Handwritten letter from the Rev James Taylor, Baptist minister, dated 20 Sep 1947, and addressed to “Dear Brother in the Lord”. He begins by discussing the weather and its affect on grass growth, followed by reflecting on lessons of the Bible. From Lodge Farm, Kirkapol.
Click here to view 2022.1.1
Black & white photograph of a Nissen hut on the airfield during a blizzard in WWII, with houses of Crossapol just visible in the background. The photo was taken by RAF Service Photographer, ‘Peru’ (real name unknown), while serving with 518 Squadron, RAF Tiree.
Summary of research into the families and descendants of people at the centre of the Balephuil Fishing Disaster of 1856, by descendant Sharon Clayton, Canada, in 2020.
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Draft article about ‘rock art’ on Tiree, by Dr Roland Spencer-Jones of NOSAS, 2019.
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Summaries of climate statistics collected at the Met Office on Tiree during 1962-1971, and covering letter, 2018. Courtesy of the National Meteorological Archive.
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Softback book ‘Shore Lines – word pictures from an island’ by Donald E Meek, 2019. A collection of verse in English composed by Donald Meek, Caoles, about his life on Tiree from the 1950s to the present. Signed by Donald for An Iodhlann.
Hardback book ‘Forecast for Overlord’, by J M Stagg, 1971. A first-hand account of the weather forecasting that allowed the D-Day operations to be carried out on June 6, 1944. Written by General Eisenhower’s chief weatherman. Airmen at RAF Tiree collected the weather data that was used to forecast D-Day.
Typed article about the catastrophic sand-blow at Hough in around 1815, which buried croft land and dwellings, and forced the majority of residents to move to Kilmoluaig. Written by Dr Margaret MacKay (School of Scottish Studies, Edinburgh University) for presentation at an Oral History conference in France in 1982. Includes the conference programme.
Click here to view 2018.66.2
Composition ‘When Tiree held the Key to D Day’ by John Robertson 2018, about the critical role of RAF 518 Squadron Meteorological Observers, which was based at Tiree during WWII. Originally compiled for the Highalnd Aviation Museum in Inverness.
Click here to view 2018.48.1
Bronze bravery medal from the Royal Humane Society of London awarded to Archibald MacLean Jr for his participation in the rescue of the remaining crew of the gale-stricken schooner ‘Maria and Fanny’, off Kenavara, Balephuil Bay, in 1868. The rescue was carried out at great risk, and all eight members of the crew, including the captain, were given awards by the Royal Humane Society. A blue ribbon was added later.
The latin inscription reads “LATEAT SCINTILLVLA FORSAN ; SOC.LOND.IN.RESVSCITAT ; INTERMORTVORVM (?)INSTIT ; MDCCLXXIV” one one side, and “HOC PRETIVM CIVE SERVATO TVLIT ; VIT.OB.SERV.D.D. SOC.REG HVM.” on the other.
