Wester Ross hero convoy plans get boost
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AMBITIOUS Wester Ross regeneration plans have been given a major boost thanks to the success of a trailblazing event this week.
The public response to the first WWII and the Arctic Convoys Week, which draws to a close on Saturday, has prompted organisers to commit to a follow-up next year.
The Journal understands a funding boost for the regeneration project — which includes plans for a community centre and a Russian Arctic Convoy Museum in Aultbea — will be unveiled next week, giving fresh impetus to the scheme.
The week-long programme of events began with a deeply poignant SS William H Welch commemorative walk across bogland at Cove, a small crofting community on the shores of Loch Ewe.
Around 80 people retraced the steps of local rescuers who helped save the lives of a dozen crewmen aboard the shipwrecked American Liberty Ship, SS William H Welch, almost 70 years ago.
A wreath honouring the memory of sixty-two crewmen who lost their lives in horrendous conditions was placed on the exact spot of the wreck by representatives of a Coastguard Search and Rescue team.
The wreath was carried on foot across the uneven, boggy route to the scene of the shipwreck by Cove crofter John Murdo Mackenzie, now in his eighties. He witnessed the event as an 11-year-old boy and admitted this week he still has nightmares about the grisly aftermath.
Amongst those retracing those steps with him were his three-year-old grandson, John, and granddaughters Beth and Rosie Crookes.
The terrible events of the February 1944 tragedy were brought to life by local author Steve Chadwick, who has pieced them together in the newly published The Wreck of the William H Welch. The rusting wrecks of two lifeboats on the shore and rocks still stained by oil remain poignant reminders of that day.
The Coastguard Search and Rescue team helicopter from Stornoway, supported on the ground by the local Loch Ewe and Gairloch Coastguard team members, also took part, demonstrating the important modern-day role they play.
Receiving the wreath from John Murdo MacKenzie and Hamish MacDonald, whose father was part of the wartime rescue, was Simon Price, a winchman/paramedic with the Coastguard.
He then took the wreath back to the helicopter before laying it over the wreck site of the William H Welch out in the bay. Walkers were later able to see remarkable, eerie footage of the wreck captured by divers just the day before.
A short service of remembrance was led by local ministers Tim Daplyn and Heather Widdows, and a reading by John Murdo MacKenzie.
The museum group revealed it is already planning a fresh week of events in 2013. A 1940s-style wartime dance and a ?talk by codebreaking expert Dr Mark Baldwin on the role of the Enigma machine are amongst the highlights of the week.
For further information, see www.russianarcticconvoymuseum.co.uk or telephone 01445 731093.
