Seaman JOHN MACLEAY
Last address in Lewis: 10B Ballantrushal,
Son of Mary Macleay;
Husband of Annie Macleay, of 10, Ballantrushal, Shader, Stornoway, Ross-shire.
Service unit: Royal Naval Reserve, SS Llwyngwair
Service number: 1533C
Date of birth: 6 July 1875
Date of death: 26 April 1918 at the age of 43
Torpedoed by UC 64, 5 miles outside Seaham
Memorial: Chatham Naval Memorial, panel 30
Local memorial: North Lewis, Borve
Was torpedoed 4 times
John appears in the 1891 census at Lower Shader, the next village to Ballantrushal, aged 18. He is the son of Mary (51), and brother to Margret (25) and Mirren (14).
Stornoway Gazette
John Macleay, seaman, RNR, Ballantrushal, lost his life when the ship on
which he was serving as a member of the guns' crew was sunk by the
enemy on the 26th April 1918. The deceased had been on active service
since the beginning of the war and such fragmentary account as is known
of his many experiences, cruel hardships and narrow escapes is a grim
record of the perils to which in the terrible times in which we live
those are expected to go down to the sea in ships. On HMS Kent he took
part in the victorious action off the Falkland Islands in which that
ship played such a prominent part. He was subsequently transferred to a
ship of a different class on which he had not served long till it was
destroyed by mine. His next ship was torpedoed and sunk, but Macleay
escaped unhurt. Having joined anothe rvessel he had the same misfortune
again, and those of the crew who survived having taken to their small
boats were tossed about for hours in a rough sea till they were picked
up by another ship. Within twenty minutes of their being taken on board
this vessel, which had come to their rescue, met the same fate. We
deeply regret that this gallant seaman who had such a series of
marvellous escdapes has made the surpreme sacrifice on the occasion of
this fifth mishap. The intimation of his death cast a gloom over teh
district. He leaves a widow and four children whose ages range from
fifteen to five years for whom, and for his aged mother, deepest
sympathy is felt.
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