Moidart War Memorial

[Adam Brown]

According to a website about Lochaber, Moidart covers:

...all of the area north of Loch Shiel and east of the Road to the Isles. It includes the townships of Dorlin, Mingarry, Kinlochmoidart and Glenuig.

I was wondering if anyone knows of a war memorial which covers this area. There may not be one beside a road but there may be one in a church?

Alternatively there may be no memorial at all. I know Kintail and Glenshiel didn't erect a memorial after the First World War and instead paid for a District Nurse.

I'd be grateful if anyone with local knowledge of the area can help me track down a memorial or rule it out.

Regards

Adam
Administrator, Scottish War Memorials Project

[AndrewP]

Hi Adam,

Moidart was a portion of the large parish of Ardnamurchan (partly in Argyll, partly in Inverness-shire). I don't know if the whole parish was covered by one memorial, or if its constituent parts did their own. It was divided into districts for registration purposes, and I think had quoad sacra parishes within. The districts were Western Ardnamurchan (or Ardnamurchan proper), Sunart and Moidart.

The approximate make up of these parts is represented on the following current map.

current map showing Ardnamurchan area

All the best,

AndrewP

[Adam Brown]

Many Thanks Andrew.

There is a memorial at Kilchoan which covers Western Ardnamurchan and another at Acharacle which covers Acharacle, Arivegaig, Balilea, Glenborrodale, Kentra, Newton, Salen and Shielfoot and I'm assuming that is Sunart.

That leaves Moidart which ties in with the description above of East of the road and North of the loch.

We have had someone visit St Finan's Episcopal church at Kinlochmoidart and there was no parish memorial there so I wonder if there is something in another church in the area?

Kind regards

Adam

[AndrewP]

Hi Adam,

The above reply was from memory, while I was at work. Now at home, I have more references to hand.

The registration district was for a while cut into four segments; Acharacle, Arisaig, Strontian (or Sunart), and Ardnamurchan Western.

The 1840s Statistical Account for Scotland opens by saying that the parish had been three parishes until the Reformation. Following the Reformation, they came under the charge of one minister. Further on that same document describes the situation and extent of the parish. That section describes five districts in the parish - Ardnamurchan and Sunart in Argyleshire (sic); and Moidart, Arisaig and South Morir (sic) in Inverness-shire.

Further on again, the account tells of its churches in its various districts. In Western Ardnamurchan, there had been two churches - the main parish church in Kilchoan and another in Kilmorlie. The quoad sacra church in Aharacle [Acharacle]. A mission rented premises at Laga (partly in the parish church disrict and partly in Aharacle district). For Sunart, a quoad sacra church in Strontian. The assistant minister's district consisting of the greater part of Moidart, and the whole of Arisaig and South Morir (sic) had two churches - one at Polnish, near Inveraylort (sic) and the other in the schoolhouse in Arisaig.

These churches would all have been of the Established Church of Scotland. There is mention of five Roman Catholic chapels in the parish.

The full account can be found at http://edina.ac.uk/stat-acc-scot/ and click on browse scanned pages, then search for Ardnamurchan.

All the best,

AndrewP

[Adam Brown]

Andrew

Many thanks for the detailed explanation, I must have missed it first time round. In this case there are possibly six communities in the area you describe where there may be memorials. Four at least have memorials

Kilchoan - See here: http://warmemscot.s4.bizhat.com/viewtopic.php?t=3521
Kilmorlie
Aharacle [Acharacle]. See here: http://warmemscot.s4.bizhat.com/viewtopic.php?t=2663
Strontian - See here: http://warmemscot.s4.bizhat.com/viewtopic.php?t=3549
Polnish, near Inverailort
Arisaig & South Morar. See here: http://warmemscot.s4.bizhat.com/viewtopic.php?t=2530

There is also Morar here: http://warmemscot.s4.bizhat.com/viewtopic.php?t=2538

Sometimes rural war memorials give districts after the names which helps show which area they cover. The Acharacle one does and covers Acharacle, Arivegaig, Balilea, Glenborrodale, Kentra, Newton, Salen and Shielfoot.

I can't identify Kilmorlie on a modern map.

Polnish / Inverailort seems to be the most obvious to be the 'Moidart' war memorial. It's near Arisaig but two men from Lochailort who died in the Second World War aren't listed on the Arisaig memorial which makes me suspect there is a memorial somewhere in Lochailort, possibly in the church?

Many thanks belatedly for the help.

Thanks

Adam

[AndrewP]

I can't identify Kilmorlie on a modern map.

Hi Adam,

It is probably Kilmory, on the north coast of the Ardnamurchan peninsula.

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=15 ... &A=Y&Z=130

All the best,

AndrewP