"LOYAL LEWIS"
ROLL OF HONOUR
(1914 AND AFTER.)
"How sleep the Brave who sink to rest
By all their Country's wishes blest!
When Spring, with dewy fingers cold,
Returns to deck their hallow'd mould,
She there shall dress a sweeter sod
Than Fancy's feet have ever trod.
"By fairy hands their knell is rung,
By forms unseen their dirge is sung :
There Honour comes, a pilgrim gray,
To bless the turf that wraps their clay,
And Freedom shall awhile repair
To dwell a weeping Hermit there !" —Collins
LEAN GU DLUTH RI CLIU DO SHINNSRE.
Showing posts with label introduction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label introduction. Show all posts
Ennobled by their sacrifice
TRIBUTE BY LORD LEVERHULME.
LEWIS is proud of its record in the Great War, proud of and land in active fight in the War, and strenuous efforts the achievements of its brave sons and daughters on sea in munition factory. Lewis is proud of the fact that it supplied 6172 men wearing His Majesty's uniform on sea and land, and we all mourn that of these 1151 were called to make the supreme sacrifice.
Blood was poured out like water, money was counted as dross until our one-time most powerful military foe was defeated and crushed. Not until liberty and civilisation were made secure and safe, not until our homes, mothers, wives and children were freed from the menace of the invader did the brave efforts of our unconquerable Lewismen cease. They with their comrades were the saviours of the British nation, the saviours of the Empire, they were the liberators of mankind. Not until victory was assured did our valiant Lewismen return home to their beloved Island, to their anxious mothers,
their loving, waiting wives or sweethearts, their bonnie children and the crofts they knew and cultivated. They have not been demoralised—they have been ennobled by their sacrifice, and it is now for us to prove ourselves worthy of them by making life in Lewis higher, better, more complete and fuller of all that goes to make life happy, joyous and comfortable than it was when they left it at the outbreak of War.
They have won the War : it is now for us to win the peace and to make our Island fragrant with hopes and possibilities for a brighter and more glorious future than ever Lewis men and women experienced in the past. Let us set ourselves to work to record in lasting stone and bronze the memory of these brave Lewismen and of their valiant deeds, so that we and generations yet unborn may be inspired to emulate their glorious example.
LEVERHULME.
Editorial note
IN placing the First Edition of this Roll before the Public in December, 1915, I ventured to express the hope that it would commend itself to Lewis folk at home and abroad as a record not altogether unworthy of the magnificent part which the Island was playing in the great struggle then shaking the world. That hope was more than justified in the result. The book had a very cordial reception, and many flattering notices of it appeared in the Press of the home country and the Colonies. His Majesty the King graciously accepted a specially-bound copy of the Roll, thus bringing into still greater prominence the Island's fine war record. Scores of letters were received from natives of Lewis scattered all over the world, expressing a hope that a Final Edition would be published at the end of the war. In response to these requests I have compiled the present volume, which, as will be seen, is not a mere supplement to the former edition, but is complete in itself, embracing all that appeared in the earlier issue and continuing the record to the end of the war. The production of such a Roll as this could not possibly be the unaided work of one man, and my first duty is to acknowledge here the ungrudging assistance received from friends in all parts of the Island. The original lists of names for the various districts were supplied by the school teachers, every one of whom, without exception, responded heartily to my appeal for their co-operation. They also revised the lists as rearranged, and in many instances corrected the proofs for their respective districts as the work was passing through the Press. Other friends, too, have assisted by supplying information with regard to casualties and in collecting photographs. To all these helpers sincere thanks is tendered. One prominent and patriotic Lewisman has been especially helpful —Dr J L. Robertson, C.B., H.M. Senior Chief Inspector of Schools — Dr Robertson has throughout taken a keen and practical interest in the work of compilation, and from the appended initials he will be recognised as the writer of the Preface.
A few words as to the plan and scope of the Roll may be appropriate and useful.
It will be observed that a separate list is given for each of the thirty-six School Areas, and these are arranged in Parishes, following as far as practicable their geographical order. The Parish of Stornoway, for instance, commences at Aird and ends at North Tolsta; it is followed by the Parish of Barvas, commencing at Lionel and ending at Shawbost; Uig and Lochs are similarly treated.
