Black and white photograph of RAF officers during World War II.
Large group of RAF officers relaxing and drinking beer during World War II. (Photograph from Mike Hughes in Filing Cabinet 2 drawer 1)
1997.189.26
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Object Type: photograph
1997.184.3
Lachlan MacPhail carting seaweed
Photograph of Lachlan MacPhail carting seaweed
Courtesy of Mr Ailig MacArthur
Lachlan MacPhail, originally from Luing, is pictured with a cartload of seaweed outside the shepherd’s cottage where he lived in Crossapol. A fork has been stuck in the back of the cart to stop the seaweed slipping off.
Gathered from March to May, the seaweed is spread on grass or on ground to be planted with corn or potatoes. Red seaweed known as ‘bàrr-dearg’ was considered the best for this purpose but only came ashore on certain tides usually in the month of May.
The soils of Tiree are predominantly light and sandy and need feeding with organic matter every year to keep their fertility. Although not considered as good a fertiliser as manure, seaweed improves the condition of the soil and aids water retention.
Black and white photograph of Lachlann MacPhail, Crossapol.
Lachlan MacPhail from Luing with a cartload of seaweed outside the shepherd’s cottage where he lived in Crossapol, Tiree, probably taken in the early 20th century.
1997.189.11
Black and white photograph of an RAF Concert Party in 1944.
RAF Concert Party in 1944. L-R: Fred MacKeown, Fred Parratt, Jessie MacQueen, Denis Guest, unknown, Bryn Lewis, Nan Hogarth, Frank Murphy, Dodo Leslie, Jack May, Jean Hind, Jim Worthington, Nettie MacFarlane, Harry Smith, Harry Barr, Paul Blomley. (Photograph from Mike Hughes in Filing Cabinet 2 drawer 1)
1997.189.27
Flight Lieutenant Max Bacon and his aircrew from RAF 518 Squadron
Photograph of Flight Lieutenant Max Bacon and his aircrew from RAF 518 Squadron.
Courtesy of Mr Mike Hughes
Flight Lieutenant Arthur ‘Max’ Bacon (4th left) and his aircrew from RAF 518 Squadron are pictured beside their Halifax which was lost on operations over the Atlantic in January 1945.
RAF 518 Squadron arrived on Tiree in September 1943 to fly weather reconnaissance missions in long-range Halifax aircraft. Twice a day flights ‘Bismuth’ and ‘Mercer’ left Tiree for a ten-hour-long trip out into the Atlantic at either 20,000 or 50 feet.
Pressure to fly was relentless and in 1944 518 Squadron flew every day but two. Often icing and waves 100 feet high made this dangerous. 518 Squadron lost twelve aircraft during their spell on Tiree. That night in January, Max and his crew disappeared without trace.
Black and white photograph of Flight Lieutenant Max Bacon and his aircrew during World War II.
Flight Lieutenant Max Bacon (4th left) and his aircrew from RAF 518 Squadron beside their Halifax which was lost on operations over the Atlantic on 21/1/1945. Far right: F/Sgt Tony Porazka (Met. Air Obs., Polish). (Photograph from Mike Hughes in Filing Cabinet 2 drawer 1)
1997.184.4
Black and white photograph of Gott Bay pier.
Gott Bay pier, probably taken in the early 20th century.
1997.189.12
Black and white photograph of an RAF truck at Balephuil.
RAF truck at Balephuil during World War II. (Photograph from Mike Hughes in Filing Cabinet 2 drawer 1)
1997.189.28
Black and white photograph of two airmen struggling against a gale with their bicycles during World War II.
Two unknown airmen with bicycles, probably on the Reef, during World War II. (Photograph from Mike Hughes in Filing Cabinet 2 drawer 1)
1997.179.11
Mary MacLean of Balevullin
Photograph of Mary MacLean of Balevullin at her spinning wheel.
Courtesy of Ms Linda Gowans
George Holleyman, an archaeologist in the RAF police posted to Tiree during World War II, photographed Mary MacLean at her spinning wheel in the garden of her croft at Balevullin. Mary kept five cows and around twenty-five sheep and grew no crops other than potatoes.
To the right of the photograph is the top stone of a rotary quern. It is thought that rotary querns were introduced to Britain by the Romans around 2,000 years ago. Two women would sit on the ground with the quern between them, feeding grain into the central hole in the upper stone which was rotated by hand using a handle.
This was enormously time-consuming work. In ‘The Statistical Account of Scotland’ of the 1790s, Rev. Archibald MacColl estimated ‘by the lowest calculation, the work of 50 women is yearly lost at grinding’.
Black and white photograph of Mary MacLean, Balevullin.
Mary MacLean spinning wool in her garden at Balevullin, photgraphed by George Holleyman in the early 1940s. Note the drystone walling and quern stone.
1997.179.10
Isabella MacLean of Kilmoluaig using a cheese press
Photograph of Isabella MacLean of Kilmoluaig using a cheese press.
Courtesy of Ms Linda Gowans
Isabella MacLean was photographed using a cheese press in Kilmoluaig by George Holleyman, an archaeologist posted to RAF Tiree during World War II. The press was made in the local smiddy. The screw, which turns through an iron hoop set into a large stone, tightens on to the wooden cheese vat, removing excess whey.
Rennet was used to curdle the warmed milk and sometimes salt was added or caraway seeds. The curds were squeezed by hand, wrapped in muslin, put in the cheese vat and pressed. The whey would be fed to calves.
After two to three days, the press would be screwed down another turn. The cheese would be left there for a week then put on a shelf to dry and form a skin. It would be ready for eating in a fortnight.
Black and white photograph of Isabella MacLean, Kilmoluaig.
Isabella MacLean is pictured here using a cheese press made in the local smiddy. The screw, which turns through an iron hoop set into a large stone, tightens on to the wooden cheese vat, removing excess liquid. Rennet was used to curdle the warmed milk and sometimes salt was added, or caraway seeds. The curds were squeezed by hand, wrapped in muslin, put in the cheese vat and pressed. The whey would be fed to calves. After 2-3 days, the press would be screwed down another turn. The cheese would be left there for a week then put on a shelf to dry and form a skin. It would be ready for eating in a fortnight. The cheese press is part of An Iodhlann`s collection.
1997.179.6
Archibald MacLeod of Balevullin
Photograph of Archibald MacLeod thatching an outhouse in Balevullin in the 1940s
Courtesy of Ms Linda M. Gowans
George Holleyman, an archaeologist posted to Tiree during World War II, photographed Archibald MacLeod thatching an outhouse in Balevullin in the early 1940s. Thatching is started down at the tobhta, the ledge at the top of the wall, with the first row of sheaves being put on tips upwards.
After the first row, the sheaves are placed tips downwards until the ridge is reached when they are laid across the top with the tips on alternate sides. The thatch is put on thicker at the back, the windward side, and slightly halfway up the roof to give a more rounded shape.
As new thatch is laid on top of old, the ridge becomes almost flat. At this stage, the thatch has to be partially stripped off before the next layer is applied. Re-thatching is required every two to three years.
Black and white photograph of Archibald MacLeod, Balevullin.
Tiree has the greatest concentration of surviving thatched houses in the Scottish islands. In the photograph, Archibald MacLeod is shown thatching an outhouse in Balevullin. The rafters are first overlain with a layer of thin turf slices carefully cut from the moorland and tapered at the sides so that they lie flush on the roof. The thatching material, usually marram grass, is cut with a scythe between September and March and tied into small sheaves which are then positioned on top of the turf. The completed thatch is secured with wire netting weighted down with heavy beach pebbles. Re-thatching is required every 2-3 years.