Pentland Road - 2

On June 12, 2020, it will be 80 years since the 51st Highland Division's last stance at St Valery en Caux, northern France. I refer to other sources for a full account of events around that time. This page lists those from the Isle of Lewis who made the supreme sacrifice at or following that action. Company Sergeant-Major JOHN MACLEOD Noidh Mor Last address in Lewis: Hill Street, North Tolsta Son of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth MacLeod; husband of Jessie MacLeod, of North Tolsta Service: 4th Seaforth Highlanders Service number: 2814275 Date of death: 4 June 1940 at the age of 36 Killed in action at St Valery Memorial: Dunkirk, column 124 Mentioned on family gravestone in North Tolsta Cemetery, Lewis Local memorial: North Tolsta View tribute here Private MALCOLM MACKENZIE Last address in Lewis: 14 Aird, Point Son of Norman and Margaret Mackenzie, of Stornoway, Isle of Lewis. Service: 2nd Seaforth Highlanders Service number: 2813466 Date of death: 11 September 1944 a...

Today is the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, which heralded the beginning of the end of the Second World War. Men from the Isle of Lewis were involved in those engagements, and two were lost in Normandy. They gave their today for our tomorrow. RIP. Chief Petty Officer ALEXANDER MORRISON Alec Mhurchie Last address in Lewis: 8 North Tolsta Husband of Mary Morrison, of Stornoway, Isle of Lewis. Service: Naval Auxiliary Personnel (Merchant Navy), HM Rescue Tug Sesame Service number: 1080031 Date of death: 11 June 1944 at the age of 41 Lost off Normandy on ship Memorial: Liverpool Naval, Panel 22, Column 1 Local memorial: North Tolsta View tribute here Fusilier ALEXANDER ROBB Last address in Lewis: 15 Cross Street, Coulregrein Son of Flora Robb, of Stornoway, Isle of Lewis. Service unit: 6th Royal Scots Fusiliers Service number: 2824896 Date of death: 29 June 1944 at the age of 30 Lost in German counter attack at Manvieu Interred: St Manvieu War Cemetery,...

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...

Completed the WW2 listings from the Southern Isles . Barra & Vatersay: 55 (51 served in the Merchant Navy). Benbecula: 6 Berneray: 4 Eriskay: 5 Grimsay: 3 Harris: 62 North Uist: 30 South Uist: 41 Total: 211 (there is a degree of cross-over between the islands) 1939: 4 1940: 44 1941: 36 1942: 25 1943: 19 1944: 20 1945: 11 and 4 died in 1946 and 1947 There are 48 casualties on whom I have very little information. Of the 211 casualties: 121 were in the Merchant Navy 55 were in the Army, of whom 28 in the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders 13 in the RAF 19 in the Royal Navy or Royal Naval Reserves 4 were women

Today in 1944, an armada of ships brought an invasion force to the beaches of Normandy, spelling the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany. After some hard fighting, the march through France, Belgium and Holland did not falter until they reached the Rhine bridge at Arnhem in September that year. A list of those from the Isle of Lewis who fell at Normandy and the month following the invasion. Seaman NORMAN MACDONALD Last address in Lewis: 30 Knock, Carloway Service unit: Royal Navy HMMM 7 Date of death: 07/06/1944 at the age of 34 Killed in action in D-day Invasion of Normandy Chief Petty Officer ALEXANDER MORRISON Last address in Lewis: 8 North Tolsta Service unit: Naval Auxiliary Personnel (Merchant Navy) HMRT Sesame Date of death: 11/06/1944 at the age of 41 Lost off Normandy Private KENNETH JOHN MACDONALD Last address in Lewis: 2/4 Kershader Service unit: 7th Seaforth Highlanders Date of death: 28/06/1944 at the age of 24 Killed in action at Caen, France Fu...

