LOCAL STORIES

old and more recnt

Legends and customs abound in the history of the Highlands and Sutherland has many tales of what used to happen. Because of the location, small population and methods of communication many old stories are unspecified in their origin. Many are unusual and interesting but unconfirmed. This collection of tales is stories that have been related locally. Some are no more than elaborated fables while others are based on fact. They have been written here as narratives worth collecting. 

 Groceeries

 

July 2014 the first home delivery of click and collect fro Tesco arrived in Durness. Stopping in the sango sandss carpark causing consternation among the population.

War

The remains of an aircraft that crashed on the hill behind Rhigolter during the Second World War are still visible today.

A sailor from an allied shipwreck on the seas of Cape Wrath was found sitting propped up on a rock on Sango Beach. The sailor was thought to have been washed to the shore, crawled up the beach, and died on the shore before help arrived.

 

Old Burial Site

On the uninhabited island of Eilean Hoan, there are the remains of an old graveyard. When wolves roamed the area, the people of Durness buried their dead on the island to prevent the graves being dug up and the bodies being eaten.

Sheepdog

There is a tale of a shepherd's dog falling into Smoo Cave while herding sheep and being given up for dead by the shepherds. Some time later the dog appeared at Sarsgrum with very little hair left on its body.

 

Before Medicine

A method of healing a sore was to put a piece of meat on the sore and say a few strange Gaelic words. If the wound did not heal then the meat was said to be too fatty or the size of the meat was too small. The people of the village have become more used to the doctors modern methods.

 

Ghosts!

The old wooden gate at the County Depot was supposed to be kept closed but would mysteriously swing open. When watched a strange old lady dressed in black would appear at 10.30pm open the gate and walk toward the school. She could not be followed and no reason could account for this action.

 

Freisgill Ghost

Freisgill stands close to the mouth of Loch Eriboll in a desolate, lonely but beautiful spot. A ghost is said to reside in this bothy of the Mountain Bothy Association. A shepherd called Nodaidh had a long and happy life there living alone after loosing his fiancée. His prize possession was a chanter gifted to him from his girl, Marie, before she died. His dogs arrived one day at Melness Farm and the manager returned with them to Freisgill to find Nodaidh in a very poorly state. The doctor was summoned from Tongue but all Nodaidh wanted was to be taken to his sister at Sango. He was taken by ferry and car and became weaker constantly calling in delirium for his chanter. He died without being reunited with his chanter. The next two shepherds living at the house have left after reporting eerie incidents about their dogs howling and visions of an old man playing a chanter and disappearing before their eyes. Freisgill now stands empty for most of the time but occasional accounts of dim lights and faint music are heard from fishermen.

 

Distillation

The last whisky to be distilled in Durness was around 1914 when a local man in his eighties was sent to prison for illegal distillation and tax evasion. The spring at the bottom of a croft in the Durine was used to cool the still and the resultant, once distilled whisky was moved around the coast selling from a converted smack, for two and sixpence a bottle. Apparently at one time it was quite common for moonshining. There were always attempts to keep the practice secretive. There are vague stories about the lengths that people went to obtaining barley for malting. Often this was carried out in the dead of night making and hiding the apparatus. The spirit produced was very strong and often tasted terrible but gave the desired effect.

 

The Men of the Area

Between the head of the Kyle of Durness and the valley of Grudie moving in the distance, flapping, with what looked like huge wings, was a mysterious figure. When more closely seen it was a tall bony man with a large blue camlet cloak, lined with green baize, disposed in reefs round his shoulders, his head gear, a rusty black hat of obsolete shape, beneath which protruded the edges of a dirty white night-cap; his body and clothes, black cloth, long since seen their best. Strange looking bundles of different sizes and shapes hung about him. To encounter a man or woman, boy or girl and pass without speaking would be to proclaim yourself a misanthrope. A good day on both sides was quickly followed by conversation. We were both going to Rhiconich and so we were companions for the day.

