TRUSADH : CLAN MACQUARRIE
Monday 18 May, 9pm, BBC ALBA
The night of the 31st of January 1953 will be etched in the memories of the community of Borve, on the Isle of Lewis, for generations to come.
A storm was raging with a strong gale blowing up to 100mph at its peak, making it one of the worst storms in a generation and causing devastation and destruction throughout the British Isles, Holland and Belgium. In Lewis the crew of the 7000-ton cargo vessel, the Clan Macquarrie were in jeopardy as the ship went aground immediately below the village of Borve.
The BBC ALBA documentary series titled TRUSADH, produced by Mactv, meets up with three survivors, Cliff Kerr, Douglas Buchan and Bernard Bowen, as they recount the night of the ‘Great Storm’.
Cliff Kerr, Douglas Buchan, Bernard Bowen & Mairi Jessie Emmett at the site where the MV Clan Macquarrie ran aground
That night assistance was given by the villagers of Borve and the surrounding townships, and after a night-long vigil on the beach, Stornoway Coastguards took the 66 crew and officers ashore by ‘breeches buoy’ (a crude rope-based rescue device). No-one was injured in the operation despite the extraordinarily fierce Atlantic weather that drove the cargo vessel onto the rocks.
In view of their gratitude to the villagers, ‘Clan Line’ the ship’s owner donated money to build a village hall. The Clan Macquarrie hall was to be the centre of many a community event and gathering for the next fifty years.
After 10 years of local fundraising, last month saw the opening of a new Clan Macquarrie community centre, a modern, large facility to replace the original hall, which had served the community so well. Against the back drop of the opening cèilidh, Cliff, Douglas and Bernard describe the breeches buoy rescue, which has earned the Clan MacQuarrie and the village of Borve a unique place in their hearts and indeed in maritime history.
Clan Macquarrie community centre
Mairi Jessie Emmett, a native of the Borve also recalls how she came to meet her late husband, Captain Emmett who was Chief Officer on the Clan Macquarrie at the time. For the first time since the incident in 1953, Cliff, Bernard, Douglas and Mairi Jessie come together to reminisce about the memorable event in Borve itself and to take part in the opening of the new community hall.
Trusadh : Clan Macquarrie will be broadcast on BBC ALBA on Monday 18 May at 21:00 and is available on Sky channel 168 & Freesat channel 110.