Associated with Fivepenny Pilot Officer DONALD MORRISON MCLENNAN Son of Donald and Jessie McLennan, of 2056 West Thirteenth Street, Vancouver.     Service: Royal Canadian Air Force Service number: J/26332 Date of death: 24 June 1943 at the age of 19 Interred: Burnaby Masonic Cemetery, Plot 12. Sec. G. Grave 1. You may think, what does a Canadian airman do in the listings for Fivepenny, Ness? Well, it was a tribute in the Stornoway Gazette for 20 August 1943 that made the connection - as the father came from Fivepenny. Relatives and friends in the Ness district will regret to learn that P.O. Donald Maclennan, son of Mr and Mrs Donald Maclennan, 2056 West Thirteenth Street, Vancouver, has been killed in a flying accident in Eastern Canada. P.O. Maclennan, 19, was born in Vancouver and attended Lord Tennyson and Kitsilano High Schools and University of British Columbia. He enlisted in the R.C.A.F. in July last year and was later attached to the R.A.F. Ferry Command. M...

There are several names of men who served during WW2, whose links to the Isle of Lewis are not readily recognised. The connection is revealed in the pages of the Stornoway Gazette from the years 1939-1945. So far, I have located four names. Stornoway man, Donald Campbell Smith , late of 14 Point Street died on 6 June 1942, and, as an RAF sergeant, is remembered on the Runnymede Memorial, panel 93. John Macdonald was the son of Donald and Annie Macdonald of 1 Upper Adabrock. He perished in the sinking of HMS Grove on 12 June 1942, aged 27. Murdo Gillies was the son of Donald and Catherine Gillies, of Greenock, previously 36 South Shawbost. He was an artillery man lost during the siege of Tobruk on 30 September 1941, Another Desert Rat was Lieutenant Donald Maciver , son of Donald Maciver (originally of Laxay), latterly of Glasgow. He was serving in the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders when he fell at El Alamein in October 1942.  We will remember them.

The sinking of the Rangitane Stornoway Gazette, 10 January 1941 It should be noted that Alex Macrae died in May 1941 upon returning home. More on his part in the story of the Rangitane in this earlier post on this blog. It was learned in Stornoway on Monday that Mr Alex Macrae, Chief Freezing Engineer on the British merchantman Rangitane, was among the 500 people marooned on Emirau Island, Terr. of New Guinea, by a German raider and rescued by a British ship from Australia. Great anxiety had been felt for Mr Macrae's safety for some weeks, after it became known that his ship had been sunk by an enemy raider in the Pacific. The news that he is safe has given great pleasure to many acquaintances in his native town. Another well known Lewis seaman for whose safety anxiety has recently been felt is Capt Roderick Mackenzie of Sandwick, formerly of the Esperance Bay. Capt Mackenzie retired from the sea and settled down in Australia early in 1940, but the call of his old professio...

The sinking of the Rangitane Stornoway Gazette - 9 May 1941 Every member of the community rejoiced with Mrs Donald Mackay, Lighthouse Road, Portvoller, on receipt of the news that her son, Donald, was among the survivors landed in Australia from a British ship sunk by German raiders. Donald was an AB on the Rangitane when she was trapped by three German raiders. There was one to each side and one in front so thefate of the Rangitane was sealed. They shelled her from both sides and in a short time she was burning in three places. There were some casualties among the crew and passengers, some of them fatal, but Donald was fortunate enough to escape uninjured. Along with others, he was picked up by one of the raiders, and on board were some of the crews of several other vessels, all victims of this nefarious form of warfare. Among them were two other Lewismen, D. Macleod, Ranish, Lochs (Christchurch, New Zealand); and D. Macdonald, Skigersta, Ness (Wellington, New Zealand). They we...

This account of the sinking of the Rangitane (full story on link) seems to make fairly light of the incident and its aftermath. For historical record, it is worthy of a read though. Stornoway Gazette, 28 November 1941 THE SINKING OF THE RANGITANE FROM S. THEODORE FELSTEAD'S ACCOUNT IN "THE PEOPLE" The brief dark hours of a November night last year "down under" were nearly over. At radio stations in Australia and New Zealand, operators, earphones clasped to their heads sat bored but alert. The night had been uneventful except for routine traffic. Then out of space came a message which was to prove the prologue to a drama of murder and piracy almost unparalleled in the annals of the sea. Rangitane calling - Rangitane calling - suspicious vessel in sight. Stand by for further news. It was 3.40 am and the captain had retired to his cabin when suddenly the lookout man saw a dark blur on the port bow. The officer of the watch rang for Captain Upton, and in...

