A bright and fairly sunny day, interspersed with occasional downpours. It was cold, with the mercury barely making it into double figures. I went into town in the morning to obtain further tributes from the 1944 editions of the Stornoway Gazette, related to the Second World War. I shall transcribe these and link them to the WW2 tribute site for this island.
Locally, about 100 job losses have been announced at two major employers: the main Co-op superstore on Macaulay Road and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (the council). The Co-op is shedding 24 full-time equivalent posts, meaning that 50 people will be paid off. The Comhairle is getting rid of 50 staff. This is devastating for a small community like Lewis; the town of Stornoway has a population of about 9,000, to put it into perspective. The Co-op staff to be laid off are mainly part-time workers.
