CULTURAL BONANZA FOR COLONSAY

Islanders were ecstatic as word spread about an extraordinary international rescue operation which is to ensure the conservation of all of the island's built heritage. The co-ordinated project had been kept under wraps, but involves the injection of unlimited funds and will ensure that these invaluable Hebridean structures and artifacts will be preserved for the education and appreciation of countless future generations. It is a comprehensive plan and will take care of all our monuments and historic structures once and for all.

Local residents were taken completely by surprise and totally overwhelmed by the scale and generosity of the arrangement, which is scheduled for almost immediate effect. The news first broke during the interval of a live broadcast from New York Metropolitan Opera House, when a Miss Melina MacRuaraidh made a statement on behalf of the International Museums Project. It seems that an international convention exists whereby national treasures may be appropriated by any interested party if the "host" nation does not seem to be sufficiently wealthy or cultivated to protect them.

Invoking this established privilege, Miss MacRuaraidh announced that the Greek Government will be removing the gravestones from Oransay Priory and re-locating them in a specially-constructed gallery at the Acropolis. In their new location, the MacRuaraidh Marbles (as they are to be known) will be accessible to a much larger audience and will be conserved in a manner which is beyond the dreams of Argyll & Bute Council. Local people will continue to have full access, and of course for many people (e.g. residents of Iona or Coll) it is much easier to visit Athens than Oransay.

Fortunately, the rest of the international community has agreed to assist in this rescue work. The former Stevenson lighthouse at Scalasaig is to be re-erected at Pharos, close to Alexandria. The Monument at Cnoc na Faire, to be known in future as "McNeill's Needle", is to be re-erected in an heavily-polluted thoroughfare in Cairo, on the banks of the Nile; pioneering work in London has shown that atmospheric pollution does not affect such priceless treasures. Meanwhile, the Temple in the Glen will be beautifully restored and relocated as a symbol of peace and fraternity at the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, where it should be safe for ever. The triumphal archway from Kiloran Farmyard has been adopted by the city fathers in Rome and will add lustre to the environs of the Coliseum. Cill a' Mhoire, to be re-named "Temple of the Virgin" is to be re-erected on the vacant site of the Temple of Diana, and the Roundhouse from Machrins will be put to practical use at nearby Ephesus. The existing Library of Celsus looks impressive enough but the roof is away and the books are getting wet - they will all be re-housed in the restored roundhouse and the whole area tidied up.

Welcoming the proposal, representatives of Colonsay community enthused that there would be useful employment for a few days in crating it all up and getting it away. In fact, as one wag pointed out, it might be possible to crate up some of the old stones walls and half the beach at the Garbh Chladach too and get that cleared away as well. "All this old stuff makes the island look very cluttered and gives the wrong signals - this is not some backward hole-in-the wall sort of place, it is a dynamic, thrusting community with architecture and style to match. Clean, clear, modern lines - we have nothing to learn from the past and hooray for johnny-foreigner."

Just one dissenting voice was heard, from the back of the hall. "Be careful, dear friends. We are obviously unable to maintain the new graveyard or the area around the new hall - perhaps we will lose both of them as well!" But it was just a trick of the acoustics, because when everybody turned to see who had spoken, there was nobody there.

FROM THE OVERSEAS PRESS

FERRYLAND, Nfld. (CP) _ Kierra Howlett never thought a message she placed in a bottle would receive a reply from across the Atlantic.

A few days ago, the eight-year-old from Ferryland, Newfoundland, was surprised when her school received a call from the recipient in Scotland. Howlett had sent her message from the province's east coast seven months ago as part of a school project.

The pop bottle washed up on the Isle of Colonsay, located off the west coast of Scotland.

Janet Chadwick found it on the shore, and called the telephone number of the Newfoundland school written on the message inside.

Howlett says she received a round of applause at school and now has a new pen pal.

(c) 2004 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

NEWS ABOUT "COLONSAY'S FALLEN"

Alan Davis has completed the text of his book, which gives an account of everyone listed on the Colonsay War Memorials and also all those whose remains are known to have come ashore here. The work will be published in small numbers and in two editions - a high quality "subscribers edition" and a more modest edition for the general public. All royalties will be gifted by Alan to the Poppy Appeal. Publication is planned for 20th July, to mark the 80th anniversary of the dedication of the War Memorial.

The "subscribers edition" will cost £15 and should be ordered now; all subscribers will be acknowledged within the book and should therefore give full details of their name and details as they should appear e.g. "Kevin and Christa Byrne, Homefield, Colonsay". Please note that this enterprise does need your support - please send a post-dated cheque to House of Lochar or send details of your credit card - no charge will be raised until publication. Contact House of Lochar, Colonsay, Argyll PA61 7YR orders@houseoflochar.com

MEDICAL PROVISION - ARE YOU A PROFESSIONAL?

Are you a medical professional who knows the island or who will be visiting Colonsay this year?