I have found that there are quite a few casualties with connections to the Isle of Lewis than are officially recognised as such. No fewer than three such examples arose from an article in the Stornoway Gazette of 10 April 1942 . The CWGC records for Ivor Morgan Macleod Rees , Walter Lewis Macleod Gilmour and Angus Victor Macleod Gilmour show no obvious connection to the island. Ivor's demise was noted in the Hampstead and Highgate Express. The Gazette adds the family relations, in that Walter and Angus are two cousins of Ivor's who also made the supreme sacrifice. The former two's parents originally came from Portvoller. The names of all three men have now been added to the online WW2 tribute for Lewis.

This plaque is affixed in All Saints Parish Church, High Wycombe. It is in memory of the captain of the Rawalpindi, which went down in battle in the North Atlantic on 23 November 1939. Edward Coverley Kennedy (father of the late broadcaster Ludovic Kennedy) commanded the converted liner as she encountered three German warships between Iceland and the Faroes. He managed to relay their position to Royal Navy HQ in London. The Germans ordered Captain Kennedy to surrender, as he was hopelessly outgunned. He refused to do so, and sent a shell at one of the German boats, which bounced harmlessly off its armour. The following "battle" resulted in the sinking of the Rawalpindi, and the loss of eight sailors from the Isle of Lewis. Four others were taken POW and taken to Germany. Captain Kennedy was Mentioned in Despatches, something that is held to be underrated in view of the gallant sacrifice he, and his men, made. Even the German navy command acknowledged the bravery of the Raw...

The fact that there are relatively few different first names and surnames in the Gaelic speaking areas of Scotland is well documented. It therefore came as no surprise to read of the confusion surrounding the news of the death of a Norman Mackay, as reported by the Stornoway Gazette of 2 May 1941. The news has now been confirmed that Seaman Norman Mackay (Mac Dhanie), Cross-Skigersta Road, was lost when the ship on which he was serving was sunk. Norman's parents were aware that he was on the same ship as Malcolm Murray, 21 Swainbost, and Don. Murray, Swainbost, received word some weeks ago that his son was missing. At that time, when no news came to the parents of Norman Mackay, we all expected that he was safe, but we have now learned that a telegram was sent instead to the parents of another Seaman Norman Mackay, residing at Shader, Point, when the ship was sunk. But Norman Mackay, Shader, was among the survivors and arrived home on leave on the day his parents received the tel...

I have now completed the transcription of tributes to the men from Lewis and Harris who lost their lives during the Second World War in the year 1940. There were 61 tributes in all, of which below eight were group tributes. HMS Wyvern Dunkirk HMS Vandyck HMS Boreas and HMS Wren HMT River Clyde HMS Dunvegan Castle HMS Esk and HMS Express SS Haxby The total number of casualties from Lewis for 1940 was 93, and 7 from Harris.Two casualties (originating from outwith the Outer Hebrides) lie buried in the islands, and are mentioned here in italics . John Gunn , 32 Eoropie , Royal Naval Reserve Donald Campbell , 6 Lionel , Royal Naval Reserve , HMS Exmouth Hector Macdonald , 10 Tolsta Chaolais , Royal Naval Reserve , HMS Exmouth Norman Macdonald , 19 Upper Bayble , Royal Naval Reserve , HMS Exmouth Hector Mackay , 27 Sheshader , Royal Naval Reserve , HMS Exmouth John Daniel Macleod , 9 New Holdings, Leurbost , Royal Naval Reserve , HMS Exmouth John Morrison , 6 Melbo...

By early 1941, considerable numbers of island servicemen were held as prisoners of war at various locations across Germany and territories under its sway at the time. The Stornoway Gazette of 28 March 1941 published a map to show where the various camps were located.

