The Scottish War Memorials Project

jamiemcginlay · Joined: 20 Dec 2006 Posts: 897 Location: Glasgow

Tolsta - Isle of Lewis

The Tolsta war memorial is in the form of a bronze panel set onto the wall of the community hall. Sorry about the poor quality of the photographs, I arrived in late evening and it was getting too dark to get a decent picture or transcribe the names. I'll post these for now until a proper post can be made. The photos were taken in the mid 1990's so it might well look different now.

dhubthaigh · Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 10:37 pm Post subject:

I had never heard of Tolsta before. However 'googling' some images leaves me in no doubt it is a place of great beauty.
Pity about the memorial - what a shocker. Looks like the local youths drinking den....
It would be interesting to see a recent picture in the hope that it has been cleaned up a bit.

dhubthaigh · Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 11:00 pm Post subject:

CAMPBELL, Kenneth

Rank Gnr

Service Army

Service Number 22011116

Regiment/Corps RA

Place of Birth/Home Town Stornoway, Ross &cromanty

Date of Birth 25 November 1929

Age 18

Date of Death 06 October 1948

Cemetery: Munster, Grave 5.E.5

Included on Armed Forces Memorial Yes

Included on Roll of Honour Yes

MacIVER, Donald

Rank Pte

Service Army

Service Number 22202338

Regiment/Corps QOCH

Place of Birth/Home Town Stomoway, Isle of Lewis

Date of Birth 30 August 1930

Age 21

Date of Death 14 January 1952

Cemetery Name British Military Cemetery

Cemetery Address Moascar, Egypt. Grave 13.E.7

Included on Armed Forces Memorial Yes

Included on Roll of Honour Yes

Adam Brown · Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 7:30 am Post subject:

Out of 33 names for the Second World War only two served in the army, none in the RAF and 31 in the Royal and Merchant Navies.

Notice that the dead of the Iolaire get their own section and are not included amonst the Great War Dead.

Adam

spoons · Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 12:48 pm Post subject:

The building seems much newer than the memorial so perhaps it was originally somewhere else?

\Paul

dhubthaigh · Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 12:53 pm Post subject:

This link will take you to North Tolsta Historical Society gallery. It includes some images relevant to Great War & WW2;

http://www.tolsta.info/galleries.htm

DerekR · Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 7:37 pm Post subject:

This is a shocking memorial.

Sorry folks but a memorial to a community's dead shouldn't just be bolted to a non-descript wall so that all the local neds can abuse it.
_________________
There must be a place under the sun where hearts of olden glory grow young .....

alexmaclennan · Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 11:39 pm Post subject: New site for Tolsta War Memorial

Tolsta is the last village on the road from Stornoway past Back. It is about 10 miles north of Stornoway on the east side of Lewis.

The memorial now lies in a triangle of ground where a loop of road comes off from the main road through Tolsta.

I was brought up in the village next to this one. The memorial has been resited to this site within the last 10 years.

The brass plaque is difficult to read so apologies for all the photos.

alex
_________________
alex maclennan

adb41 · Joined: 03 Jan 2008 Posts: 54 Location: Stornoway

I've endeavoured to transcribe the memorial. It is rather disappointing to see it in such a poor state. This was probably the result of the clean-up, necessary after its transfer from the previous location.

The information is arranged broadly as it is on the memorial, i.e.

rank, name - address - date of death - age

World War I
ROYAL NAVY
SMN Donald Murray - 4 North Tolsta - 11/03/1915 - 43
SMN Alexander Murray - 4 North Tolsta - 26/10/1918 - 19
SMN John Macdonald - 12 North Tolsta - 31/05/1916 - 41
PO Donald Maciver - 17 North Tolsta - 30/12/1915 - 44
SMN Donald Murray - 21 North Tolsta - 23/02/1919 - 21
SMN John Smith - 24 North Tolsta - Nov-18 - 26
SMN Roderick Maciver - 26 North Tolsta - 08/05/1917 - 23
SMN Murdo Murray - 27 North Tolsta - 31/05/1916 - 46
SMN Angus Maciver - 33 North Tolsta - 31/05/1916 - 34
SMN John Mackenzie - 37 North Tolsta - 12/08/1915 - 34
SMN Colin Campbell - 47 North Tolsta - 20/01/1916 - 48
LSMN Angus Campbell - 54 North Tolsta - 29/03/1918 - 32
SMN John Macleod - 56 North Tolsta - 31/05/1916 - 42
SMN Murdo Smith - 65 North Tolsta - 24/02/1917 - 42
SMN Norman Macinnes - 2 Hill St, North Tolsta - 26/05/1916 - 25
SMN Donald Campbell - 54 North Tolsta - 22/07/1917 - 33