 

It was not to be discovered until later the wayfarer was a "MAN". He belonged to a religious sect who calls themselves "THE MEN". The peculiar feature of the sect is self-selection. They repudiate all ecclesiastical discipline and authority, detest prelacy, liturgies and Eurastianism and consider that they alone are judges of their spiritual progress, which is poured upon them by Gods grace. All theological learning is held in utter contempt and the language of the most ignorant "MAN" if he asserts that he speaks by divine inspiration, passes for gospel truths among their followers. The "MEN" wear during the summer and winter a cloak which they wish to be considered apostolic; black garments, if they can obtain them and through Caithness and Sutherland where they abound a cotton cap or handkerchief. This possesses great significance. The more it approaches pure white the more blameless and holy does the wearer desire himself to be considered and strange to say is considered by the sect. The "MEN" by the highlanders are regarded as divinely inspired and can go from house to house praying in some, exhorting in others, they are rarely allowed to depart empty handed, or at least unrefreshed.

 

At a shepherd's house the "MAN" entered and was received by the shepherd's wife with a torrent of Gaelic and gestures implying a hearty welcome. The woman fell to her knees while the "MAN" poured forth a long prayer. This over, she produced two bowls of creamy milk for which there was no charge. His ignorance was amazing and he did not seem anxious to enlarge his very limited stock of knowledge. Twice or three times a year he went about  'for the good of his health' and was returning home after an eight week spiritual cruise.

Ministerial Scandal

Reading and writing especially in English used to be confined only to those privileged enough to be educated. In a land, where there were no newspapers published the minister's pulpit and the songs of the bard supplied both the facts and the editorial comments on any local event. When letters, chiefly formal official government letters arrived, they were taken to the minister to be read. Sometimes on such occasions, the translation would not be wholly accurate and details would be added or omitted. The clergy were very much in the pocket of the landowners and tacksmen. Implications were made, ministers would not always serve the working population with total commitment if it were not to their advantage.

 

Climbing Accident

Dr. Tom Patey an internationally distinguished rock climber and medical practitioner in Ullapool had a fatal fall during a decent in a climbing accident on the "Maiden" off Whiten Head in 1970. The publication of a book "One Man's Mountains" by Tom Patey consisting of contributions to the Scotsman Newspaper, written while climbing the sea stacks around Scotland, prompted a friend to visit the site in 1998 and he was astonished and moved to find Tom's ropes still swinging from their positions. The BBC presentation of the Old Man of Hoy, one of the first programmes with actual rope climbing on a cliff face was inspired by Tom Patey.

 

Found Dead

In February 1992, the body of a young woman was found in a tent by shepherds between Port-na-con on Loch Eriboll and Sarsgrum on the Kyle of Durness. Miss Bishop of Holloway, London had been missing from home since the previous August. A police enquiry revealed a few local people recalled talking with her and she had been seen and spent some time in Durness in the latter part of 1991. She died of hypothermia. Later in 1992 Mrs. Bishop visited Durness, the last place her daughter was seen alive and donated one thousand pounds to the Primary School as a momentum of her daughter. A video camera was purchased with the money.

 

School Sports

Only in a small setting would the proceedings of the primary school sports be halted while the gym mistress attended to holiday lettings for foreign tourists. In May 1997, the children of the four feeding primary schools, Kinlochbervie, Achfary, Scourie and Durness were well underway with more children than had ever been attending in the past. The day was cold, blustery and showery.

 

Two French tourists responding to a bed and breakfast sign had been greeted by a neighbour. The sports were halted while discussions about prices and suitability were considered and the visitors viewed the rooms. The sports were restarted and continued as though these interruptions were common place. The tourists stayed two nights.