In the First Edition the lists of names were arranged in alphabetical order, and classified according to Units of Service. In the present volume I have adopted a different plan, which, I believe, will be found more interesting and more convenient for reference. Each village is taken as a separate unit, and the names are arranged according to home address. The marginal figures in the lists are the croft numbers. In the case of Stornoway the lists are arranged by streets, and the following order has been followed:—
(1) The sea front from Newton to Bayhead, including the back streets in the Newton district. The cross streets between South Beach and North Beach, and the side streets opening off Bayhead.
(2) Streets running East and West, commencing with Scotland Street.
(3) Streets running North and South, commencing with Kenneth Street.
(4) The Castle policies and suburbs of the town.
By the arrangement adopted in compiling the lists, all the members of the same family are brought together, and each family's service, war honours, or losses can be seen at a glance. As there is scarcely a house but had at least one man serving, the Roll comprises an almost complete Directory for every village and hamlet in the Island. Notes are appended in cases where men have been wounded, gas poisoned, shipwrecked, interned, or made prisoners. An asterisk (*) prefixed to a name denotes a man who gave his life in the struggle. A series of Local Sketches preface the lists for each School District, in which are set forth the more outstanding features of interest in each locality's record, as apart from the Island's record as a whole. These sketches are accompanied by photographs of the writers, who also revised the lists for their respective districts. No one has taken a more practical interest in the publication of this Roll than Mr W. J. Gibson, M.A., Rector of the Nicolson Institute, who has added to much helpfulness and encouragement during its compilation by contributing a special article on the School's record in the war. Hearty thanks are also due to Lieut. Alex. J. Macleod for a graphic and racy account of the service rendered by the Ross Mountain Battery. Following the Lewis lists will be found a section allotted to the record of the part, taken in the great war by Glasgow Lewismen, contributed by Mr Neil M. Macleod ("Godred Crovan"), and a special section is devoted to the Iolaire Disaster. As an appendix there is included a series of statistical tables which no doubt will have interest for some. One set shows how the men from each district were distributed according to units of service; in another set each district's quota is arranged according to clan names. Incidentally these latter reveal some interesting facts with regard to the distribution of the clans throughout the Island. The Macleods, it will be seen, easily lead for numbers in all four parishes, and the name figures among the men serving from every school district except those of Achmore and Aridhbhruaich. They head the list for every school area in the Parish of Stornoway, except North Tolsta, where they take second place to the Macivers, and are almost equalled by the Murrays. In the Ness district the Macleods have to yield pride of place to the Morrisons. At Airidhantuim the Macdonalds easily come first, followed by the Morrisons and Smiths. At Barvas and at Shawbost the Macleods are in an overwhelming majority, while at Bragar they are closely followed by the Mackays, Campbells and Smiths. Passing to the Parish of Uig, it will be seen that the Buchanans are the most numerous at Islivig, Mackays at Valtos, Macdonalds at Bernera and at Crowlista, Macivers and Macleans at Breasclet. The strength of the Macleods at Carloway and Duncarloway, however, places them at the head of the list for the Parish. In Lochs Parish the Mackenzies are the most numerous at Grimshader and Knockiandue, the Finlaysons at Planasker, and the Mackays at Achmore. At Fidigary the Macleods are more than three times as numerous as the Mackenzies, who come next in order. At Luerbost, too, they are in a substantial majority. Freedom from error is not claimed for this Roll, but an earnest endeavour has been made to make the information given correct, and as far as possible complete ; and to this end no effort has been spared. The purpose of this volume is to give in permanent form, a record of the Island's war service, and to perpetuate the memory of the men who sacrificed their lives in the great struggle. If that purpose has been in some worthy measure achieved, my labours in connection with its compilation are amply rewarded.
W. G.
Stornoway, October, 1920.
(1) The sea front from Newton to Bayhead, including the back streets in the Newton district. The cross streets between South Beach and North Beach, and the side streets opening off Bayhead.
(2) Streets running East and West, commencing with Scotland Street.
(3) Streets running North and South, commencing with Kenneth Street.
(4) The Castle policies and suburbs of the town.
