tribute to 79th anniversary of last residents leaving

Events mark milestone day for St Kilda

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A day of commemorative events took place on Saturday to mark the anniversary of the last residents leaving St Kilda.

It was 79 years since the final inhabitants evacuated the remote group of islands and to mark the occasion, the Gaelic Arts Agency organised St Kilda Day – Latha Hiort.

Events took place across the country, including exhibitions and concerts in Inverness, Portree and Glasgow.

More than 150 people gathered at the UK’s closest landfall to St Kilda to mark the day with the opening of a new viewpoint.

Hosta, in North Uist, is 41 miles from the archipelago.

The first ever official St Kilda viewpoint is halfway up the hill of Clettraval and boasts a powerful telescope and visual interpretations. It is hoped the facility will draw visitors to enjoy not only glimpses of St Kilda, but also spectacular views of the Uists and Barra.

North Uist residents with links to St Kilda were present at the celebrations, which included songs, film, talks and poetry in Hosta hall.

Retired registrar and postman Donald John Campbell, 77, of Fairview, Lochmaddy, brought with him memories of a trip to St Kilda in 1980, when he was selected as the official postie to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the island’s evacuation.

He opened the old post office for the day, stamping visiting dignitaries’ letters with the unique St Kilda postmark, and also launched the last ever “tin can mail” – an empty coffee tin full of messages, a method used with mixed results by St Kildans for years, relying on the prevailing winds and currents.

Ina MacDonald, 83, of Claddach Illerary, Baleshare, is related to a legendary St Kildan, Neil Ferguson, who for years carried out many different duties on the island from postman to guardian of the cannon-style gun which had been placed on the island near the end of World War I.

Mrs MacDonald said: “It’s true to say that hard as life was for the St Kildans, it was equally hard here in North Uist, although we were a bit nearer the mainland.

“That’s something that’s forgotten.”