Saturday 4 December

The thaw is continuing, but that does not mean that our problems with snow and ice are over. The pavements have degenerated to skating rinks, which at times means you can only walk in the road. And that's not safe either. Went into town this afternoon for another stint in the library, looking for references in the Stornoway Gazette to Finlay Mclean, see previous post. None, which means that my search for the location of his grave carries on. If I cannot find it in the cemetery at Sandwick, which I'll walk through tomorrow, it will mean that he is mostly likely buried in Glasgow. Which has two dozen graveyards at least.

A sad piece of news from Ness this evening. A man was taken to hospital after he collided with a llama whilst riding his motorbike. Now that may sound totally off the wall, but there genuinely are two llamas about in Ness, and you can go on a walk with them. Or you could, as the one that was involved in the crash was killed.
This image dates back to 19 July this year; one llama is clearly visible, the other can just be made out behind it. I don't know which one died (Sam or Nico), but the blog that was kept about them has been cleared of content.

In from the cold

Private Finlay Mclean was one of many soldiers who left the Isle of Lewis to serve in the British Army on the Western Front during the First World War. He was wounded in action and transferred to hospital in Glasgow for treatment, but he died on 5 May 1918, aged 27. Finlay had served with the 10th battalion Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), and had latterly lived at 48 Milton Street, Partick, Glasgow with his wife Catherine, nee Ball.

Finlay was the second WW1 soldier from Lewis that was not on the registers of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Norman Morrison's case is still under consideration by the Ministry of Defense, but Finlay has come in from the cold. His name will be inscribed on a memorial for soldiers with no known burial place, at Brookwood, but I am searching for his grave - either in Glasgow or in Lewis. If I manage to locate it, a proper CWGC gravestone will be erected at Finlay's grave.

In memory of Pte Finlay Mclean, 16895 Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), died of wounds 5/5/1918.