By the arrangement adopted in compiling the lists, all the members of the same family are brought together, and each family's service, war honours, or losses can be seen at a glance. As there is scarcely a house but had at least one man serving, the Roll comprises an almost complete Directory for every village and hamlet in the Island. Notes are appended in cases where men have been wounded, gas poisoned, shipwrecked, interned, or made prisoners. An asterisk (*) prefixed to a name denotes a man who gave his life in the struggle. A series of Local Sketches preface the lists for each School District, in which are set forth the more outstanding features of interest in each locality's record, as apart from the Island's record as a whole. These sketches are accompanied by photographs of the writers, who also revised the lists for their respective districts. No one has taken a more practical interest in the publication of this Roll than Mr W. J. Gibson, M.A., Rector of the Nicolson Institute, who has added to much helpfulness and encouragement during its compilation by contributing a special article on the School's record in the war. Hearty thanks are also due to Lieut. Alex. J. Macleod for a graphic and racy account of the service rendered by the Ross Mountain Battery. Following the Lewis lists will be found a section allotted to the record of the part, taken in the great war by Glasgow Lewismen, contributed by Mr Neil M. Macleod ("Godred Crovan"), and a special section is devoted to the Iolaire Disaster. As an appendix there is included a series of statistical tables which no doubt will have interest for some. One set shows how the men from each district were distributed according to units of service; in another set each district's quota is arranged according to clan names. Incidentally these latter reveal some interesting facts with regard to the distribution of the clans throughout the Island. The Macleods, it will be seen, easily lead for numbers in all four parishes, and the name figures among the men serving from every school district except those of Achmore and Aridhbhruaich. They head the list for every school area in the Parish of Stornoway, except North Tolsta, where they take second place to the Macivers, and are almost equalled by the Murrays. In the Ness district the Macleods have to yield pride of place to the Morrisons. At Airidhantuim the Macdonalds easily come first, followed by the Morrisons and Smiths. At Barvas and at Shawbost the Macleods are in an overwhelming majority, while at Bragar they are closely followed by the Mackays, Campbells and Smiths. Passing to the Parish of Uig, it will be seen that the Buchanans are the most numerous at Islivig, Mackays at Valtos, Macdonalds at Bernera and at Crowlista, Macivers and Macleans at Breasclet. The strength of the Macleods at Carloway and Duncarloway, however, places them at the head of the list for the Parish. In Lochs Parish the Mackenzies are the most numerous at Grimshader and Knockiandue, the Finlaysons at Planasker, and the Mackays at Achmore. At Fidigary the Macleods are more than three times as numerous as the Mackenzies, who come next in order. At Luerbost, too, they are in a substantial majority. Freedom from error is not claimed for this Roll, but an earnest endeavour has been made to make the information given correct, and as far as possible complete ; and to this end no effort has been spared. The purpose of this volume is to give in permanent form, a record of the Island's war service, and to perpetuate the memory of the men who sacrificed their lives in the great struggle. If that purpose has been in some worthy measure achieved, my labours in connection with its compilation are amply rewarded.
W. G.
Stornoway, October, 1920.
Preface
PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION
(1915)
THIS terrible war which burst on an astonished world a year ago, and which, after a course of unexampled violence and destructiveness, is apparently far from its fateful crisis, is of supreme and undying interest to the Island of Lewis. In no part of His Majesty's Dominions, home or oversea, has a rural community of under 30,000 souls made a finer response in manhood and efficiency to the call to Naval and Military service in defence of the Empire and its Allies, and all that the Empire champions—freedom for the man and the State all over the habitable world. This Hebridean contribution to the Forces by land and sea is remarkable, alike in numbers and variety of service, and this record, with the subjoined statistics, collected and arranged with great care by Mr William Grant, deserves, and will receive, handsome acceptance from Lewis men and women and their friends
everywhere.