Readers will be aware that resident nursing cover for Colonsay has been withdrawn and that the community has been advised to go easy on our present doctor, since he is the last one we are going to get. Dr. John Currie is now living and working in professional isolation and finds himself in an increasingly difficult position, being in effect personally answerable to the community for whatever decisions are being made behind his back and/or over his head.

In this difficult and introspective atmosphere, insight and opinion from objective but informed persons outwith the island community may be very welcome. Let us be frank - our doctor is on his own over this; he has the full support of the community, but this is a specialised field and it is hard for the layman to contribute much to the debate. On the other hand, practicing medical professionals will be familiar with much of the background. Informed opinion will be very welcome. If you have ideas or information which could be helpful, please do not hesitate to pass it on. Whilst you are on the island, feel free to chat to members of the Community Council; even better, take the chance to have a word with Dr. Currie if opportunity arises. He has assured the Editor that he such welcomes such input and the broader perspective with which it is accompanied.

"ARANDORA STAR" - Visitors from Lucca

Islanders are familiar with the story of the "Arandora Star", which was sunk with tremendous loss of life off the Antrim coast on 5th July 1940. The circumstances were horrifying and 470 of the victims were innocent internees, civilian members of the Italian immigrant community who had been rounded up and imprisoned without charge or opportunity to appeal. In the days which followed, the remains of some who had been lost came ashore in Colonsay; the population at the time was deeply affected and from that day to this the victims of the "Arandora Star" have been commemorated as part of our annual Remembrance Day. Poppies are placed on the graves of all "Colonsay's Fallen", with whom they are numbered, and as recently as 2002 the memorial cross on Eilean nan Ron was renewed.

On Monday 22 March, a party of visitors from Lucca in Tuscany arrived in Colonsay to pay their respects to their countrymen, and to convey official greetings from their community to the people of Colonsay. Maria Serena Balestracci is the author of a published study of "Arandora Star", Vincenzo Passini is a film cameraman, whilst Piero Biagioni, Director and Annarita Rossi, researcher, represented Foundation Paolo Cresci (an institute devoted to Italian emigration). Donald Gibbie MacNeill led the party to the cliffs above Leum a' Bhriar and described his experiences when, as a lad of 15 years, he and his father discovered and retrieved the remains of 52 yr. old Giuseppe Del Grosso, a resident of Hamilton. Donald identified the exact location of the temporary grave that was provided and it is hoped that a modest plaque can be placed near the spot later this summer. John Clark also met the party, representing his uncle David who was Special Constable at the time and who was amongst those islanders who provided flowers for the deceased and attended the Services of Committal.

 
Donald Gibbie describes sea conditions, then indicates the temporary gravesite

Later, members of the community gathered at Kilchattan School where Angus MacPhee, as Chairman of the Community Council, accepted a letter and other tokens of friendship from the people of Lucca. Various members of the community were interviewed for an Italian television documentary and arrangements are being made for a link to be forged between the primary school in Colonsay and a village school in Tuscany.

The letter is from Andrea Tagliasacchi, Il Presidente Provincia di Lucca, and is as follows:

"Dear Friends,
I am writing to you on behalf of all the citizens of the Province of Lucca that I represent and, I am certain, also on behalf of the majority of the Italian community.

"Our province, at the beginning of the last century experienced a very strong migration flow. Many of our emigrants were welcomed by your country, Scotland. There they found new hope and an occupation, like many other Italians that were fleeing from poverty. Then, there was the war and the tragic facts of 1940: the arrest of thousands of Italians resident in the United Kingdom and the tragedy of the Arandora Star, which caused the death of 446 Italian civil prisoners of war. Among the victims there were 31 men from the province of Lucca. You can imagine the suffering of their families, both in Scotland and in Italy.

"In August 1940, bodies of some of the Italian victims of the Arandora Star were found on your island. We have been told that, since then, your community keeps alive the memory of these Italians by taking care of their graves with constant and touching participation.

"I would like to express my most profound thanks, also on behalf of the families of the victims and of all our citizens, for the sensitivity, the respect and the dedication that you have shown in all these years, in preserving the memory of these people and symbolically the memory of all the victims of the tragedy.

"It is the Institution's duty to remember the Arandora Star, even after sixty years. This is particularly necessary when faced with the silence, which has lasted too long, of part of the press and authorities both in Italy and in the United Kingdom. We are committed to ensuring that these facts become known and become part of our historical memory. It is in fact, only by admitting past mistakes, that we can comprehend our present and work for a future of peace. In these terms, your gesture expresses a most sincere compassion and the true meaning of brotherhood amongst nations.
"Once again, my heartfelt thanks" - (signed) Andrea Tagliasacchi

Giuseppe Del Grosso was born 20 April 1889 at Borgotaro and lived at Hamilton; his remains were said to have been re-patriated but there is some doubt as to his final resting place. Edmondo Armando Sottocornola was born 2nd April 1897 at Gargallo and lived in London where it is believed that he worked as a sous-chef at The Savoy Hotel; he was buried on Eilean nan Ron and for many people his grave represents other victims also, those whose remains were never recovered. Vilfrido Sagramati was born 19 October 1910 at Rome, and also lived in London.

