Lochaber Times, From our Files: May 14 2026

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO
Thursday May 17 2001

 

Sir William greeted with kippers in Mallaig

 

The Centenary of the West Highland Line extension to Mallaig was celebrated on Thursday when the great-grandson of the man who built it travelled along it in a private train.

 

Sir William McAlpine, whose great-grandfather was Sir Robert ‘Concrete Bob’ McAlpine, unveiled a commemorative plaque when he arrived at Mallaig station.

 

He was greeted by local dignitaries, schoolchildren and Alistair Gillies of Mallaig Community Council who presented him with a box of Mallaig kippers.

 

Sir William, a train buff who still heads the engineering firm bearing his great-grandfather’s name, said: "The West Highland Line extension is the most exciting, beautiful line in the world.

 

"Its history is full of drama including the story of the horse and cart in the Loch nan Uamh Viaduct which I never really believed to be true.

 

"Now we know it is and I feel a little guilty that we were paid to bury a horse and cart!"

 

With him at the ceremony was James Simpson Shipway who is the great-grandson of the line’s designer, Alexander Simpson.

 

Mr Shipway said: "Railway engineering runs in the family and is something I have always been interested in.

 

"It’s great to be here today and appreciate the difficulties my great grandfather and Sir Robert McAlpine had to overcome."

FIFTY YEARS AGO
Thursday May 20 1976

 

Uig Hall has never been paid for!

 

A village hall completed sixteen years ago at Uig in Skye has never been paid for and the trustees have received a £1,000 bill from the London headquarters of the National Council of Social Service, who had it built.

 

It cost £4,061.

 

The social service council have said that repeated efforts by them did not result in a formal agreement being signed with the trustees, and no rent has ever been paid.

 

They want the £1,000 ‘in full and final settlement’, and the village council intend to pay. But they have available only one-half of this sum and have turned to the Highland Regional Council, Skye and Lochalsh District Council, and the Highlands and Islands Development Board for the balance.

 

A district council official told the environment committee of the district council that, strictly speaking, the account for the hall appeared to be proscribed because of time which has gone by. The trustees own the land on which the hall was built.

 

In Scots Law, according to the council official, if a building is erected on somebody else’s land, it becomes the property of the landowner.

 

However, the hall committee feel morally bound to pay the social service council, and the district council agreed in principle to make a contribution.

 

Heroic rescue

 

Two heroes were involved in a Skye cliff rescue last Thursday.

 

Coastguards were called out, and police alerted, to answer a call to save a boy trapped on a sea cliff, but they arrived at the Flodigarry area to find the boy rescued and unharmed.

 

Neil Nicolson (10), 2 Valtos, Staffin, had been visiting his grandmother at Flodigarry. His cousin, six-year-old Donald Nicolson, got stuck on a ledge while the boys were playing.

 

Braving a 40-foot drop to the shore, Neil climbed down to help and was able to get Donald to safety. But then Neil himself was trapped.

 

Donald ran for help and the rescue services were contacted. Mr Archie Nicolson returned home from his job in an Uig baker’s shop to be told of the emergency.

 

He lay on the cliff-top and grasped Neil’s hand, guiding him along until he was able to grasp the boy’s arm and pulled him to safety. Afterwards Mr Nicolson could not be contacted anywhere.

 

His mother, Mrs Joan Nicolson, said in her croft house: "He’s too shy - he doesn’t want to talk about it."

ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO
Saturday May 15 1926

 

End of the strike

 

The news declaring the end of the general strike reached the "Oban Times" by wireless at 1.15 p.m. on Wednesday.

 

The message was immediately typewritten and placed on the official notice board.

 

In Fort William, apart from the absence of newspapers, there was little indication that a strike was proceeding. A considerable number of the men engaged in the Lochaber Water Power Scheme joined in the call out, but shortly afterwards returned to work.

 

Throughout the West Highlands generally the strike made very little difference in the daily life of the people, as might be expected no disorders of any kind took place.

 

The residents in the Outer Isles were short of bread and other household commodities, and to meet their needs supplies were brought from Glasgow by motor car and shipped from Oban by the s.s. "Clydesdale" on Monday morning.

 

Kinlochleven was not affected by the strike. The employees of the British Aluminium Company were at work, as usual, and the only sign that a strike was in progress was the total absence of newspapers.

 

The public, however, were kept in touch with outside events by means of wireless messages which were posted up.