Many who are unacquainted with the interesting story of the Island and its more recent development are excusably surprised at the large quota of Lewis soldiers and sailors at present in the service of the Crown. For some enlightenment on the past and on the present, it may be stated that the Island has had a very substantial military tradition for centuries, since it, with other Highland districts, emerged from the "dark ages" of internecine tumult and barbarity. The episode of the Fife Adventurers early in the 17th century probably marked the critical stage in the transition to organised military practice and enlistment. At the Battle of Auldearn in 1645 a Lewis regiment was practically annihilated. Only three escaped, and among the killed was the Chamberlain of the Lewis (Donald Ban, brother of the Laird of Tulloch). But the Island was still turbulent, for Cromwell had a garrison in Stornoway, and in 1654 an unsuccessful siege of the strong Castle of Stornoway is recorded. In the '15 twelve Lewis officers were nominated in Inverness, and at Sheriffmuir the Islanders, under Seaforth, formed part of the second line. Lewis gave serious concern to the authorities for a time thereafter, and a regular Government force was got ready to operate against its defiant clansmen. In the '45, again, a Lewis Company with its local officers took the field. Passing down the years, we find that in 1793 and 1794 Francis, Lord Seaforth. raised two battalions, in the first of which three hundred Lewismen figured. The second battalion took the distinctive and far-famed title of the "Ross-shire Buffs." In 1804 another battalion was raised for the "Buffs," and the Island contributed a large proportion. In a word, the renowned 78th Regiment had a fertile recruiting area in Lewis. Indeed, such was the drain on the population by recruiting that the Rev. Colin Mackenzie, Parish Minister of Stornoway, writing for the "Statistical Account" in 1795, says —
"By reason of the multitudes levied for the Army and Navy, the great number of sub-tsnants, and the many hands wanted for the fishing boats, labourers and farm servants are become very scarce and difficult to be found."
Since the Napoleonic struggle the military tradition has been continued and extended, and Lewis, in the Navy, the Army, and Militia, has long been represented from every village in the Island. The fighting record is magnificent. The Royal Naval Reserve was started in Stornoway in 1874, and for a long time was drilled annually at the Battery Station there—in its day the largest single station in the Kingdom. The physique and efficiency of the Reservemen were surpassed by none, according to official reports. In later years actual service aboard a man-of-war has been insisted on, and the local Training Station was discontinued. This splendid R.N. R. contingent, numbering about 2000, promptly answered the mobilisation summons of the Admiralty on the memorable 2nd August last year. It must, however, be kept in mind that the connection of Lewis with the regular Navy has been very close for fully a century, though the recruitment was not large, and that in this war up to date several Lewismen of the regular Navy, apart from R.N.R. seamen, have conspicuously distinguished themselves. The people will cherish the memories of the Heligoland Bight, the Falkland Islands, the North Sea Battle, and, with special regard, the brilliant exploit of the "Carmania." The old Artillery Volunteers (1st Ross-shire), Stornoway, was supplanted some years ago by the new organisation, the Ross Mountain Battery (T.F.), and the Stornoway Company thereof is now valorously fighting in the dreary and blood-soaked slopes of the Dardanelles. With the Company are serving 41 of the Secondary pupils of the Nicolson Institute, actually on the working roll of the school when the war broke out, and former pupils also in large numbers have contributed to the splendid war record of this distinguished school. Nothing redounds more to the high credit of the Island's endeavour in this world conflict than the voluntary enlistment of young men of Lewis birth or extraction, both at home (though furth of the Island), and in the Colonies, the States, the Argentine and elsewhere in foreign parts. From Canada alone some 250 Lewis lads are now in the trenches in Flanders. And the Island will remember with just pride that all through the progress of the war there has been a modest, but steady, local recruiting for all branches of the Forces—Regular, R.N.R., and Territorial.
Alas ! that with all this military enterprise and pageantry the toll of life and limb by land and sea has been distressingly severe. Already the death casualties alone are well into the third hundred, and every week now little groups of men, maimed or hopelessly war-worn, are finding their way to the family hearths in all parts of the Island. Lewis is sorely stricken, and the patriotic devotion and the resignation of the inhabitants will, there is every reason to fear, have to face greater tribulation before Peace resumes its reign. Many pages will have to be added to this Roll of Honour. To all of us the abiding consolation remains that those who never come back have laid down their lives in one of the greatest causes In the history of mankind. Let us at home have an unflinching faith in the certainty of a triumphant issue to this stupendous struggle, and do our part, however humble, with a deep sense of personal obligation. There is a direct and very telling appropriateness at this moment in the words of a real poet : —
"Say not, the struggle naught availeth,
The labour and the wounds are vain,
The enemy faints not, nor faileth,
And as things have been they remain.
If hopes were dupes, fears may be liars;
It may be, in yon smoke concealed,
Your comrades chase e'en now the fliers,
And, but for you, possess the field.
For while the tired waves, vainly breaking,
Seem here no painful inch to gain,
Far back, through creeks and inlets making,
Comes silent, flooding in, the main.
And not by eastern windows only,
When daylight comes, comes in the light;
In front the sun climbs slow, how slowly !
