New to us, a fine collection of pictures from the family of Roderick Mackenzie Sr, gamekeeper at Uig Lodge.  These were sent by Heather Maher, granddaughter of Roderick’s son Donald, who married Jessie Macrae of Glenelg and emigrated to South Africa.   Above is Roderick Jr with Donald’s children on holiday in Uig (1933?); the whole set is here. Thanks to Heather and her family.

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 ]

Hector Maclean, who wrote to his sister Annie (Nurse Ruadh) from the Transvaal in 1902, died of enteric fever five months later.  From the Highland News (?), 1903: Sad Death of a Young Man.  Information has been received at Crowlista, Uig, from Heidleberg, South Africa, of the death from enteric fever of Hector Maclean, a native of the parish.  Deceased, who was a promising young man, was for some years employed in Edinburgh with Mr D Stewart’s well-known firm.  About three years ago he offered [ » read more ]

See also the transcript.

A letter from Hector Maclean of Crowlista, serving in the Transvaal, South Africa, to his sister Annie in Glasgow in 1902. Hector died in South Africa early in 1903 of fever – more of which shortly. SAC Station Draaifontein 278 20.9.02 My dear sister, Received your welcome Letter, glad to see you were well and also that you enjoyed yourself so well when on your holidays. Had a letter from home today and was glad to hear of Mother’s safe arrival and seems to have [ » read more ]

Stornoway Gazette, 30 March 1951 Sir: As the Parish of Uig is never mentioned in your paper, I feel worried that the place may have been washed away by Atlantic storms.  Or is it that as the most progressive parish in Lewis, they now publish their own newspaper?  If so, please let me have their address… FA Mackay, South Rhodesia It is still the case that Uig gets few column inches in the Gazette – we really need a correspondent.  However we do, of course, [ » read more ]