Black & white photograph of Mrs Revilliod and Grace Campbell of Tullymet, Gott, at the graveside of Flt. Lt. Leonard Revilliod who was killed in a mid-air collision over Island House in August 1944.
Courtesy of Mrs Grace Campbell
On the 16th August 1944, two Halifax aircraft from 518 Squadron took off for air tests before their usual nightly weather reconnaissance flights. They lost sight of each other in patchy cloud and collided, killing all on board.
An eyewitness on the top of Ben Hynish reported seeing one plane taking off while the other was coming in. ‘They appeared to come so close to each other that they tipped wings…and the next thing the two of them went up in flames and you could see the wheels with the tyres burning and falling right to the ground…’
One of those killed was Flight Lieutenant Leonard Revilliod, a grandson of the Czechoslovakian Prime Minister, Jan Masyrak, who flew with his daughter-in-law to Tiree for the funeral. The photograph shows Grace Campbell and Mrs Revilliod at her son’s graveside at Soroby in Balemartine.
Photocopied programmes of events held in Tiree during WWII.
Photocopied programmes of events held in Tiree during WWII including plays, revues, church services and sports.
Photocopied newspaper article about Gott Bay pier.
Much delayed project to reconstruct Gott Bay pier which suffered serious deterioration during WWII as a result of the heavy demands made by the RAF, includes short statement by District Councillor Malcolm MacLean. (Probably published in the late 1950s)
Photocopied magazine article about Tiree during WWII.
Article about RAF Tiree and weather reconnaisance flights by 518 Squadron.
Colour scan of programme for wartime revue.
Programme for WWII revue `Bon Voyage` held in the RAF Station Theatre in September 1945.
Black and white photograph of WAAF Jean Hynd and `Mrs Mac` in Hynish.
`Mrs Mac` and WAAF Jean Hynd in Hynish during WWII.
WAAFs on the steamer ‘Lochearn’ in 1945
Photograph of WAAFs on the steamer ‘Lochearn’ in 1945.
Courtesy of Mrs Jean Inglis
The Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) was created in 1939. Although WAAFs did not serve as aircrew, they played a vital role in transport, communications, meteorology, aircraft control and intelligence.
The group of WAAFs in this photo were leaving Tiree on the steamer ‘Lochearn’. Jean Inglis née Davies from Edinburgh (back row, extreme right) spent two years underground at 18 Group HQ, Coastal Command at Rosyth before being posted to Tiree in May 1945.
Jean was a wireless operator and, with her team, made contact with aircraft in the area, on one occasion helping to guide a damaged plane to a safe landing on the island.
Black and white photograph of WAAFs on `Lochearn` during WWII.
WAAFs on the `Lochearn` during WWII. L-R: (back) Joy Pearce, London; Nan Hogarth, Whitby; unknown; Jean Inglis nee Davies, Edinburgh; (front) Flora Semple, Aberdeen; Marjorie Pollard, Burnley; Jean Hind, England. Jean Inglis spent two years underground at 18 Group HQ, Coastal Command at Rosyth before being posted to Tiree on 27/5/1945. LACW (leading aircraft woman) Jean Hind was a Wireless Operator who met Wing Commander Bryn Lewis while both serving on Tiree on 8 July 1944). They married on 9 July 1950. Nan Hogarth was also a LACW Wireless Operator.
Scots Magazine, September 1999.
Letter to the Editor of the Scots Magazine, September 1999, from Malcolm Till, about a visit he made to Tiree in 1993, where he met ex-serviceman George Hambling, a New Zealander posted to the RAF station on Tiree during World War II.
Click here to view 2003.27.1
Photocopied article about the loss of the Fokker XXII aircraft `Sylvia Scarlet`, with an accompanying letter.
(1) Article from `Fly Past` Magazine, 1982, about the loss of the Fokker plane `Sylvia Scarlet` shortly after departing from Tiree on 3/7/1943. (2) Letter from Peter Moran, editor of `Aviation Archaeologist` Magazine, dated 27/11/1981 to donor, giving information about the crew of the `Sylvia Scarlet`.
Andrew Young of Balephuil
Photograph of Andrew Young of Balephuil in his RAF uniform.
Courtesy of Mrs Mabel MacArthur
Originally from Glasgow, Andrew Young, his sister Mabel and brother William were brought up by the MacNeills of Main Road Farm in Balephuil.
Andrew had an unlucky war. As an RAF mechanic he was stationed in Burma and Kenya where he contracted malaria and typhoid. The troopship in which he was sent home was sunk off the African coast and he spent ten days in an open lifeboat. He was then picked up by a German U-boat and was confined for the rest of the war in a POW camp in Casablanca.
After the war Andrew died on Kennavara while out shooting.
Black and white photograph of Andrew Young during WWII.
Andrew Young, Balephuil, the brother of Mabel Kennedy, Sandaig. As an RAF mechanic he was stationed in Burma and India, where he contracted malaria and typhoid. The troopship in which he was sent home was sunk off the African coast and he was in an open lifeboat for ten days. He was then picked up by a German U-boat and spent the rest of the war in a POW camp in Casablanca. After the war he died on Kenavara while shooting.