But westward, look, the land is bright !"
—Clough-
With this beautiful and inspiring vision of ultimate victory the Roll may fitly open.
As a last word let the hope be expressed that the sons and daughters of the Island at home and abroad will unite in erecting a worthy and permanent local memorial and cenotaph to their countrymen who have suffered and died for their sakes in a noble cause.
PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION (1921).
A few words of supplementary preface are asked for now, though the revised Roll may be long in preparation. The Great War seems at an end, at any rate in its active military aspect, and the nations, weary and debilitated, are labouring in the wake of the world-wide struggle towards a haven of assured peace and orderly life and development. The "armed doctrine" of German might and presumptuous superiority, lately revealed fully to the world, has been more than successfully defied by her opponents, and there is much reason to believe that she is now surely, if secretly, laying to heart the stern lessons of a national collapse unparalleled in the history of mankind. She is certainly reaping the whirlwind where she sowed in many long years of insidious preparation against the liberties of peaceful nations. Social revolt and disorder for the time reign within her borders, and the Allies are unexpectedly confronted with the gravest anxiety as to the existence of a competent Governmental authority with which to treat in the final stages of the negotiations. In the paramount general interests of Europe they must exact the most binding guarantees from her if—what many weighty minds consider a practicable ideal—a United States of Europe, or a reasonable approximation thereto, is to displace the secret distrust and uncertainty of the old days. The glimmerings of a genuine democratic tendency on the part of a few of her present temporary rulers appear to give some faint hope that a repentant feeling is taking root. A change of heart is the necessary forerunner of a radical change in her domestic and international outlook and policy, and the very visible evidence of the overwhelming military resources of the victors will foster, if it does not enforce, this desirable orientation. Stricken Germany and the weaker nations that, to their own undoing, so disastrously backed her, cannot forget the awful past, however loud their present evasions and protests As for the Allies their proper mood seems that reflected in the words of the "Recessional": — "The tumult and the shouting dies; The captains and the kings depart : Still stands thine ancient sacrifice, An humble and a contrite heart. Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, Lest we forget—lest we forget!" and when Germany and her associates respond to this spirit, the noonday of a better world is approaching. In this short- note the main chronicle of the war cannot find even a modest summary. For our own Empire the outstanding facts are the heroic and resistless valour of our soldiers and sailors, the marvellous resource and stability of our own nation and our comrade dominions and colonies, and our restraint and determination, alike in victory and casual defeat. In the darkest hours, and they were not few, faith in the justice of our ideals and in a victorious issue never really faltered, and never in our annals have the high purpose and material might of the Empire been more acclaimed throughout the world. The story of the achievement of the Island of Lewis by land and sea is a glorious one. The recital of its losses in the finest of its manhood is, alas, harrowing ! and in no phase of the war was the cry of lamentation nor the agony of anxious hearts absent in any village in the land. The fact that out of a population of less than 30,000 over 1000 gave up their lives, not to reckon the distressingly large proportion of wounded and permanently disabled who have been straggling back to their mourning homes, has stirred the hearts and won the admiration of our kinsmen everywhere, and of the nation at large. The crowning sorrow of the "Iolaire," that inexplicable calamity of last New Year's Day, only remained to fill to overflowing the cup of universal grief for this Island. Verily, Lewis by its sacrifices has raised an imperishable monument to itself in the saddened hearts of our countrymen. May the following pages be a widespread memorial, now and henceforth, of the days of high emprise, and, unhappily, of sore trial and affliction. J. L. Robertson Esq, C.B., LL D.
THIS terrible war which burst on an astonished world a year ago, and which, after a course of unexampled violence and destructiveness, is apparently far from its fateful crisis, is of supreme and undying interest to the Island of Lewis. In no part of His Majesty's Dominions, home or oversea, has a rural community of under 30,000 souls made a finer response in manhood and efficiency to the call to Naval and Military service in defence of the Empire and its Allies, and all that the Empire champions—freedom for the man and the State all over the habitable world. This Hebridean contribution to the Forces by land and sea is remarkable, alike in numbers and variety of service, and this record, with the subjoined statistics, collected and arranged with great care by Mr William Grant, deserves, and will receive, handsome acceptance from Lewis men and women and their friends
everywhere.
