Balemartine Post Office in the 1920s
Postcard of Balemartine Post Office in Balinoe in the 1920s.
Courtesy of Mr Neil MacArthur
This postcard of Balemartine shows the Post Office and surrounding houses as they were in the 1920s. Tiree’s first post office was established in 1802 in Scarinish. Originally spelled Tyree, the name was changed in 1889 to avoid confusion with Tyrie in Aberdeenshire.
There were no internal delivery services until the 1880s and these were by foot. In the following decade three sub-post offices were established at Balemartine, Cornaigmore and Ruaig. A fifth office was added in 1934 at Middleton.
At the beginning of World War II a civilian camp was built at Crossapol to house the thousand construction workers engaged in building the Coastal Command aerodrome. A sub-post office was opened at the camp which was later taken over by the RAF. This office closed around 1946.
Black and white postcard of Balemartine Post Office.
The Post Office and thatched houses at Cu’ Dheis in Balinoe, taken in the 1920s.