This is the gravestone for Seaman Herbert Charles Hill, who, according to the gravestone, died on 18 January 1941 at the age of 19. The clipped edges of the stone signal that this is a non-world war gravestone in the care of the Commonwealth Wargraves Commission. Hill served in the Merchant Navy on SS Eaglescliffe Hall. The Stornoway Gazette of 21st March 1941 picks up the story: A body was seen floating in Stornoway Harbour near Number One Wharf on Wednesday afternoon of last week. When recovered, the body was found to be that of Herbert Charles Hill, a seaman, of Port Talbot, Glamorgan. Hill went missing about two months ago from a merchant ship then lying in Stornoway Harbour. It was thought at the time that he might have left the port on board a trawler with whose crew he was on friendly terms. [Edit]. Seaman Herbert Charles Hill was the son of crane-driver Henry Hill (himself deceased) and Sarah-Ann Hill of 18 Pendarvis Terrace, Aberavon, Port Talbot, Glamorgan [Wales]. The ...

I received the following information from Trevor Bell, the webmaster of the Rangitane website, about Alex Macrae (see previous post ). There appears to have been some confusion about Alex's fate after the sinking of the Rangitane. Mr Bell advises me that: " In ‘Ordeal by Sea’ by Sydney Walters, the definitive history of the New Zealand Shipping Company during WW2, it lists Alex Macrae as being killed on Rangitane. This was at variance with various other records and I was able to confirm that he survived Emirau but died not long after ." The below information was supplied to Mr Bell by Stornoway Historical Society in 2005, and I am happy to attribute source: He was in Manila during the Philippines War, in Taku Forts during the Boxer Rising, troop carrying in the Boer War and at sea in the First World War. He was a Journeyman at Fairfields in Govan when he went to sea in January 1899 and by May 1900 had passed his Board of Trade examinations for 2nd Engineer.  Al...

I have transcribed as many tributes as could be found in issues of the Stornoway Gazette from 1940. More will follow from later years in the Second World War in days and weeks to come. Caution has to be exercised with these clippings. Sometimes, the names are incorrect; sometimes, a man is reported missing, but later turns up alive. I have access to the full listings of the WW2 casualty lists from Lewis and Harris , and can therefore doublecheck. A case in point is that of Refrigeration Engineer, Alexander Macrae, late of 21 Keith Street, Stornoway. His ship, the Rangitane , was torpedoed in December 1940. He survived and was marooned, before being picked up and returned home. Unfortunately, Alex Macrae died whilst returning home in May 1941, aged 65.  Incidentally, the story of the Rangitane (linked to above) is worthy of a read in itself. 

I have completed the transcription of tributes to the Fallen from Lewis for the year 1939, which comprises the first 4 months of the Second World War. The Stornoway Gazette records 19 losses until the last week of that year, and I am highlighting the following tributes: The sinking of the trawler James Ludford The heroes of the Rawalpindi Donald Macarthur, 10 Cromore Angus John Paterson, 3 Brue Murdo Mackenzie, 21 Swordale Alex Finlayson, 10 Calbost John Montgomery, 16 Ranish The full list of names of Lewis casualties for 1939 is: Murdo Mackenzie, 21 Swordale John Mackenzie, 21 Swordale [Rawalpindi] Norman Macleod, 25 Swordale [Rawalpindi] Angus John Paterson, 3 Brue [Northern Rover] Alexander Matheson, 26 Brue [James Ludford] Archibald Macrae Rodger, 59 Keith Street, Stornoway [RAF] John Murdo Nicolson, 3 Marybank / 39 Lower Bayble [Rawalpindi] William Macleod, Marybank [Rawalpindi] Donald Macarthur, 10 Cromore [Rawalpindi] Alexander Finlayson, 10 Calbost [Courage...

Today, I have transcribed several tributes to men from Lewis who fell during the first four months of the Second World War. The greatest losses were incurred on 23 November 1939, when the armed merchant vessel Rawalpindi took on the German battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau . I shall devote a separate blogpost to the tributes related to that event. One casualty, however, John Mackenzie of 21 Swordale, lost his brother only twenty days beforehand. Murdo drowned off Newcastle-upon-Tyne on 3 November 1939 at the age of 29. Murdo Mackenzie was a very popular fellow in the island in the late 1930s, as he was a bus driver at Swordale and involved with the local football teams. Apart from the tribute I have transcribed , there were several more to Murd in later editions of the Gazette.