85 years ago today

85 years ago today, a state of war commenced between Great Britain and Germany. It was to last for a little under 6 years, until May 8th, 1945. The toll in human lives stands at 75 million, of whom 40 million were civilians - of those, half were Russians. Trying to placate an aggressive dictator did not pay off. Have we made the same mistake with Vladimir Putin? Isn't it cruelly perverse that the ruler of the country which suffered so much, and contributed so much towards the ending of Hitler's rule, now seems to be following his example. I hope sense prevails, out east (image courtesy Wikimedia). 

The Bayesian, the Titanic and the Norge

I offer my condolences to those who have suffered a loss in the sinking of the yacht Bayesian. I hope those who are awaiting news of loved ones soon have a resolution, preferably a safe return.

Not that far away each year, hundreds of people drown in the attempted crossing of the Mediterranean between Libya and Italy. They are usually dirt poor, having shelled out their last money for a desperate bid to flee appalling conditions in their homelands.

It reminds me of two tragedies at the start of the 20th century. In 1904, the emigrant liner Norge sank at Rockall, with the loss of 700 souls. Here in Stornoway, their fate is known, because some of the survivors were brought ashore here. Nine succumbed to the effects of their ordeal, and lie buried in Sandwick Cemetery. Dirt poor migrants, in a desperate bid to flee appalling conditions in their homeland.

The sinking of the Norge could have had a positive legacy, had the recommendations of the inquiry that followed its sinking been enshrined in law. These included the mandatory provision of sufficient life-saving apparatus on board all vessels. But that was not done.

So, eight years later, the Titanic sank, with the loss of 1500 souls. Many were well in the money, rich and famous. We still remember Titanic. A film was made of its fate.

But nobody remembers the Norge. Only a tombstone on a shoreline cemetery, about a mile east of where I am typing this.
 

The newsbulletins are full of the fate of the Bayesian and its crew and passengers.
But Lampedusa is hardly ever mentioned.
Titanic still fills up my Facebook feed.
But nobody remembers the Norge, captain Grundel and the Scandinavian and east European migrants on board.
In death, money no longer counts. So where's the difference, eh?

August 2024

 This month saw me turning 60. I don't feel sixty. 

The world is becoming more and more fraught. It was bad enough that three young girls were stabbed to death at their dance class in Southport, near Liverpool. The explosion of anger and violence that followed was frightening. Fortunately, the police and prosecutors made sure that this was but short-lived. 

I still don't know what to say about Gaza. More than 1,200 people were massacred on October 7th, 2023, when an extremist group went on a killing spree in Israel. Forty thousand civilisans have now been killed in Gaza by Israeli reprisals, designed to destroy the extremist group. Without much success. I just wished everybody butted out of the Middle East. It remains the powder keg of the world. 

Today, I went for a walk in the moorland. It has been a long time, and the distance was only a mile or so - from the Marybank Quarry to the Newvalley peat road. It was not unduly difficult, and I came across this freshly cut peat bank.

Funeral

Attended a funeral at the Free Church, Kenneth Street, this morning. Very large attendance. The cortège commenced at the County Hotel and stretched all the way up Kenneth Street to Scotland Street, then up Lewis Street as far as St Columba's. Numerous shopkeepers and residents stood outside their premises and homes, and the priest stood outside the Roman Catholic Church on Scotland Street. Total distance 700 yards, which is indicative of a huge funeral. Police had closed the roads, which allowed the males in the congregation to file up the street, on either side. A strangely dignified spectacle, as two rows of men in dark garb slowly marching up the street. At the head of the procession was the coffin, borne by alternating mourners, six at a time. Not everyone was able to participate in the lift. The deceased has now been laid to rest in the Eye Cemetery at Aignish, some 4 miles east of Stornoway. I close this post with an image of the cemetery. The word Eye has nothing to do with the sensory organ; it is a corruption of the name of the area, Braighe na h-Aoidhe, where the latter word has been transmuted into Eye.

Different

Summer is on its way here in the Western Isles, and mass tourism has arrived. Today's cruiseliner, the Rotterdam, has spewed hundreds of passengers ashore, who throng the streets of our wee town. Stornoway has a population of roughly 6,000, which increases to 9,000 if you taken in outlying districts like Laxdale, Parkend and Newmarket. In the past, large cruiseliners like the Rotterdam would have to lie at anchor outside the harbour entrance. Now that the Deep Water Terminal has been completed, they can go alongside. Passengers are ferried to town in double-decker buses, a novelty in Lewis, by the hundred at a time. 

What is also different from before the pandemic are the large numbers of campervans. It is a delicate subject in the islands, leading to lively discussions on Facebook and other forums. Research has shown that their economical contribution to the islands' economy is low, as they fuel up on the mainland, and do their shopping on the mainland. Generally speaking - I should not generalise.

Our roads are good, but many are single-track, only wide enough for one car. Passing places allow opposing traffic to meet and safely move past each other. But you have to know the unwritten rules of the road when using these narrow lanes. Other road users have horns or antlers, and are oblivious to the fast-moving chunks of metal. Many accidents are caused through deer collisions. 

By all means, cross the Minch and come to the islands. Especially in weather like today, warm sunshine and a respectable 15C on the thermometer. It's not always like this, our winters tend to be punctuated by high winds, hail and snow. A gale only gets noticed when gusts exceed 75 mph. That's the time when the ferry gets cancelled, and our supply chain is interrupted. Don't be surprised at the sight of empty shelves when you've just struggled to get into Tesco against ferocious winds. 

Remembrance

I make a point of observing Remembrance Sunday in November. There is another Remembrance Day, in May.

On 8th May 1945, Nazi-Germany capitulated to the Allied forces in Europe. Three days earlier, the Nazis had surrendered in the Netherlands, following a brutal occupation of just short of 5 years. During that time, more than 105,000 Jews had been deported and killed in concentration camps like Auschwitz-Birkenau, Dachau and Bergen-Belsen. Their fate is epitomised by Anne Frank. And by the fact that many synagogues in Holland were repurposed after the war, as there was nobody left to worship there.

Tomorrow evening, 4th May, at 8pm local time, two minutes' silence will be observed across the Netherlands. People will stop, trains and buses will halt, bells will toll and a bugler will sound the Last Post. In memory of those who gave their all for their country.

I post a video of the bells of the Dom Cathedral in Cologne in Germany. We forgive - if we can. We do not forget - what led to the atrocity that was the holocaust.

Stop the drownings

So the flights for Rwanda can now take off, and that will deter illegal migrants from attempting the dangerous crossing between France and England. 

I wonder what planet the British government is on. The problem is not the people, who risk (and as shown today, sometimes forfeit) their lives in the crossing. The problem is the people smugglers. That is not something the UK government can do anything about. That is up the French government, who seem to be sitting on their hands. 

Stop the Boats should be a policy for the government of the Republique Française, not for the United Kingdom. And they could call it: Vider les Plages.