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Cont'd: The Loss of the Admiralty Yacht Iolaire in 1919
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The second
investigation into the sinking of the Iolaire conducted as a Public Inquiry - convened in Stornoway on
10 February 1919 - which provided the local community with the only real
opportunity to confront the Navy on the disaster. This Inquiry was
presided over by Sheriff Principal MacKintosh, with seven local men
forming a jury. Mr C.G. MacKenzie and Mr J.C. Fenton represented the
Crown, with Mr J.C. Pitman and Mr W.A. Ross appearing on behalf of the
Admiralty. A local Solicitor, Mr J.N. Anderson, was retained by some of
the bereaved families to act on their behalf.
Pitman
advised that, due to the lack of available evidence, the Naval Inquiry
had been unable to apportion blame for the accident to any individual or
agency. He argued that the evidence (or lack of it) before the
Public Inquiry should compel the jury to arrive at similar conclusions.
Anderson, on the other hand, cited gross negligence and incompetence in
the navigation of the vessel and within the vessel’s command structure
once she had struck the rocks.
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delay in getting the emergency services and equipment to Holm.
Later, in his Report to the Naval authorities concerning the Public
Inquiry held in Stornoway, Pitman would tell the Admiralty that the
Island’s population generally held the Royal Navy culpable for the
tragedy.
RIGHT: Iolaire survivors, John F MacLeod,
Port of Ness, and John (‘Iain Help’) Murray, 6 South Dell, share a
contemplative moment beside the memorial at Holm that was erected in
honour of the men who perished during the disaster |
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When the
Public Inquiry jury finally arrived at their verdict, it was unanimous
and would prove to be less reticent than that of the private Naval
Inquiry. They concluded that: the Iolaire’s officers did not
exercise due caution on the approach to Stornoway; that the vessel did
not reduce speed at the appropriate time; that the vessel was allowed to
sail without adequate life-saving equipment; that no lookout had been
posted; that once the vessel had struck, the officers did not give
any orders which might have reduced the loss of life; and, that
there was an unacceptable delay in deploying shore-based emergency
services. Rumour within the Island had suggested that the officers and
crew might have been unfit for duty through drink. However, Captain
Cameron, Master of the mail steamer, Sheila, had testified at the
Public Enquiry that the Iolaire’s officers and men had appeared
to be perfectly competent and sober when he saw them at Kyle. The jury
would subsequently accept that there had been no evidence of liquor
being a contributory factor in the events leading up to the disaster.
Few witnesses
were able to offer much evidence regarding the actions of the vessel’s
Captain and First Officer, once she had struck. However, the
Iolaire’s Radio Operator, L. Welch, said that Commander Mason had
managed to make his way to the wireless cabin following the collision.
On arrival, Welch stated that Mason calmly gave him the ship’s position
and issued him with instructions to send out distress signals. Mason
then left the cabin shortly before a bulkhead collapsed and the lights
went out below decks. Later, above decks, Welch also spoke briefly to
the First Officer, Lieutenant Cotter, who had lashed himself to a rail
up on the bridge. Cotter shouted to him, “It’s abandon ship - carry
on!” When Welch enquired about the officer’s own intentions, Cotter
apparently replied, “I’m staying here.” Commander Mason, Lieut. Cotter
and a number of the crew would subsequently number among the dead.
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There have
been conflicting conclusions regarding the actual course followed by the
Iolaire that morning. Due to the complexities of maritime
navigation and a reluctance to add further speculation to the disaster,
this article will not attempt to try and explain why the Iolaire
struck the Beasts of Holm with such tragic consequences.
However, the charts illustrated here aim to provide some indication of
the general route between Kyle and Stornoway (Chart A), and the
conflicting courses proposed by some agencies concerned with the
circumstances of the tragedy (Chart B).
There were three main
propositions regarding the route taken by the Iolaire [see Chart
B]: The first of these is Course X, proposed by the
Admiralty, which suggested that the vessel had somehow inadvertently
drifted half a mile too far to the east of Stornoway Harbour.
LEFT: CHART A -
General course between Kyle and Stornoway |
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| Course Y
reflected the conclusions of the Public Inquiry and proposed that the
Iolaire had been as much as five miles east of her proper course,
before turning sharply in a generally westward direction towards
Holm. (N.B. In 1959, the BBC commissioned Captain John Smith -
captain of the MacBrayne’s ferry, Loch Seaforth - to give his
impression of the most likely course taken, based on the available
evidence. His conclusions would support that of the Public Inquiry,
Course Y. Course Z is based upon evidence given by James
MacDonald (Engineer on board the fishing boat, Spider) and John
MacInnes (a passenger aboard the Iolaire). This advanced the
theory that, whilst overtaking the Spider, Lieut. Cotter, of the
Iolaire - who had relieved Commander Mason at 1am - had somehow
exaggerated the manoeuvre. This resulted in the officer miscalculating
his true position and over-estimating the proximity of land during his
approach to Holm. |
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Arguably, the best time for
uncovering the true facts concerning events that morning would have been
in the years immediately following the disaster whilst witness
recollections were still fresh. This opportunity was largely lost when File Number 693:The Iolaire Inquiry was quietly closed and
hurriedly despatched to the dusty vaults of the Admiralty’s archives.
