAN MACKAY, Seaforth Highlanders, 8 Kershader aged 19 Private WILLIAM J MACKAY, Seaforth Highlanders, 20 Adabrock aged 19 Private EVANDER MACKENZIE, Seaforth Highlanders, 5 Upper Garrabost aged 19 Private JOHN MACRAE MACKENZIE, Highland Light Infantry, 26 James Street, Stornoway aged 25 Private WILLIAM MACKENZIE, Seaforth Highlanders, 1A Mid Borve aged 19 Private ALEX MACLEOD, Seaforth Highlanders, 30 Lower Garrabost aged 23 Lance-Corporal ANGUS MACLEOD...

In the Royal Naval Cemetery at Lyness in Orkney you will find 21 gravestones dedicated to "Known unto God", for a man who served on HMS Hampshire . The warship foundered off Skaill Bay on the west coast of Orkney in a severe gale in June 1916, thought to have struck a mine. Three named stones associated with the sinking of that ship are present in that cemetery. HMS Hampshire also carried Lord Kitchener, the Secretary of State for War. He was among the dead, but his body was never recovered. Only 12 survived. Today is 96 years ago since the sinking of HMS Hampshire. This post is dedicated to the memory of those lost in her.