Memorial to the loss of the HM Yacht Iolare Lost 1st January 1919 Holm rocks Stornoway, Isle of Lewis. SCO 6253
On 1st January 1919 at 1,55am the wooden vessel HM Yacht Iolaire ran onto the rocks known as the 'beasts of Holm' within sight of the lights of Stornoway. Passengers and crew numbered 284 in all. A total of 79 survived. The passengers were predominantly naval ratings returning to Lewis and Harris from service in the Great War. They had boarded the ship at Kyle of Lochalsh and set sail at 9pm on December 31st 1918 for Stornoway. The vessel struck the rocks and slid off the rock ledge, listing to Starboard and settling stern first. As she settled the wind blew the stern around towards the shore - at one point being no more that 6-7yards from a rock ledge on the shore. Of the survivor many owed their lives to the bravery of John F MacLeod who succeed in gaining the shore with a line to which a hawser was attached and pulled ashore. Some 30 - 40 men pulled themselves to safety along this rope until the stricken vessel heeled over and pulled the rope away. The last survivor, Donald Morrison, saved himself by clinging to the ship's mast - which was only partly above water - all night until he was rescued in the morning when the sea had abated. took place within 50 yards of the shore and at one point the stern was no more than 20' from land , such was the roughness of the sea that few survived unaided. The recovery of bodies from the sea around the wreck was a harrowing experience for the rescuers, many of whom knew the victims personally. Every family in the close-knit island community was affected directly or indirectly by the tragedy. The magnitude of the loss of life, and the fact that the service men were so close to home had a profound effect on the island. This loss added to the 1,000 islanders lost in the Great War, effectively deprived the islands of a generation and was at least responsible for the decline in the island population between the two world wars.
Size: 5620px × 3733px
Location: Eye Peninsula, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Western Isles, Highlandand & Islands, Scotland
Photo credit: © David Gowans / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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