Iolaire

The Iolaire Disaster 21 On-going remembrance and reflection In 1960, 42 years after the Iolaire disaster, a Memorial was finally erected and unveiled, paying due homage to the men who lost their lives it concludes with the biblical quotation: ‘Thy way is in the sea, and in the waters great thy path;/ Yet are thy footsteps hid, O Lord; None knowledge thereof hath’ / Psalm 77 verse 19. In contrast, part two of Crichton Smith’s poem, written about the same time, opens with the striking line: “Shark headed God snaps from his gardened calm.” John MacLeod recalls his grandfather talking of the tragedy: “My father, your great- grandfather, could have been on her, but at the last minute they put him on the Sheila instead, because he was standing with the boys on the left…” Derek Campbell, great grandson of Angus Campbell of 31 Lionel writes, “ Seeing the ‘Beasts’ from the ferry doesn’t come close to the feeling I’ve had sitting at the Memorial. Looking how close the rocks are brings a shiver down me. It’s unbelievable what these young lads went through for that to happen. RIP.” Angus’ remains were never recovered from the sea. An hundred years on from the tragedy and all the many questions it raises the Islands continue to remember their lost sons. On 23rd March 2018 a new Memorial was unveiled at Carn Gardens in Stornoway. The Memorial incorporates stones collected by pupils from The Nicolson Institute from the home village of each of the 201 sailors who lost their lives on the Iolaire. It also includes stones from English towns from where the crew of the Iolaire hailed. A stone was also received from the Isle of Wight, commemorating Royal Naval Reserve Lt Leonard Edmund Cotter. The project was funded by Stornoway Amenity Trust, in partnership with The Nicolson Institute and supported by Stornoway Historical Society. Left: A formal Memorial was dedicated in 1960, funded by public subscription and grants, after which this news story was published in the Stornoway Gazette. Right: the new Memorial unveiled in 2018.