Many who are unacquainted with the interesting story of the Island and its more recent development are excusably surprised at the large quota of Lewis soldiers and sailors at present in the service of the Crown. For some enlightenment on the past and on the present, it may be stated that the Island has had a very substantial military tradition for centuries, since it, with other Highland districts, emerged from the "dark ages" of internecine tumult and barbarity. The episode of the Fife Adventurers early in the 17th century probably marked the critical stage in the transition to organised military practice and enlistment. At the Battle of Auldearn in 1645 a Lewis regiment was practically annihilated. Only three escaped, and among the killed was the Chamberlain of the Lewis (Donald Ban, brother of the Laird of Tulloch). But the Island was still turbulent, for Cromwell had a garrison in Stornoway, and in 1654 an unsuccessful siege of the strong Castle of Stornoway is recorded. In the '15 twelve Lewis officers were nominated in Inverness, and at Sheriffmuir the Islanders, under Seaforth, formed part of the second line. Lewis gave serious concern to the authorities for a time thereafter, and a regular Government force was got ready to operate against its defiant clansmen. In the '45, again, a Lewis Company with its local officers took the field. Passing down the years, we find that in 1793 and 1794 Francis, Lord Seaforth. raised two battalions, in the first of which three hundred Lewismen figured. The second battalion took the distinctive and far-famed title of the "Ross-shire Buffs." In 1804 another battalion was raised for the "Buffs," and the Island contributed a large proportion. In a word, the renowned 78th Regiment had a fertile recruiting area in Lewis. Indeed, such was the drain on the population by recruiting that the Rev. Colin Mackenzie, Parish Minister of Stornoway, writing for the "Statistical Account" in 1795, says —
"By reason of the multitudes levied for the Army and Navy, the great number of sub-tsnants, and the many hands wanted for the fishing boats, labourers and farm servants are become very scarce and difficult to be found."
Since the Napoleonic struggle the military tradition has been continued and extended, and Lewis, in the Navy, the Army, and Militia, has long been represented from every village in the Island. The fighting record is magnificent. The Royal Naval Reserve was started in Stornoway in 1874, and for a long time was drilled annually at the Battery Station there—in its day the largest single station in the Kingdom. The physique and efficiency of the Reservemen were surpassed by none, according to official reports. In later years actual service aboard a man-of-war has been insisted on, and the local Training Station was discontinued. This splendid R.N. R. contingent, numbering about 2000, promptly answered the mobilisation summons of the Admiralty on the memorable 2nd August last year. It must, however, be kept in mind that the connection of Lewis with the regular Navy has been very close for fully a century, though the recruitment was not large, and that in this war up to date several Lewismen of the regular Navy, apart from R.N.R. seamen, have conspicuously distinguished themselves. The people will cherish the memories of the Heligoland Bight, the Falkland Islands, the North Sea Battle, and, with special regard, the brilliant exploit of the "Carmania." The old Artillery Volunteers (1st Ross-shire), Stornoway, was supplanted some years ago by the new organisation, the Ross Mountain Battery (T.F.), and the Stornoway Company thereof is now valorously fighting in the dreary and blood-soaked slopes of the Dardanelles. With the Company are serving 41 of the Secondary pupils of the Nicolson Institute, actually on the working roll of the school when the war broke out, and former pupils also in large numbers have contributed to the splendid war record of this distinguished school. Nothing redounds more to the high credit of the Island's endeavour in this world conflict than the voluntary enlistment of young men of Lewis birth or extraction, both at home (though furth of the Island), and in the Colonies, the States, the Argentine and elsewhere in foreign parts. From Canada alone some 250 Lewis lads are now in the trenches in Flanders. And the Island will remember with just pride that all through the progress of the war there has been a modest, but steady, local recruiting for all branches of the Forces—Regular, R.N.R., and Territorial.
Alas ! that with all this military enterprise and pageantry the toll of life and limb by land and sea has been distressingly severe. Already the death casualties alone are well into the third hundred, and every week now little groups of men, maimed or hopelessly war-worn, are finding their way to the family hearths in all parts of the Island. Lewis is sorely stricken, and the patriotic devotion and the resignation of the inhabitants will, there is every reason to fear, have to face greater tribulation before Peace resumes its reign. Many pages will have to be added to this Roll of Honour. To all of us the abiding consolation remains that those who never come back have laid down their lives in one of the greatest causes In the history of mankind. Let us at home have an unflinching faith in the certainty of a triumphant issue to this stupendous struggle, and do our part, however humble, with a deep sense of personal obligation. There is a direct and very telling appropriateness at this moment in the words of a real poet : —
"Say not, the struggle naught availeth,
The labour and the wounds are vain,
The enemy faints not, nor faileth,
And as things have been they remain.
