Arnish Lighthouse

The bell and plate from the Iolaire in Museum nan Eilean

I was very pleased indeed to note that the BBC has included the bell and plate from HMY Iolaire in its feature “A History of the World - 100 objects“. This is a large project, in which several objects from periods of the last 10,000 years feature to tell the history of the world.

As I have often mentioned on this blog over the past four years, the admiralty ship “Iolaire” had been sent to Kyle of Lochalsh in the last days of 1918 to take sailors and other servicemen home to the Isle of Lewis. The ship foundered on the rocks of the Beasts of Holm, only a few dozen yards from shore. More than 200 perished, only 75 survived. It is one of the key moments in this island’s 20th century history, and in fact of maritime history in that century. As the page on the BBC website rightly points out, the losses from the sinking of the Iolaire were second only to the Titanic as far as British registered vessels were concerned, and second only to the number lost off the Norge. This Scandinavian emigrant ship ran aground at Rockall in 1904, with the loss of about 700.

The sinking of the Iolaire is too little known, and I wholeheartedly endorse the inclusion of this event in this particular project. Read its page on the BBC webpage here.

The image at the top of this post is my own.

Posting links to sites related to the First and Second World Wars and the islands of the Outer Hebrides. Emphasis is on Lewis, part of it my own research, with help from island historical societies.

http://facesmemorial.blogspot.com/
Faces from the Lewis War Memorial, lists the Fallen from the Isle of Lewis for the First World War; includes portrait photographs.

http://iolaire1919.blogspot.com/
The Iolaire Disaster of 1 January 1919. Lists the names of those that lost their lives in that shipwreck, includes portrait photographs and pictures of gravestones in island graveyards.

http://www.wereldoorlog1418.nl/englishcamp/lewis/index.html
HMS Timbertown, the story of the internment camp at Groningen, Holland, where more than 100 island sailors were interned for the duration of WW1.

http://lewiswwar2.blogspot.com/
Lists the Fallen from the Isle of Lewis for the Second World War

http://www.adb422006.com/ROH/index.html
The 1914-1919 Roll of Honour for the Isle of Lewis

http://harrismemorial.blogspot.com/
Lists the Fallen from the Isle of Harris for the 1st and 2nd World War

http://www.adb422006.com/ROH/uist-ww1.htm
Roll of Honour for the First World War for Berneray, North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist, Eriskay and Barra

http://www.adb422006.com/ROH/uist-ww2.htm
Roll of Honour for the Second World War for Berneray, North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist, Eriskay and Barra

http://warmemscot.s4.bizhat.com/warmemscot-forum-76.html
Western Isles War Memorials: pictures and listings of the war memorials in the Outer Hebrides

http://scottishwargraves.phpbbweb.com/viewforum.php?f=19&mforum=scottishwargraves
Western Isles War Graves: pictures and information of those lost in the 1st and 2nd World War who are buried in the Outer Hebrides, or referred to on family gravestones in island graveyards

The Gaelic Media Service is compiling a program about the Iolaire Disaster of January 1919. I would like to ask if there are any islanders, still living in Lewis or in diaspora, whose ancestor was on board HMY Iolaire when she went down at the Beasts of Holm.

GMS would like to speak to descendants of survivors, and I would imagine also to descendants of those families who were bereaved in that tragedy. They intend to air the program next year. The programme will be in Gaelic, although I feel confident that arrangements can be made for non-Gaelic speakers.

The sensitivity of the issue has been stressed to GMS; there are few people of Lewis descent who did not lose a relative or close friend in that tragedy, and it still hurts, 90 years on.

If you would like to participate, please email islandblogging@bbc.co.uk, with the subject heading Iolaire. When replying, it would be helpful to name the individual who was on board Iolaire that night in 1919. The email will then be forwarded to GMS. Please do NOT leave email addresses in the comments section to this post.

If you know anyone who might be able (more importantly: willing) to participate, please ask, and if you get a positive reply, please drop a line as well.

Any email correspondence will only be used for the purpose of this project.

Many thanks

Went down to Crossbost on Thursday of last week, for more business related to the Iolaire Disaster. After locating the gravestones for 14 victims in no time at all (look in the lower cemetery, closest to the shore), I went for an amble through Crossbost and Ranish, the next village, for an hour or so. Can’t say I was raving about the weather, but then it’s April. Just want to share a few pics.

North Lochs War Memorial, Iolaire section

Sheep on croft, Crossbost

Road to Ranish - muirburn has blackened the hill on the left

Boats on the shore of Loch Grimshader

Loch Grimshader from Ranish

Ranish Temple - not signposted from the road

Today saw the 88th anniversary of the Iolaire Disaster, when 205 men drowned at the Beasts of Holm, 2 miles south of Stornoway on return from World War I.

I have blogged about this subject during 2006, and would just like to link to that entry

This entry is in memory of those lost on that New Year’s morning.