 

Birds Eggs or Balls

Since the golf course opened, collecting the lost balls from the beach over the drop on the ninth hole has become popular. A report from a tourist camping at Balnakeil that someone was collecting birds eggs, likely Fulmars from the rocks brought two police men, one from Lochinver the other from Tongue to the home of the accused with accusations of contravening an act by gathering eggs. It was difficult to convince the police officers that all that had been removed was golf balls. A trip to the spot and the finding of a further ball was required to convince the constables of the innocent exploit.

 

Durness Airstrip

In about 1973 the army offered to build an airstrip free as a goodwill project for light aircraft. The people of Balnakeil Craft Village, who had recently moved to the area, protested strongly. The strip was all pegged out on the hillside but the construction stalemated and a disagreement raged between incomer and local. No airstrip was ever constructed.

 

Fire Alarm?

Just after one of the volunteer fire-fighter moved house his wife had a chimney fire and quickly went to summon help by telephoning the crew from a neighbour's house. As time went by and no response was happening she called again but at this interval, her husband had managed to extinguish the blaze and make the chimney safe. On enquiring why the assistance from the volunteer crew had not arrived, they were told that they had considered the call a ploy to have the crew up for housewarming celebratory drinks. A great deal of apologising was extended, no harm was done and the matter was excused. (No one is quite sure if the fire did occur or if it was a ploy).

 

Durness Bodysnatchers

One night two men set off from somewhere east of Durness to rob the Balnakeil cemetery. They wrapped straw around their cartwheels to muffle the noise they would make on the stones as they passed along the rough tract. They dug up a fresh grave, removed the body, reburied the coffin and tidied up the earth and flowers. They set off home with the body in the back of the cart.

 

Arriving at the main road, they stopped at the Durness Inn. They left the cart in a secluded corner and slipped a nosebag on the horse to keep him quiet. Just in case anyone looked in the cart while they were away they dressed the body in a cloak and hat and propped it up on the drivers' seat with a whip in its hand. While the bodysnatchers were in the inn, a local lad passing called out a greeting to the figure on the cart. When he got no reply he stopped and called again. When still no answer came, he thought the driver was deliberately ignoring him and approached the cart and gave the figure a poke. To his astonishment, the body fell backwards off the seat revealing a pair of bare white legs. After recovering from the fright he realised what was happening and went to tell a friend living close by. Between them they lifted the body out of the cart and hid it close by. He dressed himself in the cloak and hat, took the whip in his hand and took the place of the corpse.

 

The bodysnatchers came out of the inn after a few drams and sat the body between them and set off towards home. The body impostor nudged one of the men and then the other. This continued until the two men were quarrelling with one another. All eventually fell silent and then the bodysnatcher started to notice the corpse was getting warmer. The corpse turned to the man and looking him straight in the face in the moonlight said in a low voice ' Aye, and if you had been in hell as long as I have you'd be feeling pretty warm yourself.' The two men froze with fright, screamed and ran off into the night. The young fellow drove himself back to Durness fetched the minister and reburied the body. No one ever came to collect the horse and cart and at length they were sold. The money went toward the young man buying a small croft where he settled.

The Haunted Manse

This is a well documented and related tale.

Many years ago there were strange knocks each night at the Sangomore manse door at Churchend, Durness then occupied by the Reverend D. Findlater. The Reverend Findlater on account of these phenomena was much perplexed and became troubled in spirit. He believed it was unnatural and not knowing what to do he sent for the Reverend Thomas Fraser Ross of Kinlochbervie, the first Free Church Minister of that Parish after the Disruption of 1843.

 

The reverend Ross rode on horse back from Kinlochbervie to Durness on Christmas Eve not knowing why he had been called for. He tethered his horse in the stable and entered into friendly conversation with his colleague in the study of the manse. The Rev. Findlater concealed from the visitor the real reason for sending for him. At around midnight the knocks came to the door of the old manse as usual and making some excuse, the Durness minister asked his friend to answer the door and see who was there. The Kinlochbervie minister unsuspectingly answered the door and to his astonishment encountered the ghastly figure of a man swathed in a shroud. What passed during the interview at the door between the minister and the ghost was never revealed but after some talk between them on the threshold of the manse, the Reverend Thomas Fraser Ross went back to the sitting room of the manse with his face deathly white. He rebuked his colleague for not giving him proper warning of the haunting for then he would have been prepared for the ordeal.

