From the Scotlandsource website:
Sited on the road to Vatersay at the crest of the hill overlooking Castlebay and the islands to the south of Barra, this memorial is strikingly modern, erected in 1993. It was raised to rectify the omission of the names of the men from Barra from a stained glass memorial window in the church of Our Lady Star of the Sea, in Castlebay.
Around the top are the words: these died in war – that we at peace might live – they gave their best so we our best should give. And the inscription: “to the immortal honor of those men of Barra and Vetersay who fell in the two great wars.”
Mr. non told us that the earlier honoring of those who died counted “only bullets”. Most of the men lost here were lost at sea in ships, many times brothers on same ship, and that the losses in these small villages were disproportionate to population. (Later in war – which one I don’t know – brothers were not put on same ship.) This memorial rectified that error of omitting those lost at sea. The names on the left column are English, right are Gaelic patronymic,mother Christian name or nickname and then the father’s name or nickname. Sometimes the mother’s name is used. Otherwise many of the names are the same.
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