Further Inganess Memories - from the Other Side of the Bay

by Norman Logie

Further to the interesting article about Inganess Bay by my cousin, Jim Muir, being a few years older and from the other side of The Bay, a few memories from my side.

In addition to the torpedoing of the “Lochmaddy” with her cargo of quality timber, much of which came ashore and was salvaged, another vessel was also attacked by a German U Boat.

In early January 1940 while lying in Inganess Bay awaiting contraband clearance, the Danish tanker “SS Danmark” was attacked by a German U Boat. She sustained a large hole in her side and her back was broken but she remained afloat for 10 days. About a year later her bow section broke free and was towed away.

Although much of the oil she was carrying was salvaged, much polluted the shore and damaged the shellfish. Only the funnel remained visible at high tide but at low tide some of the superstructure was above the water and on occasions we would go out in our dinghy and do some fishing. In early 1960’s the wreck was totally dispersed and the marker buoy removed.

With the War on, the sandy beaches within the Bay would have made attacks by the enemy forces possible and as defences along the shore line below Inganess, anti tank defences were constructed and along the cliff tops barb wire entanglements were laid. Further along the higher cliff tops a slit trench was dug and below Inganess an Anti Aircraft Gun and a small camp was installed. Again, further along below Berstane the sandy beach there was defended with a mine field.

The soldiers in the small camp were frequent visitors and my brother, Robert, who was 10 when the War commenced would go down to the camp and was allowed to sit on the second seat on the gun along with the soldier on lookout. One day, what appeared to be the periscope of a submarine, assume a German U Boat, was observed. The duty Sergeant was called, confirmed the sighting and ordered Robert home. Permission was then sought to engage the Sub but this was refused – the Navy would deal with it. It was further alleged that along the shore towards Berstane a small rubber dinghy went out and someone boarded the Submarine but this never never confirmed. Probably a more plausible suggestion was it was it was carrying out a recce of potential landing sites.

When the re-floated Blockship, “Juniata” was towed in and beached close to the shoreline, it was complete and on the starboard side of the superstructure was painted a not very complimentary caricature of Hitler which annoyed one young German girl, a former member of the Hitler Youth Movement, who was an occasional visitor.

We children were frequent visitors onto the Juniata and spent many happy hours playing on and around her. My sisters Jessie and Evelyn along with cousins Arnie, Rodney and Violet Flett and myself plus some other close friends found Inganess Bay a wonderful and exciting playground.

So many happy hours were spent in the sea on the sandy beach, climbing the cliffs, wandering the cliff tops along as far as the lovely wee pier below Berstane (now almost gone) and along to the Head of Holland or along the other side of The Bay to visit mother’s cousin at Valdigar. Also spent many lovely evenings on trips out in the dinghy on fishing trips or to creels for lobsters and partans.

Norman Logie

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