The people of Colonsay have never forgotten the "Arandora Star" and are honoured to have received this kind letter from the people of Lucca, with whom they are united through a common bond. The letter is to be framed and will be preserved at the Village Hall, and a presentation copy of a book which commemorates those who lost their lives will be preserved in the school library.

NOTE: Anybody wishing to contribute towards the cost of the proposed memorial plaque is invited to contact the Editor; careful accounts will be kept, any surplus will go to the poppy Appeal and all who contribute will be notified before the plaque is dedicated. A simple plate in stainless steel is envisaged with the following draft text: "In memory of Giuseppe Del Grosso and all others who were lost with the "Arandora Star" 5 July 1940 Gus am bris an la." Suggested improvements to the text will be welcomed.

COLONSAY DIARY

There seems to be a russet-coloured creature with a tail as big and bushy as its body in the Loch Field at Mulldubh - could it be a ferret? Or a young otter? Uragaig has had a dodgy water supply for three weeks now - Ross is looking into it, but at least one Uragaig resident has conducted in-depth exploration of an alternative supply at the Burma Road; work has started on an extension to the Village Stores, rumour has it that it will be a dedicated Pick 'n Mix facility, the envy of the isles; all the Barnacle Geese seem to have gone and breeding birds are displaying all over the place; sun spurge beside the Bay Road, banks and banks of flowering gorse; our Broadband target has been achieved and provision of service will now go ahead quickly; our picture shows Angus MacPhee receiving the letter from Lucca, described above.

NOOKS & CRANNIES - The Gun

John Clark points out that there were latterly three guns, and they all stood on the grassy circle near the pier; he mentions that they were the subject of a popular postcard-view, and Ken Liddell has kindly offered to let us copy the example in his collection (it will appear here in due course). All three guns are preserved at Colonsay House, but it is uncertain when the two "extra" ones came upon the scene.

One of the bigger ones was evidently the important one and Prof. John Sheets includes a mention of it in a reference from "The Scotsman", describing celebrations on the elevation of Lord Colonsay: "One party of young men got hold of an old cannon lying at the harbour, which once belonged to one of the ships of the unlucky Armada, and fired it off a dozen times, at the risk of their lives… Others built an immense bonfire at the summit of Dun Aoibhiun, which approprately signifies the hioll of gladness"…. His Lordship is universally beloved…" These events took place in the spring of 1867 and this may well have been the last time that the gun was fired.

On examination, the smallest gun has no markings and Alex Howard feels it is a "bow chaser", mounted relatively high on some sort of tripod; he also suggested a "carronade", a type which gained its name from the Carron Iron Works (famous also for the K6 telephone kiosk, built from 1937 to the design of Sir Giles Scott).

The two cannon are rather similar to one another, both about 55" in the barrel. One of them has a 4" muzzle and the figures 10:3:16 inscribed just forward of the touch-hole, with what might be a Roman C below the figures. The other one has a 3.5" bore and figures 9:1:7 in the same position. The figures are in standard Arabic characters, no hint of a continental 7 and no indication of country of origin. One might guess at a connection with the Crimean War, but even in 1867 the origin had been long-forgotten; possibly therefore one should consider some connection with the Honourable East India Company - ideally, a reader will be able to provide some information.

Meantime, it is understood that the St. Kilda story has been pooh-poohed by an expert, who states that the gun in question was a field-gun, and it was only provided to the islanders for their defence AFTER they had been shelled by the U-boat. This version of the story has the merit of being even madder than the first, and suggests that the panicky St. Kildans finally cleared off when they discovered that they were about to be presented with a state-of-the art rocket-propelled guided missile system.

 

WHAT'S ON IN COLONSAY

Please note that there is also a Notice Board on the Homepage; anybody wishing to publicise any event or attraction is invited to send details to the Editor.

GRIPE PHOTOGRAPH: All who are concerned about the nursing crisis in Colonsay are invited to be present for a photocall at the Pier on Friday 2nd, 7pm (before the boat). Exotic medical complaints not a pre-requisite.

EASTER CEILIDH: On Easter Saturday at the Village Hall,8pm, a splendid Ceilidh in support of the work of Colonsay Community Development Company. Tea and sandwiches will be served. (b.o.b.)

COMMUNITY COUNCIL meeting on 5th April, 8.30pm, all welcome.

CHURCH SERVICES: Weekly Services are held each Sunday at 11.30 a.m. The Church of Scotland and the Baptist Church work closely together and frequently hold joint services - please see notice at Shop for details of venue. All are welcome and our visitors are cordially invited to join the island congregation.

BOAT TRIPS: Daily boat trips operate throughout the season; details are elsewhere on this site, also comprehensive brochures are available at Hotel, Shop, Pantry, Bookshop etc.

DENTIST with be in Colonsay 26 - 28 April, tel 01688 302105 for appointment.

STOKES MEMORIALS will be in Colonsay in May or June to work at the graveyard. Telephone 01369 702162 for further details.

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