AROUND 60 people attended the two Staffin Remembrance Sunday services on a crisp and dry autumnal afternoon in north-east Skye.
The first took place at the war memorial next to Kilmartin River where the names of the fallen from the district’s crofting townships who served in the Boer and First and Second world wars are listed, along with the American air crew of a stricken warplane which tragically struck Beinn Edra in March 1945.
Led by Donald MacDonald a key feature of the services sees the names of all the soldiers and seamen listed on the memorial being read out in English and then their sloinneadh, of what they were actually known and identified as locally, in Gaelic, follows. This was carried out by Angus Ross, Ellishadder. Many of those present have relatives on the memorial.
Wreaths were laid by Ruairidh MacLeod, Clachan; Colin Wilson, Trotternish Avenue; Ewan MacLeod, Garafad and Cadet L/Corporal Hayden Dobbie on behalf of the Deputy Lord Lieutenant Norma Young, Staffin Community Council / Trust, Staffin’s Fire Service and the relatives of the US aircrew, respectively.
A two-minute silence was held.
Donald closed the service by recounting the story of two Alexander Nicolsons who are among the sailors on the memorial. They were first cousins and neighbours in Glasphein and both had joined the Merchant Navy upon leaving Digg School. The Able Seaman both sadly perished when their cargo ship - which had been engaged in essential war supply trade - struck a mine in the North East, a few miles east of Suffolk, and sank.
A third Skye sailor was lost at the same time, the ship’s boatswain, John Bain, from Waternish. John’s name appears on the Waternish War Memorial.
All three men are also commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial, London, a Commonwealth War Graves Commission site which preserves the memory of men and women of the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets who died in both World Wars, and who have no known grave. It stands in the garden of Trinity House, close by The Tower of London.
At Culnacnoc, the second service in the district was held with Donald again highlighting the current conflicts in the Ukraine and Middle East. The war memorial was erected in front of the old Valtos School, which was long since demolished, in memory of the seven former pupils who died in the First World War. Janet Lamont, Valtos, and Colin Wilson laid wreaths, as did the Deputy Lord Lieutenant with L/Corporal Dobbie and Cadet L/Cpl Erin Campbell.
Donald MacLeod, Culnacnoc, read out the names of the men who lost their lives and a two-minute silence was observed. A poignant poem on the importance of remembrance was also delivered by Sine Gillespie, Glasphein. Thanks to Iain Matheson, Brogaig, for removing a section of the barrier around the memorial to allow people to lay the wreaths more easily.
