IOLAIRE

and the

Beasts of Holm

On New Year's morning, 1919, the Admiralty yacht, HMY Iolaire, with nearly 300 men aboard, foundered yards from shore and within a mile from the safety of Stornoway Harbour.

Over 200 young Lewismen and crew perished in the tragedy as their families watched helplessly from the shore.

Why Iolaire hit the rocks, known as 'The Beasts of Holm' has always remained a mystery.

This story is in memory of the brave servicemen who survived a world at war, to die upon the steps of Holm.

 

ISBN: 978-1-906277-15-4

To view an excerpt from this title click where you see an underline in the contents section.

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Contents

Foreword

Dawn, New Year's Day 2009

Iolanthe 1910

Faenol Estate 1912

Amalthaea

Metagama 1914

Ypres, November 1914

Mermaid

Amalthaea – Warship 1914

Robin Duff, October 1914

Albermarle

HMS Ganges II

Ypres

Dover

No Mans Land

The Mess

Finlay

Christmas Truce

The Edge of the World, September 1918

The End of the War to End all Wars

Amalthaea October 22nd 1918

SS Sheila

Iolaire

Amalthaea and the Sirens

Callum    *

Commander Walsh and Captain Cameron

Coming Home - December 1918

Faye and Callum *

Premonition

Halifax   *

Iolaire Iolaire

Nova Scotia *

St Kilda

London New Year’s Eve

Scapa Flow - New Year’s Eve

Inverness Train Station - New Year’s Eve

Call for Help

Kyle of Lochalsh - New Year’s Eve

Seven Men from Harris

The Journey Begins - 8 p.m. Kyle

Inside the Three Saloons

The Charthouse

Rona 10 p.m. - 40 Miles from Holm

Spider

Iolaire 11 p.m. – 30 Miles from Holm

Inside the Charthouse

Stornoway

Iolaire 12 a.m. – 20 Miles from Holm

Milaid Lighthouse 12.30 a.m.

Almost Home 1.25 a.m.

The Passing 1.35 a.m.

The Beasts of Holm 1.45 a.m.

The Biastan Rocks

 

Stornoway

Abandon Ship

John Finlay MacLeod's Lifeline

The Tolling of the Bell

The Last Mast

Rear-Admiral Boyle

Ghost Town

New Year’s Dawn

Holocaust

The Final Parade

The Last Dream

List of Names of Those Onboard the

Iolaire at 1 a.m. On 1st January 1919

* The story of Callum and Faye is also

included in ‘SCOTLAND’S HOMECOMING: Nova Scotia to Stornoway’

Published January 2009.

Poems

Christmas Truce (by Colin Demét)

Lovely Stornoway (by Calum Kennedy and Bob Halfin)

Melusine (by Colin Demét)

The Mist Covered Mountains (by John Cameron)

With the Lurgainn (by A MacInnes)

The Language of the Gaels (by Murdo MacFarlane)

Illustrations 

All illustrations are taken from vintage

postcards unless otherwise stated below.

St Kilda Cragsmen

St Kilda Man

(Both of the above plates are from the

1878 publication of St Kilda Past and

Present by George Seaton)

Maps showing the position of Iolaire

on the approach to Stornoway are

displayed on pages: 146, 147, 157,

161, 168, 177, 179, 182 and 185.

(Artwork by Colin Demét)

The Iolaire Plaque

Photograph by Annette Demét