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REPORT of the WESTMINSTER SHIANT ISLES EXPEDITION 1958
12th August - 12th September 1958
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 ALAN TRIST |
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HISTORY OF THE EXPEDITION BEFORE LEAVING LONDON
It was first decided in October 1957 that an expedition should be attempted the next summer to do some scientific work; the island of St. Kilda off the North West Coast of Scotland was chosen. Mr James Fisher and the Scottish Nature Conservancy were approached, the latter for permission to visit the island. By December the whole party was chosen, a total of eight. It was very soon realised that such an expedition would cost a considerable amount of money (it was then estimated at £500) and so we set about trying to find support. With the help and generosity of many people, especially the Goldsmiths' Company and the Westminster School Society, enough money was soon raised. Many firms were approached for food and equipment, and we were fortunate in being given much free or at reduced prices.
In the meantime, the permission of the Nature Conservancy had been obtained, and Mr Fisher gave us much help with our planning. By the end of June, when everything had almost been completed, with food and equipment arriving, we received a letter from the Nature Conservancy to say that St. Kilda was just about to be taken over by the army, and that it would not be possible for us to go. At this stage in the planning, it was obvious that an alternative would have to be chosen, as not only had much money already been spent, but also all the members of the expedition were very keen to go. So all the persons and bodies who had made us gifts were written to and all were still quite willing to support us in our new choice: the Shiant Isles.
These are a group of three small islands in the Minch, about six miles east of Harris in the Outer Hebrides, and twenty miles north west of Skye. They are quite uninhabited, and belong to Mr Nigel Nicolson who very kindly gave permission for us to go.
The question of transport was the next to be settled, and it was decided to travel by rail to Kyle of Lochalsh, and there to hire a boat to take us across. We were put in touch with Mr John Stewart there who arranged for a local trawler to take us out to the islands and also to provide a dinghy, for the duration of our stay, in which to travel between the islands.
It was realised that as there was no other way of communication with the outside world, a two-way radio set would be needed, and with the help of Mr Hole, the father of one of our members, a small set was provided by the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, who also arranged that we should communicate with Stornoway Airport.
On August 4th, when everything was ready, the two leaders went up to Stornoway to arrange with the airport about this radio contact. A week later they returned to Kyle where they met the other six members, and the Westminster Shiant Isles Expedition began.
DESCRIPTION OF THE STAY ON THE SHIANTS
For the first time the eight members of the expedition met together on the quay at Kyle of Lochalsh on the afternoon of August 12th. The night was spent in tents on the local football pitch, troubled both by the hardness of the ground and by midges. Next morning we got up early and after break- fast went down to the pier where Mr Cameron and his crew with the trawler Isa were waiting for us. We quickly loaded the equipment (in all over a ton and a half) and at ten o'clock set off. It was a dull day, and no sooner had we left Kyle when it began to rain. Much of the lovely journey between the isles of Skye, Raasay and Rona was spoilt by mist.
After six hours, the mist covered shapes of the Shiants appeared and we all crowded up on deck to catch a glimpse. We drifted quietly under the high fog-wreathed cliffs and anchored near the narrow strip of shingle that joins the two largest islands. Having ferried ourselves and our equipment ashore, we waved goodbye to the Camerons and were left on our own for four weeks.
In the pouring rain we set to work to drag the boxes and crates two hundred yards up slippery rocks and through mud. After two hours we had moved all the equipment, put up two tents, and a meal was started.
The next day was sunny and warm, and clothes were dried and the camp was properly set up. Once the main large tent had been put up, meteorological sites were erected, and the aerial and radio were installed. In the evening a rota was worked out for cooking and meteorological readings. Cooking was done in pairs, with one pair doing all the cooking and washing up for one day, and the met. rota worked so that each person had one station to read every day except for the day on which he cooked. The main met. station was set up near the house and two more stations were put up one at the end of the north island and one at the end of the south island, each about a mile from base. The station on the north island was situated about 500 feet above sea-level and the very strenuous walk up the mountain was none too popular especially in the early mornings. Two regular observations were made, at 9 o'clock in the mornings and at 6 o'clock in the evenings.
