Overboard

A man has fallen overboard from the ferry sailing from Tarbert in Harris to Uig in Skye. He was seen falling at 5.45pm this evening, just as the MV Hebrides was approaching the quay at Uig. The ferry launched its own rescue craft, and the Coastguard helicopter from Stornoway was also summoned. In spite of all the efforts, the man died on the scene. The police are now contacting the next-of-kin, and the Hebrides has remained tied up at Uig pending the completion of investigation. The evening sailing to Lochmaddy in North Uist has been delayed until further notice.


Approaching Uig from Tarbert, 11 October 2007

Wednesday 11 August

After a couple of days with decent weather, we're back to mist and drizzle. Why did my father have to take the nice weather away with him? Anyway, good to see you, nice surprise and glad you arrived home safely.

As the weather is not inviting for going out, I'm inside, chasing up some more WW1 casualties. And I found this old email from December last year, in which Frederick Cyril Crocker is suggested as a WW1 casualties whose roots lie in Stornoway. And so they do. He was born at 18 Newton Street on 22 December 1888 to Lieutenant John Crocker. of Claremont. Portishead, Somerset, formerly of Lerwick and Stornoway. R.N. Divisional Officer of Coast Guards, Southend Division, who was married to Annie, daughter of the late James Bardsley. Cyril was educated at Wexford, and Andemon Institute, Lerwick, Shetland, and prior to the outbreak of war was an Officer of Excise at Gateshead. He married at Glasgow, 10 June, 1011, Janet, daughter of Peter Macleod, of Stornoway, and had two daughters.: Patricia Joan Mary, born 28 April, 1912; and Annie Valerie, born 4 Feb. 1915.

Cyril joined the Northumberland Fusiliers at the beginning of 1914. volunteered for Imperial service when war began, was severely wounded in action at St. Julien, 26 April, 1915, while leading the platoon in a bayonet charge after his platoon officer, Lieut. Garton, had fallen, and died in the East Suffolk Hospital, Ipswich 1 June, following.

With thanks to Alastair Macewen and Anne Brooks' Genealogy. 

Tuesday 10 August

Today, my father is returning to Holland. His flight wasn't until 3.45pm, so we had the whole morning for a final walk. Destination: the local war memorial. This sits on a high hill, 300 feet above sealevel, above the northern end of Stornoway. It consist of a tower and 23 bronze plaques outside. These were taken out of the tower after water ingress caused a deterioration in the structure of the tower, rendering it unsafe. It is a nice sunny morning, but there were a few shower clouds in the vicinity. We stayed dry.

Pictures in a following post

Monday 9 August

Although the morning started off wet, we did go off on the 10.30 bus to Ness (North Lewis). The rain had ceased just before we set out, and in spite of some drizzle on the Barvas Moor, it continued to brighten up as we headed north. After some overseas visitors took a long time to extract tourist information from the bus driver at Eoropie, we reached Port of Ness by 11.40. After a cuppa with a local resident of my acquaintance, we set out on a moorland walk to the Butt of Lewis Lighthouse, 3 miles to the west. It was wet underfoot, and you have to be cautious due to the proximity of cliffs. Not terribly high, but 100 feet is high enough. There were lazybeds about, and that's not the sort of beds you lie in at night. They are strips of land with drainage channels in either side, meaning that you are going up and down by one or two feet every few yards. Along the way, we called round at Dun Eisdean, the former home of Clan Morrison, now just an offshore islet. Finally reached the lighthouse at 1.30pm. A fair few tourists about there. Had some lunch at the Eoropie (pronounce Yoropee) Tearoom, then ambled to the nearby beach before the bus was due. This blasted past at 3.20, but returned on schedule at 3.40pm.

In reverse chronological order 

Eoropie Beach


Butt of Lewis lighthouse


Port Sto


At Dun Eisdean


Along the north coast


Port of Ness harbour