Whatever the reasons were for the Iolaire to founder astride
the Beasts of Holm, those servicemen who lost their lives that day,
and indeed those who were to survive, will always hold a special place
in the thoughts of the people of Lewis.
RIGHT:
Chart B - The three contentious courses allegedly taken by HMS
Iolaire on New Year's morning, 1919 |
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The
following names are those of the servicemen from the Ness and the West
Side districts of Lewis who perished during the Iolaire disaster
of New Year’s Morning, 1919.
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Name |
Address |
Age |
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1.
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Angus Gillies
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35 South Dell
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30
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2.
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Murdo MacDonald
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13 Swainbost
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21
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3.
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Angus MacRitchie
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37 Swainbost
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20
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4.
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Norman Morrison
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17 Lionel
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20
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5.
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John Murray
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36 Lionel
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46
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6.
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Roderick Morrison
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Back Street, Habost
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43
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7.
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Donald Murray
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11 Habost
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23
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8.
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John Morrison
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12 Knockaird
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18
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9.
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William MacKay
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7 Fivepenny
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26
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10.
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Donald Morrison
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11 Fivepenny
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27
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11.
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John MacDonald
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10 Skigersta
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32
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12.
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Murdo Campbell
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4 Eorodale
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19
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13.
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John Macleod
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13 Eorodale
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20
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14.
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Malcolm Thomson
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14 Swainbost
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27
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15.
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Malcolm MacLeod
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28 Swainbost
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20
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16.
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Donald MacDonald
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13 Swainbost
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27
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17.
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Angus Campbell
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31 Lionel
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40
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18.
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Donald MacRitchie
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34 Habost
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21
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19.
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Alex John Campbell
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41 Habost
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20
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20.
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Angus Morrison
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7 Knockaird
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32
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21.
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Angus MacDonald
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3 Port
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23
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22.
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Angus Morrison
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10 Eoropie
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20
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23.
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Donald MacLeod
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5a Fivepenny
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28
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24.
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Murdo MacDonald
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15 Borve
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25.
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Angus MacLeay
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34 Lower Shader
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26.
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Norman Martin
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8 Lower Shader
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27.
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John MacDonald
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25 Lower Shader
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28.
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Angus Morrison
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31 Upper Shader
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29.
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Malcolm Matheson
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10 Upper Shader
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NOTES
The
remains of the first 14 men named above were buried in the ‘Old
Cemetery’, Habost, Ness. The body of Angus MacDonald, 3 Port, was eventually
recovered in the Lochs district of Lewis and was subsequently interred in the Crossbost Cemetery, Lochs. Unfortunately, the remains of the other Ness
victims named here were never recovered. Of the Ness and West Side men
who boarded the Iolaire at Kyle, only 11 were to survive.
They were:
Donald Morrison (am Patch), 7 Knockaird; John F MacLeod (Iain
Mhurdo), Port of Ness; John Murray (Iain Help), 6 South Dell;
Murdo Morrison (Murchadh Iain Bhig), 8 Skigersta (later, High
St.); Murdo MacFarlane (Murchadh Chraig), 24 Cross; Norman
MacKenzie (Tarmod Dhòmhnaill Iain Bhàin - ‘Làrag’), Post Office
Side, Cross; Alexander Morrison (Alasdair Iain Mhic Alasdair - ‘an
Tiger’), 4 Cross; John Graham, 8 Borve; Roderick Graham, 29 Borve;
Angus Morrison, 41 Borve; and Donald Martin, 33 Lower Shader.
John Murray was possibly the second
person to reach safety by means of the rope which John MacLeod had
earlier managed to swim to shore with.
Norman MacKenzie managed to swim ashore though he was badly hurt after
being repeatedly washed off the rocks. His injuries
left him confined to bed for a considerable period.
Alexander Morrison had earlier survived
the sinking of HMS Hermes, which had been lost on 31 October
1914. His wife was a sister of fellow Iolaire survivor, Donald
‘Patch’ Morrison.
Malcolm Matheson, 10 Upper Shader, had
been a gunner on board HMT Ireland, which had earlier been credited with
bringing down two Zeppelins in the North Sea.
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