Four Islay women and one man worked through the night to make Stars and Stripes 67 inches long by 37 inches wide to bury the American dead under their own flag. Left to right: Catherine McGregor, Jessie McLellan, John McDougall, Mary Cunningham and Mary Armour.
Photograph: National Museum of American History.
A STARS and Stripes flag – produced overnight on the island of Islay so that American soldiers who died after the sinking of the SS Tuscania could be buried with honour under their own flag – is making the 3,500-mile journey back to Islay 100 years on.
The flag will arrive ahead of the WW100 Scotland National Day of Remembrance on Islay tomorrow (Friday May 4) which will be attended by local people, descendants and dignitaries, including the Princess Royal.