When I Heard the Bell
The Loss of the Iolaire
Published on 10. December 2012
272 pages
978-0-85790-511-6 (ISBN)
Description
On 31 December 1918, His Majesty's Yacht Iolaire sailed from Kyle of Lochalsh for Stornoway, bearing home to the Hebrides nearly 300 naval veterans of the Great War.
She never made it. At two in the morning, the ship ran aground by the mouth of Stornoway harbour, and over 200 men drowned in what remains Britain's biggest peacetime disaster at sea since the loss of the Titanic - devastating the Isle of Lewis and scarring a generation.
Acclaimed journalist John MacLeod examines the events of that dreadful night and uncovers a story not only of official incompetence, error and neglect but also of individual heroism, and the resilience and faith of a remarkable people.
She never made it. At two in the morning, the ship ran aground by the mouth of Stornoway harbour, and over 200 men drowned in what remains Britain's biggest peacetime disaster at sea since the loss of the Titanic - devastating the Isle of Lewis and scarring a generation.
Acclaimed journalist John MacLeod examines the events of that dreadful night and uncovers a story not only of official incompetence, error and neglect but also of individual heroism, and the resilience and faith of a remarkable people.
Reviews / Votes
'Evocative and wholly wonderful' -- Roger Hutchinson * The Scotsman * 'Vividly written' * Press and Journal * 'Compelling ... fuelled by fury' * The Herald * 'Extremely impressive ... holds, grips, moves and - sometimes - shocks and appalls' * Shetland Life *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Birlinn General
File size
1,75 MB
ISBN-13
978-0-85790-511-6 (9780857905116)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
05/2010
Birlinn Ltd
€32.39
Article exhausted; check different version
Book
02/2009
Birlinn Ltd
€41.07
Article exhausted; check different version
Person
John MacLeod was born in Lochaber in 1966. After his 1988 graduation from Edinburgh University, he began his career at BBC Highland in Inverness and quickly established himself as a freelance writer. He has won several awards, including Scottish Journalist of the Year in 1991, and has contributed to many publications including the Scotsman and the Herald. He currently writes a Thursday column for the Scottish Daily Mail and is the author of a number of highly acclaimed books.
Content
- Intro
- Title page
- Copyright page
- Dedication page
- Contents
- Prologue
- 'Raoir Reubadh an Iolaire' - Murchadh MacPhàrlain (Murdo MacFarlane)
- 1 The Dark Ship THE CONTINUED RESONANCE OF AN UNIQUE DISASTER
- 2 Tolsta 1917 LIFE AND WORK ON LEWIS DURING THE GREAT WAR
- 3 'A Happy New Year, Commander Mason' A MUDDLE, A SHIP AND A VOYAGE
- 4 The Beasts of Holm THE WRECK OF HMY IOLAIRE
- 'The Iolaire' - Iain Crichton Smith
- 5 'Grief Unutterable' THE DESOLATION OF AN ISLAND
- 6 'Searching and Impartial Inquiry' THE QUEST FOR ANSWERS - AND EXCUSES
- 7 'My heart is so full of him - and my loss of him so great' CHARITY AND MISERY, WIDOWS AND ORPHANS
- 8 Dead Reckoning REMEMBERING, EXPLAINING
- 'Banntrach Cogaidh' - An t-Urr Iain MacLeòid (Rev. John MacLeod)
- Appendix I: Charts
- Appendix II: The Ship
- Appendix III: The Lost and the Saved - 1 January 1919
- Sources
- Acknowledgements
