This week we had an enquiry from someone who had recently visited the Monach Isles and had come across a plaque dedicated to a German sailor, Otto Schatt, whose U-boat was sunk in 1918. His body washed up on Heisker, along with two unidentified crew men. The islanders buried the bodies, but it is not clear if the bodies were later exhumed and reburied in Cannock Chase German Military Cemetery as is the case with other German military personnel who were buried in Britain. We contacted @adb44 on Twitter, a local World War expert, who has contacted the Volksbund (German War Graves Commission) to see what records they have for Otto, other than his mentions on War Memorials. We will pass this information on to our researcher and, of course, point them towards the relevant Comainn Eachdraidh.
The photo above is of a Heisker couple in 1911 outside their blackhouse, and is taken from the Stornoway Library collection of photographs.
The photograph you are showing is off my fathers grandfather William Macdonald and his wife Anne Maccuish. My father is the last person living today who was born on Heisker Angus Macdonald. I am looking to obtain a photograph of my fathers house in Heisker as they were destroyed in a fire, would you be able to do this or be able to advise me how to get this? Thanks Euan
Hi Euan
We always get excited here when someone has a personal connection or further information on items that appear on the blog.
The only other Heisker photograph in the Stornoway library collection is already on the blog at http://blogserver.cne-siar.gov.uk/wp-archivist/?p=1448 but the image has no identifying names or information beyond suggesting its date of August 1911.
North Uist Historical Society held an exhibition on Heisker in 2009 and have copies of text and images gathered and used in the exhibition in their photograph archive based at Taigh Chearsabhagh at Lochmaddy. They can be contacted through their website at http://taigh-chearsabhagh.org/ and I am sure will be delighted to help!