IOLAIRE DISASTER
SMN John Macdonald - 1 North Tolsta - 01/01/1919 - 42
SMN Donald Macleod - 3 North Tolsta - 01/01/1919 - 23
SMN John Morrison - 8 North Tolsta - 01/01/1919 - 25
SMN Donald Maciver - 38 North Tolsta - 01/01/1919 - 26
LSMN Donald Campbell - 44 North Tolsta - 01/01/1919 - 46
SMN Evander Murray - 45 North Tolsta - 01/01/1919 - 46
SMN Kenneth Campbell - 54 North Tolsta - 01/01/1919 - 24
SMN Donald Macleod - 53 North Tolsta - 01/01/1919 - 31
LSMN Malcolm Macleod - 56 North Tolsta - 01/01/1919 - 22
SMN John Maciver - 69 North Tolsta - 01/01/1919 - 46

MERCHANT NAVY
Steward John Campbell - 47 North Tolsta - 05/08/1916 - 26

SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS
SGT Murdo Murray - 2 North Tolsta - 12/10/1916 - 23
PTE Alexander Campbell - 2 North Tolsta - 19/05/1916 - 19
PTE Murdo Macdonald - 9 North Tolsta - 30/04/1917 - 21
PTE Donald Murray - 22 North Tolsta - 11/10/1915 - 19
PTE Murdo Graham - 24 North Tolsta - 17/10/1914 - 31
PTE John Macritchie - 40 North Tolsta - 05/10/1915 - 21
PTE Donald Macleod - 53 North Tolsta - 29/03/1918 - 18
LCPL Angus Macleod - 56 North Tolsta - 19/06/1915 - 36
CPL Alexander Macleod - 56 North Tolsta - 03/05/1917 - 28
CPL John Mackenzie - 73 North Tolsta - 09/07/1918 - 34
PTE John Macleod - 1 Hill St, North Tolsta - 01/07/1916 - 18

CAMERON HIGHLANDERS
PTE Donald Martin - 76 North Tolsta - 09/07/1915 - 21

GORDON HIGHLANDERS
PTE John Nicolson - 3 North Tolsta - 16/04/1917 - 19
PTE Angus Macleod - 6 North Tolsta - 01/07/1916 - 24
PTE John Nicolson - 9 North Tolsta - 28/02/1915 - 19
LCPL Alexander Finlayson - 19 North Tolsta - 12/11/1917 - 22
SGT Donald Macleod - 12 North Tolsta - 16/05/1915 - 25
LCPL John Macleod - 29 North Tolsta - 01/07/1916 - 22
PTE John Graham - 31 North Tolsta - 20/07/1915 - 20
CPL Colin Maciver - 62 North Tolsta - 03/06/1916 - 26

ARGYLL & SUTHERLAND HIGHLANDERS
PTE Robert Murray - London 12/10/1917 - 21

CANADIANS
PTE Allan Morrison - 49 North Tolsta 25/04/1915 - 19
PTE Thomas Morrison - 49 North Tolsta 29/04/1915 - 21

NEW ZEALANDERS
Angus Maciver - 25 North Tolsta

WORLD WAR 2
ROYAL NAVY
SMN Angus Campbell - 7 North Tolsta - 14/03/1944 - 20
SMN Alexander Campbell - 7 North Tolsta - 25/12/1945 - 37
SMN Angus Nicolson - 9 North Tolsta - 11/07/1940 - 34
PO Murdo Maciver - 18 North Tolsta - 13/08/1945 - 34
SMN William Macleod - 20 North Tolsta - 08/07/1940 - 31
SMN Donald Murray - 21 North Tolsta - 15/11/1943 - 31
SMN Murdo Graham - 24 North Tolsta - 14/09/1942 - 27
SMN John Maclennan - 35 North Tolsta - 09/06/1940 - 36
SMN Kenneth Maciver - 36 North Tolsta - 28/12/1942 - 38
SMN Alexander Maciver - 41 North Tolsta - 14/07/1943 - 30
SMN Murdo Mackay - 42 North Tolsta - 23/04/1954 - 41
SMN Donald Smith - 52 North Tolsta - 23/11/1939 - 19
SMN John Maclennan - 60 North Tolsta - 18/07/1940 - 34
SMN John Smith - 75 North Tolsta - 15/10/1947 - 37
LSMN Donald Mackay - 43 Gress - 20/02/1940 - 30

MERCHANT NAVY
AB John Macmillan - 6 North Tolsta 19/10/1943 - 21
CPO Alexander Morrison - 8 North Tolsta - 16/06/1944 - 45
AB Ivor Macleod - 10 New Tolsta - 10/11/1940 - 20
AB John Maciver - 14 New Tolsta - 10/05/1945 - 32
AB John Macinnes - 4 Gress - 30/10/1940 - 27
AB Murdo Macdonald - 32 Gress - 02/06/1941 - 34

SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS
CSM John Macleod - Hill St North Tolsta - 04/06/1940 - 36

ARGYLL & SUTHERLAND HIGHLANDERS
CPL Donald Murray - 52 North Tolsta - 25/11/1943 - 29

GERMANY, 1948
GNR Kenneth Campbell - Royal Artillery - 8 Hill St, North Tolsta - 06/10/1947 - 18

EGYPT, 1952
PTE Donald Maciver - Seaforth Highlanders - 21 North Tolsta - 11/01/1952 - 21