However, regular met. readings were only part of the work. We had been asked by Mr Durbin of the Meteorological Research flight of the R.A.E. Farnborough, to carry out a programme of research into the number of salt particles in the atmosphere. These are believed to be fundamental to the process which leads to precipitation, and little is yet known about the way in which they leave the sea and enter the atmosphere. By whirling specially coated slides round in the air and by making observations of sea and weather conditions at the time, we hoped to shed some light on the problem. We had to carry out this experiment three times a day, simultaneously at sea-level and 100 feet up or so. The first results obtained from examining the slides appear to be most satisfactory.
We also carried out observations of raindrop sizes, the development of 'Mare's Tails' clouds, and helped in an experiment which was being carried out simultaneously at three other stations in the British Isles, to catch small meteoric particles on exposed greased glass slides.
Meanwhile, the two ornithologists, Martin Richards and Alan Trist, were busy with their own work. They took a census of breeding birds and carried out a large ringing programme. All together 276 birds were ringed including 165 fulmars. About 45 different species of migrant birds were seen during the stay. A collection of grasses, mosses, lichens, seaweed, shells and barnacles was also made.
Tim Lodge and David Devereux were in charge of the survey work, and all three islands were contoured and the main heights obtained. This work was made all the more difficult as it was found that there was some form of magnetic influence on Eilean an Tighe and this rendered the compasses useless on that island. They were assisted in this work by Roger Martin. The last member of the expedition, John Hole, made the film of the life and work of the expedition.
Although these scientific pursuits took up a great deal of time during our stay, there were nevertheless many opportunities to explore the islands, and with the small boat we had brought with us, we were able to get around from one island to another. Eilean Mhuire, the third island of the group, was frequently visited, and on occasions sub-camps were set up on it. Many interesting fossils were found in the rock on that island, and the general opinion was that in
many ways it was the most interesting of the islands, although it lacked the ruggedness of the other two. All the islands had many beautiful caves, and both on Eilean Mhuire and Garbh Eilean there were natural tunnels through which a boat could pass. To the west of the main group lie a string of small islands and rocks known as the Galtachean, and we landed on the larger rocks.
There were two types of animal on the Shiants apart from birds and seals. About five hundred sheep roamed about the three islands, which are supposed to provide very good grazing. Also there were many rats which were killed by methods of varying degrees of humaneness, and Martin skinned specimens for identification. Several basking sharks were also seen.
Contact with the outside world was provided by our radio, with which we got in touch with Stornoway Airport twice a day. The regular BEA Dakotas would also very often come out of their way to fly over us and to chat over the radio. The other type of aeroplane we got to know was an RAF Shackleton bomber from Northern Ireland which came over three times to drop mail and newspapers by parachute.
Routine was relieved by incidents like the going aground off the end of the Galtachean of a large German timber ship. We heard about it from a Dakota circling overhead, and all rushed off in the boat to see it. We came to it in thick fog to find that the Stornoway lifeboat was standing by. Later, at high tide, it was floated off and limped away to Stornoway, holed and listing badly, but not before we had taken the chance of passing some mail to the lifeboat to post.
A few days before we left, we had two surprise visits. One morning we were surprised during breakfast by a broad Scots voice asking 'Are ye enjoying yourselves?' This was the factor Finlay Morrison and a large portion of the Macleod clan who had come to collect some lambs. That evening, a small boat arrived with three lobster fishermen from Mallaig. They spent three nights fishing off the Shiants and they gave us several lobsters and crabs in return for which we let them have some of our surplus petrol, margarine and tea.
All too soon it was the day to leave, and in thick fog we dragged all our equipment to the beach and waited for the Isa. Within a few minutes of leaving, the islands were out of sight, swallowed up in the mist. After about three hours, the fog lifted and we continued our journey along the glorious coastline of Skye in hot sunshine. The night we spent on the football pitch at Kyle, and in the morning we all split up and returned to our homes by different routes.
The expedition achieved a considerable amount of success in the scientific work done, but, perhaps more important, it was thoroughly enjoyed by all the members. We were very fortunate in our choices, and we went through the whole four weeks without any friction or quarrels of any kind.
We are extremely grateful to all the many people who by their help, interest or generosity, made it possible for us to have such a wonderful and worthwhile time.
