Reactions 

1.  My grampa's younger brother, Donald MacLeod (7 Marbhig, then Stornoway), died coming into harbour on the Iolaire. From the memorial in South Lochs I think two of my greatgrandparents' brothers were killed in the war, as well as losing Donald. My grandfather Alasdair was forbidden from fishing anymore for fear he'd drown too, after his family's losses. A torment for him, as he loved the sea and fishing. He drove for Lord Leverhulme then went to the shipyards in Glasgow to make some money. He returned to Stornoway for a short time then came to Canada on one of the two ships for which there were no passenger lists. Settled in our praries for a time (no water at all) then went west to Vancouver Island for the remainder of his lifetime... built himself a little boat and enjoyed it to the end in 1980. So fortunate I visited Stornoway last summer and saw for myself why Alaisdair chose Nanaimo...it looked so like Stornoway... His mother I think suffered too much heartbreak for it all and was a lost soul in the sanatorium for the rest of her life. And oddly, when I've written lyrics all through my life they have been laden with images of water, and the sea...long before I knew of this event in my family's history. Funny how these things can follow you. I'd not be at all if it weren't for the Iolaire disaster...a ponderous thought, that.  

2.   A gentleman from southwest Scotland said: "I knew nothing of the Iolaire Disaster [...]. Very moving but tragic that more people don't know more about a large group of young men taken in such tragic circumstances. To have survived a war and then die within sight of home is beyond belief."  

3.   Another reaction bears out the extreme distress that the Iolaire Disaster caused within the islands: "I only found that my grandfather's first cousin [...] was lost on the Iolaire when I looked up his death certificate. The family had never mentioned or talked of him. I go to Harris and will post a photo of his headstone after my next visit. I only learned of how he died after my last trip to the island."

4. My grandmother was due to marry William Head that very day. She was there wating for him.She gave birth to my mother six months later. Her life and my mother's life would have been very different if he had survived. I wondered whether it was a story, but his name is there (201). Thank you, We shall visit some time.

5. I knew Neil Nicolson , Lemreway .in my lifetime with..never spoke of that awful night, but  I know it affected him badly ........

6. Kenneth Smith from Earshader, just south of the Bernera Bridge, perished. His suitcase was recovered and found to contain gifts for his family including a fringed shawl, a silk scarf and a silk handkerchief with "Gibraltar" written on it, and some brown silk material that was later used to make a dress for his daughter Marion. Marion recalled that it was so fine it had to be lined with a dark material.