There is an exceptionally simple memorial in the Outer Hebrides near Stornoway on the Isle on Lewis, commemorating the tragic loss of HMY Iolaire. It was erected to honour naval reservists returning home from serving in World War I lost at sea within yards of land in the early hours of New Year’s Day 1919. This now not-much-spoken-about disaster left the island bereft of its menfolk and wiped out almost an entire generation of young men in their prime.
HMY Iolaire was an Admiralty yacht requisitioned on the last day of December 1918 to help transport home hundreds of military and naval reservists from the Isles of Lewis and Harris who had survived the horrors of war. That particular evening the pier on the mainland at Kyle of Lochalsh was crowded with uniformed servicemen coming off the troop trains impatient to be reunited with their families. The Iolaire sailed from the port of Kyle loaded to capacity. By early morning, in spite of storms and heavy seas, she had reached the entrance to Stornoway harbour, so near to land that men on board could see lights twinkling in the distance. Most were getting ready to disembark when the yacht, which had veered just slightly off-course, struck jutting rocks, infamously known as the “Beasts of Holm”, and began to sink. Even though they were within reach of shore, most of the passengers drowned in the icy waters, trapped in the vessel or hampered in theirs attempt to swim in their thick uniforms and heavy boots. Only 82 of the approximate 300 on board survived.
This was a tragedy that struck a dagger deep into the hearts of the people of Lewis and Harris and its legacy is felt to this day. There was scarcely a home on Lewis that remained unaffected. Even before that fatal night the sparse communities of fishermen and crofters on both islands had already lost a thousand war dead. The Iolaire only added to that crippling toll. It was a terrible irony that men who had volunteered, fought , yet survived the horrors of a faraway war, should drown within sight of their own homes and in waters they knew so well. Its legacy would fuel the impetus of subsequent emigration from these islands, and the ever-present reminder that truly in the midst of life we are in death.
