During the Second World War, five Macdonald brothers from the village of Valtos, Uig, Isle of Lewis, served at sea. The five sailors were sons of Donald and Christina Macdonald 22 Valtos. Their mother Christina (nee Maciver), formerly of 25 Valtos, had lost two brothers in the first World War. Norman Maciver serving on a destroyer was swept overboard and lost in 1915 and Murdo Maciver in the Canadian Seaforths was killed in action in France 1916. Donald Macdonald, the father of the five young [ » read more ]

Thanks to Donald John Macleod, Enaclete and Bridge of Don, for these memories of Enaclete during the 1940s. As a boy in Enaclete I heard many stories about the war, including the Onslow action, being discussed by Calum Iain Smith and the worthies who used to congregate at night for a ceilidh at Norman Macdonald’s (Puff’s) house, Post Office, Enaclete, and also at the Coisich’s house after the family had moved from Ungeshader. Calum Iain’s father, Donald, was one of six men from Uig who [ » read more ]

The pressmen get their snaps – Lewisfolk provide a little colour Stornoway Gazette, 21 Jan 1944 American press photographers visited the vicinity of St Pauls on Hogmanay to pick up a few colourful pictures of New Year celebrations in London. A group of Lewisfolk gave them their best ‘shots’ of the evening when Pipers Findlater and Grant accompanied some of the lads and lasses totheir stations to see them off. While waiting for the train at Tottenham Court Road and Hyde Park Corner, the pipers [ » read more ]

Just now I am up in a cold land And a message has arrived for us to go to sea, That the ships are now assembled and when night comes We have to move off with them. -Murdanie Macritchie This song was written by Petty Officer Murdanie Macritchie, Brenish, whilst serving during the Second War on HMS Cape Palliser escorting merchant ships on a Russian convoy, PQ-15, from Iceland to Murmansk.  PQ-15 (not PQ-16, as previously thought) sailed from Iceland on 26 April 1942, reaching Kola Inlet [ » read more ]

Stornoway Gazette, 6 October 1939 West Uig, along with other parts of the Island, has contributed its quota to the fighting forces, both army and navy.  Being on the Atlantic Seaboard, much interest is taken in all surface craft observed, and much speculation as to their intentions is rife.  More interest, however, is taken in the very unusual appearance of any aircraft and, so, considerable apprehension was blended with interest one day last week when an aircraft was first heard and then seen rapidly approaching [ » read more ]

For next year, Uig Museum will be mounting a display of wedding and christening objects, and we’re very keen to collect any items, stories, photographs and archives connected with these events in Uig over the years.  Naturally we don’t need to take ownership of them, unless you’d like to give them a safe home – we can photograph or scan them and return them immediately.  If you have any such Uig-related items you’d like to contribute, please get in touch with Sarah or Finlay (672224); [ » read more ]

The clocks went forward this morning.  In case you missed them previously, we have two short pieces here on the first use of BST in Uig in 1917, and from a 1965 article looking back to the continuing disagreements over it in 1925 and during WW2. Readers in Lewis and Harris, please remember tonight is the night for your 2011 Census rehearsal form to be filled in, online or on paper, in English or Gaelic. In all the Comainn Eachdraidh we rely on the census [ » read more ]

William Matheson (Uilleam Dearg) was born to 2 Geshader in 1877, the youngest son of William Ruadh.  As a young man he went off, presumably to join the Seaforths, though his family heard nothing of him until he turned up in a picture of a company in Egypt or the Sudan, about 1898. He served in the Boer War then settled in South Africa, worked as a prospector, joined up again in 1914 (despite severe bouts of malaria) and in 1940, at the age of [ » read more ]