Scottish researchers have created a digital visualisation revealing the untold stories of those who tragically died following the sinking of HMY Iolaire 100 years ago.
HMY Iolaire was returning sailors to the Western Isles from fighting in the First World War when it foundered on rocks and sank on New Year’s Day 1919. The final death toll was 205, of whom 181 were from the islands, devastating the communities on both Lewis and Harris. To mark the 100th anniversary of this tragedy, researchers from Abertay University and the University of the Highlands and Islands have developed an online application, Visualising the Iolaire, which provides a virtual map of the disaster. It details those who died, identiThes the communities directly and indirectly impacted, while also documenting how people have been memorialised on the island.
The app can be accessed via https://iolaire.itch.io/the- iolaire The development of the online application has been led by Dr Iain Donald from the School of Design and Informatics at Abertay University. He said: ‘The story of the Iolaire is especially poignant as it occurred after the war was over and was bringing sailors home to be with friends and family for New Year in 1919. Working with Dr Iain Robertson at the University of the Highlands and Islands and the community partners on this project has demonstrated what a heavy price the Western Isles paid during the war, and the Iolaire tragedy was sorrow heaped upon sorrow.’