Hugh MacKinnon and the first plane on Tiree
Photograph of Hugh MacKinnon and the first plane on Tiree.
Courtesy of Mrs Netta Martin
Hugh MacKinnon (Eòghann Dhòmhnaill), known as the Contractor, is pictured here on the Reef with the first plane to land on Tiree. The two-seater Moth piloted by Captain A. N. Kingwill was brought over from Renfrew by the Tiree Association for their Sports Day in July 1929.
The Contractor owned one of the few cars on Tiree at the time and took the pilot to his house for lunch. The first passengers on a short trip over the island included the Contractor himself and John MacLean (Iain a’ Ghaffer) of Kilkenneth.
Kingwill went on to fly with Sir Alan Copburn’s flying circus and made the first scheduled landing at a municipal airport later that year when he piloted a Moth into Wythenshawe Airport at Manchester.
Black and white photograph of the Tiree Association Sports Day in the late 1920s.
Tiree Association Sports Day, 1927 or 1928. Since its foundation in 1900, the Tiree Association has organised an annual Sports Day on Tiree which continues to this day. In 1927 or ’28, Captain A. N. Kingwill was hired to fly the first plane to the island, bringing with him the day’s newspapers. Short flights on the plane were on offer at 2/6d (12p) a time and Captain Kingwill gave a display of stunt-flying. Hugh MacKinnon, a local contractor from Crossapol, pictured behind the wheel of his car in E24, presented him with a medal.
Black and white photograph of the Tiree Association Sports Day.
Tiree Association Sports Day, 1927 or 1928. Since its foundation in 1900, the Tiree Association has organised an annual Sports Day on Tiree which continues to this day. In 1927 or ’28, Captain A. N. Kingwill was hired to fly the first plane to the island, bringing with him the day’s newspapers. Short flights on the plane were on offer at 2/6d (12p) a time and Captain Kingwill gave a display of stunt-flying. Hugh MacKinnon, a local contractor from Crossapol (pictured behind the wheel of his car in E24) presented him with a medal.
Iain MacFarlane
Photograph of Iain MacFarlane with Eachunn the cat.
This photograph of the late 1920s or early 1930s shows Iain MacFarlane when he was working as ‘am buachaille’ or herd boy in the east end of Tiree. Herding was done by boys when they left school at 14 and sometimes by old men.
As the common grazings and many fields were unfenced, their job was to keep cattle, sheep and horses within the township boundaries and out of the crops. Until wire fencing was introduced in the 1890s, fields were sometimes enclosed with turf or stone walls.
From May to October, Iain would have stayed in a ‘bothag’, a small round building constructed of stone and roofed with turfs over a timber frame. He died at sea at the beginning of World War II.
Black and white photograph of Iain, the herd boy, with Eachann the cat.
Photograph from a small album from Silversands, Vaul, titled `Iain, the herd laddie`, identified as Iain MacFarlane, (brother of Lachie MacFarlane of Hynish) by Chrissie, Lachie`s widow. Iain died at sea at the beginning of WWII. Probably taken in the late 1920s to early 1930s.
Black and white photograph of a coal puffer.
Coal puffer probably taken on Gott Bay in the late 1920s to early 1930s.
Black and white photograph of people aboard an unknown ship.
Group photograph from a samml album from Silversands, Vaul, of six unknown men aboard an unknown ship, probably taken in the late 1920s to early 1930s.
Black and white photograph of Iain, the herd boy.
Photograph from a small album from Silversands, titled `The herd laddie` taken in the late 1920s to early 1930s. Herding was done by boys when they left school at 14. As the common grazings and many fields were unfenced, their job was to keep cattle, sheep and horses within the township boundaries and out of the crops. Until wire fencing was introduced in the 1890s, fields were sometimes enclosed with turf or stone walls. From May to October, Iain would have stayed in a ‘bothag’, a small round building constructed of stone and roofed with turfs over a timber frame.
Black and white photograph of Maggie.
Photograph from a small album from Silversands, Vaul, titled Maggie, probably taken in the late 1920s to early 1930s.
The Coaling Station at Brock
Photograph of a coal puffer beached on Gott Bay at Brock in the 1930s.
Around the middle of the 19th century, when local peat deposits had run out and peat was no longer readily available from adjacent islands, coal was shipped to Tiree in sailing smacks and schooners owned and sailed by Tiree men.
Later in the century and into the 1900s, coal was brought in by steam-driven lighters known as puffers. As there are no secure harbours in Tiree, the puffers, like the schooners before them, were beached at spring tides on several of the sandy bays around the island.
The coal was discharged into horse-drawn carts of a half tonne nominal capacity. One such coaling station was at Brock on the east end of the island.
Black and white photograph of the coaling station, Brock.
Photograph from a small album from Silversands, Vaul, titled `The Coaling Station, Brock` of a puffer discharging coal into horse-drawn carts, probably taken in the late 1920s to early 1930s. Around the middle of the 19th century, when local peat deposits had run out and peat was no longer readily available from adjacent islands, coal was shipped to Tiree in sailing smacks and schooners owned and sailed by Tiree men. Later in the century and into the 1900s, coal was brought in by puffers. As there are no secure harbours in Tiree, the puffers like the schooners before them were beached at spring tides on several of the sandy bays around the island. The coal was discharged into horse-drawn carts of a half tonne nominal capacity. One such coaling station was at Brock on the east end of the island.
Black and white photograph of a collier on the beach at Brock.
Photograph from a small album from Silversands, Vaul, titled `Collier on the beach at Brock` of a puffer waiting to discharge coal into horse-drawn carts, probably taken in the late 1920s to early 1930s. For additional information see catalogue for 1997.176.7.
Black and white photograph of the new road to Silversands, Vaul.
Photograph from a small album from Silversands, Vaul, titled `The new road to Silversands`, probably taken in the late 1920s to early 1930s.
