WW1 Eigg soldiers

10 young men from Eigg between the ages of 18 to 20 took part in World War 1. Nine fought in the trenches of Flanders, one was sent to fight in Thessaloniki. Only half of them survived.

Seven men came back. 2 died withing a few years, lungs destroyed by mustard gas: John MacLellan at Croft 3 and almost next door, Neil MacLellan died withinh 3 years, victims of the first ever instance of chemical warfare.

Five survived.

One of them,Donald Archie MacLeod, the gamekeeper's son at Croft 8 brought back a Military Medal from Delville Woods, one of the fiercest battles of the Somme campaign.His younger brother Ronald, who served as sniper, also survived it.

Ronald Macleod and Angus MacLellan: one came back, the other didn't

In the MacLellan family on the next croft,  at Tigh an t-Sithean, all the sons  were lost. The three older sons Archibald, Angus and Donald were all killed in action in the first few years of the war. Donald, getting a Military Medal for his gallant action on the battle of the Somme. They were with other Cameron Highlanders from Arisaig, Mallaig and Morar when they fell, all part of the huge losses suffered by this regiment. 

What sadness for the parents and sisters when their only surviving son and brother, Neil, who experienced gas poisoning in the trenches, finally succombed from the after effect on his lungs, only 3 years after the end of war when he wasaway studying fro the priesthood in Rome? it is hard to imagine the pain this must have caused the already bereaved family. 

Others that came back were the 2 brothers from Croft 1, Hugh and Angus Mackinnon. They served in different regiments, Angus being drafted later during the war. 

Hugh, the bard of Eigg who could quote latin poetry served in Greece and Turkey, When he saw Mount Olympus, he compared it to the Coolins of Rum. Hugh wrote of his feelings on his return, finding half of his generation gone. The song he composed is read every 11 November at the Eigg War memorial, a lament to the carefee lads of his youth who never returned.

Eigg 2018 commemoration

To follow.

At the war memorial

Pages of the sea

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