Show Western Scotch Isles Suffer Heavy Loss By ANTHONY A. BILLINGHAM WESTERN ISLES Scotland March 14 This INS INS This is a story of disaster disaster and and of the one section section section sec sec- tion of the British Isles s which except for blitz bombings as in London and Coventry has Coventry has suffered suffered suffered suf suf- more tragically than any other from the war The northern section of Scotland Scotland Scotland Scot Scot- land and the adjoining islands of Mull Lewis Harris Skye South Sauth and Isley have been harder hit than anywhere else Disaster has followed upon disaster disaster dister dis dis- dis- dis aster ter and the future for the people people people peo peo- here appears even more grim Hardly a family is left that has not suffered at least one casualty This region is the home of the famous first Fifty Scottish division division divi divi- sion which won great f fame me during during during dur dur- ing the last World war and was almost completely wiped out This war saw it reorganized not quite up to itS its old strength but in there punching And again most of this division lies in Flanders field The second great loss of manhood manhood mari mari- man man- hood has been by sea The sunken sunk sunk- en liner Athenia was almost completely manned by a West Highland crew as was the lost armed cruiser The Scotstoun was another vessel with a crew from the high high- lands When she was struck by bythe bythe bythe the Germans just north of Lewis island 30 members of her crew ew were washed ashore at Isley In one curious instance the body of ofa a soldier who was aboard the stricken Star came ashore almost in front of his own home It is such continued military pursuits that have brought acute distress to the highlands It is possible to travel through entire entire entire en en- tire villages without once seeing an bodied able-bodied young man only man only children and old people Some people believe that in inthe inthe inthe the event of an attempted German German German Ger Ger- man invasion n one of the islands would be seized and utilized as asa asa asa a base of operation for the further further further fur fur- ther invasion of Scotland The home guard of this section of Scotland would like nothing better than than- for something of this nature to happen |