Faces from the War Memorial lists all the men from the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, who died as a result of the First World War. This site was compiled to keep alive the memory of those from the island who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the service of King and Country between 1914 and 1919. Although hostilities ended on 11 November 1918, the war is held to have ended in 1919 in Lewis because of a large loss of life right at the start of that year. World War I left an indelible mark on the island. Consider the following statistics:
* Every second man from Lewis joined up, in the Army, Royal Navy or Mercantile Marine.
* Every sixth man who joined up did not return.
* Two hundred lost their lives within sight of Stornoway Harbour, when their transport, H.M.Y. Iolaire, foundered on the Beasts of Holm on 1 January 1919.
The approximately 1,300 names on the list are ordered by the village from which the men last departed the island. There is no complete list of casualties, originating from the Isle of Lewis. Many lived away from the island by the time they joined up, whether it be elsewhere in the United Kingdom or overseas. Any reference to these men would have pointed to their last residence, with no obvious link to the island.
The list of villages are arranged by parish on the right of the site. The following sources were employed to compile this list:
* All war memorials in Lewis
* Loyal Lewis Roll of Honour 1914-1918, Stornoway Gazette, 1921
* Commonwealth War Graves Commission website
* Veteran Affairs Canada
* Australian War Memorial
* The various Historical Societies in the island
* Hebridean ConnectionsA resident of Tolsta Chaolais remarked that there were 18 names on his local war memorial, which encompasses just his tiny village. "Why did 18 men from this village have to die because an Archduke was shot dead in Sarajevo?"
Updated: 17 May 2009
Faces from the War Memorial
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