Learning activities

These activities have been devised for secondary teachers and students to get more out of the historic sources and content on the site. Download learning activities (PDF) (9 pages; 827KB)

Author interview

The most comprehensive account of the Iolaire disaster in English is ‘When I heard the bell’ by John Macleod (shelfmark HB1.210.2.11). In this video, he explains what prompted him to write his book:

Read a transcript of the interview

Useful links

The portraits of the servicemen on this site have been reproduced by kind permission of Guido Blokland, who has also compiled a full list of those on board the Iolaire. This page compiled by Guido shows all on board HMY Iolaire at 01:00am on 1 January 1919, grouped by the village where the men came from. The list of casualties is shown first, then survivors (if any of either).

The links below provide additional useful information about the Iolaire, the First World War and local island history.

Virtual Hebrides - The Iolaire disaster
Stornoway Historical Society
Ness Historical Society
BBC primary history – the sinking of the Iolaire
Imperial War Museum - HMY Iolaire memorial
www.cwgc.org
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission looks after more than 20,000 graves in Scotland. Among them are more than 60 burials for those who died in the HMY Iolaire tragedy, in cemeteries across the Isle of Lewis. If you have done or are planning any research around the servicemen of the Iolaire, the Commission would like to know about the information you discover. Please email Patricia Keppie, Community Engagement Co-ordinator, Scotland at community@cwgc.org

Further reading

Selected booklist in the National Library of Scotland collections about the Iolaire disaster:

PDF list of items in the National Library of Scotland collections (1.1MB; 3 pages)

The Western Isles Libraries also have a wide range of related sources:

PDF list of resources in Leabharlainn nan Eilean Siar - Western Isles Libraries (769KB; 2 pages)