The Drowned and the Saved: When War Came to the Hebrides - Couverture souple

Wilson, Les

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 1780275439 ISBN 13 : 9781780275437

Editeur : Origin, 2018

Synopsis

Next morning at about 6 o'clock my mother wakened us to say there had been a shipwreck and bodies were being washed ashore. My father had gone with others to look for survivors ... I don't think any survivors came in at Port Ellen but bodies did.

The loss of two British ships crammed with American soldiers bound for the trenches of the First World War brought the devastation of war directly to the shores of the Scottish island of Islay.

The sinking of the troopship Tuscania by a German U-Boat on 5 February 1918 was the first major loss of US troops in in the war. Eight months after the people of Islay had buried more than 200 Tuscania dead, the armed merchant cruiser Otranto collided with another troopship during a terrible storm. Despite a valiant rescue attempt by HMS Mounsay, the Otranto drifted towards Islay, hit a reef, throwing 600 men into the water. Just 19 survived; the rest were drowned or crushed by the wreckage.

Based on the harrowing personal recollection of survivors and rescuers, newspaper reports and original research, Les Wilson tells the story of these terrible events, painting a vivid picture which also pays tribute to the astonishing bravery of the islanders, who risked their lives pulling men from the sea, caring for survivors and burying the dead.

A propos du livre

À propos de l'auteur

Les Wilson is a writer, and an award-winning documentary maker who specialises in Scottish historical subjects. Among his film credits is the 30-part series, Scotland's War, an oral history of World War Two, and the 13-part series The Real Tartan Army, a TV history of the Scottish regiments. He is the co-editor of Islay Voices (Birlinn, 2016) and lives on the island of Islay.

Lord Robertson of Islay (George Robertson) was born in Port Ellen, Islay. He was UK Defence Secretary from 1997 to 1999 and Secretary General of NATO from 1999 to 2004.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Origin
• Date d'édition: 2018
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 1780275439
• ISBN 13: 9781780275437
• Reliure: Poche
• Nombre de pages: 256
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible