This Saturday (15th April) is the centenary of the Marloch leaving Lochboisdale with emigrant families leaving Barra, Benbecula and South Uist, bound for Red Deer, Alberta in Canada. Commemorative events are being held at Castlebay and Lochboisdale over the weekend.
The photograph shown depicts four adult emigrants and two children with their luggage. The mannequins are part of an exhibition that will travel throughout the Outer Hebrides over the summer in an exhibition that commences on Friday 21st April in Stornoway Town Hall. This date marks 100 years since the Canadian Pacific liner Metagama departed Stornoway
Western Isles Community Society is holding the exhibition in association with the Stornoway Historical Society who have dressed the mannequins and have provided four large spreadsheets listing details such as names, addresses, ages, ships sailed on, destination and the emigration sponsor. Almost 1,500 names are listed in alphabetical order, of those who departed the Outer Hebrides in the early 1920s, bound for a new life in Canada. There will be 28 double-sided pop-up boards telling the stories of emigration from the Outer Hebrides to North America from 1746.
The official opening of the exhibition is to be held at 5pm on Friday 21st April and members of the public are invited to attend. The Honorary President of the Stornoway Historical Society, Mr Sandy Matheson, will say a few words before the Convener of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Mr Kenneth Macleod, will open the exhibition.
Following the six weeks in the Town Hall the exhibition will go onto the road at numerous locations before returning to Stornoway in August. In the intervening weeks, Stornoway Historical Society will be holding a smaller exhibition within their premises within the Town hall telling numerous stories of emigrants, not all of them being successful as many returned home following the depression.