If hopes were dupes, fears may be liars;
It may be, in yon smoke concealed,
Your comrades chase e'en now the fliers,
And, but for you, possess the field.
For while the tired waves, vainly breaking,
Seem here no painful inch to gain,
Far back, through creeks and inlets making,
Comes silent, flooding in, the main.
And not by eastern windows only,
When daylight comes, comes in the light;
In front the sun climbs slow, how slowly !
But westward, look, the land is bright !"
—Clough-
With this beautiful and inspiring vision of ultimate victory the Roll may fitly open.
As a last word let the hope be expressed that the sons and daughters of the Island at home and abroad will unite in erecting a worthy and permanent local memorial and cenotaph to their countrymen who have suffered and died for their sakes in a noble cause.
PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION (1921).
A few words of supplementary preface are asked for now, though the revised Roll may be long in preparation. The Great War seems at an end, at any rate in its active military aspect, and the nations, weary and debilitated, are labouring in the wake of the world-wide struggle towards a haven of assured peace and orderly life and development. The "armed doctrine" of German might and presumptuous superiority, lately revealed fully to the world, has been more than successfully defied by her opponents, and there is much reason to believe that she is now surely, if secretly, laying to heart the stern lessons of a national collapse unparalleled in the history of mankind. She is certainly reaping the whirlwind where she sowed in many long years of insidious preparation against the liberties of peaceful nations. Social revolt and disorder for the time reign within her borders, and the Allies are unexpectedly confronted with the gravest anxiety as to the existence of a competent Governmental authority with which to treat in the final stages of the negotiations. In the paramount general interests of Europe they must exact the most binding guarantees from her if—what many weighty minds consider a practicable ideal—a United States of Europe, or a reasonable approximation thereto, is to displace the secret distrust and uncertainty of the old days. The glimmerings of a genuine democratic tendency on the part of a few of her present temporary rulers appear to give some faint hope that a repentant feeling is taking root. A change of heart is the necessary forerunner of a radical change in her domestic and international outlook and policy, and the very visible evidence of the overwhelming military resources of the victors will foster, if it does not enforce, this desirable orientation. Stricken Germany and the weaker nations that, to their own undoing, so disastrously backed her, cannot forget the awful past, however loud their present evasions and protests As for the Allies their proper mood seems that reflected in the words of the "Recessional": — "The tumult and the shouting dies; The captains and the kings depart : Still stands thine ancient sacrifice, An humble and a contrite heart. Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, Lest we forget—lest we forget!" and when Germany and her associates respond to this spirit, the noonday of a better world is approaching. In this short- note the main chronicle of the war cannot find even a modest summary. For our own Empire the outstanding facts are the heroic and resistless valour of our soldiers and sailors, the marvellous resource and stability of our own nation and our comrade dominions and colonies, and our restraint and determination, alike in victory and casual defeat. In the darkest hours, and they were not few, faith in the justice of our ideals and in a victorious issue never really faltered, and never in our annals have the high purpose and material might of the Empire been more acclaimed throughout the world. The story of the achievement of the Island of Lewis by land and sea is a glorious one. The recital of its losses in the finest of its manhood is, alas, harrowing ! and in no phase of the war was the cry of lamentation nor the agony of anxious hearts absent in any village in the land. The fact that out of a population of less than 30,000 over 1000 gave up their lives, not to reckon the distressingly large proportion of wounded and permanently disabled who have been straggling back to their mourning homes, has stirred the hearts and won the admiration of our kinsmen everywhere, and of the nation at large. The crowning sorrow of the "Iolaire," that inexplicable calamity of last New Year's Day, only remained to fill to overflowing the cup of universal grief for this Island. Verily, Lewis by its sacrifices has raised an imperishable monument to itself in the saddened hearts of our countrymen. May the following pages be a widespread memorial, now and henceforth, of the days of high emprise, and, unhappily, of sore trial and affliction. J. L. Robertson Esq, C.B., LL D.
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