 

He then saddled his horse and set off for his home in the dead of night. Shortly afterwards he became seriously ill and died at the age of forty six. His wife passed away not long after him. No rational explanation has ever been suggested for the haunting or the mysterious deaths of the minister and his wife.

 

The Minister's Wife

Until quite recently, it was the practice when someone died, for friends, relatives and neighbours to call and view the body. When the minister's young wife died, it was noticed; as she lay in the coffin; she was still wearing two valuable rings on her fingers. This was mentioned in conversation and two ruthless men heard about it and planned to raid the coffin and steal the rings from the grave.

 

On the night of the funeral they made their way to the graveyard with shovels, lifted the flowers and removed the earth to expose the coffin. After removing the lid and deciding this would make a nice table, started to try to remove the rings. They were very tight and would not come off even with the use of a file. The villain in the grave removing the rings was taking an age and his partner in crime was becoming impatient and frightened someone may appear. He jumped into the grave producing a knife and severed the fingers from the corpse and slipped the rings into his pocket. The two men climbed out of the grave to moans and groans and when they looked down saw the woman struggling up to a sitting position in the coffin.

 

Utterly horrified the two men ran for their lives, the woman had been buried alive. She dragged herself out of the grave and somehow staggered home. She arrived home looking ill and white and dirty. The shroud was covered with earth and blood. Blood ran from the severed stump of her finger. As much as possible the minister comforted his wife, put her to bed and called the doctor.

 

The minister's wife lived for many years and is said to have had five of a family.

 

The Carrying Party

Snow lay on the ground. Tiny on the open hillside the party of men struggled up the long slope above Loch Hope. In the middle, six men squashed under the weight of the coffin.

"By Heaven he's some weight" grunted one of them.

"I tell you", panted a second slipping and hanging on to the brass handle for support " I could do with a dram"

"Here you" called another "It's your turn again".

An hour later they stopped outside the lonely cottage at the east of the hill and lowered the coffin into the snow against the railings. As they did, an old woman appeared in the doorway. She waved them in and offered a rest for their backs. They willingly agreed and followed her into the sitting room. Within a couple of minutes they were sitting around a plainly furnished room licking their lips, the fiery spirit scorched the back of their throats.

 

An hour later after a few more drams one man was singing another telling stories about the dead man outside and a third becoming familiar with the old woman's daughter. A little while later a few of the men rose "Well boys" said one of them "it's a few miles yet to Durness and we had be better getting on."

 

An older man and elder of the church agreed " Aye, well you go on ahead and we'll catch you up in a few minutes." The men went out into the cold afternoon with a small amount of whisky to drink on the road. Half an hour later laughing and slow footed the remainder followed.

 

It was a cold but beautiful evening, the sky above Ben Hope turning pink. By the time the second group arrived at the dead man's house it had been dark for an hour. Arriving at the door they were greeted by the dead man's sister and followed her through to the living room. The first members of the carrying party were eating scones and pancakes and drinking hot cups of tea. There was no sign of any whisky although some of their eyes were hazy. The dead man's sister made sure all the men had tea and something to eat. When they had all been served she stood back and looked at the new arrivals expectantly. They looked from one to another puzzled at her meaning.

"Where have you put him?" She asked at length, her eyes anxious. They stopped chewing; the teacups froze halfway to their lips. One group looked at the other. "Why he's………"   "Didn't you………?

 

Far away on top of the hill lay the coffin with the remains of the sister's dead brother.

 

Helicopter Crash

In 1980, when military activity was much more active than now, large exercises involving all branches of the forces and lasting for many days were common. The areas around Balnakeil were still actively used for manoeuvres. A tragic accident occurred causing the deaths of three young servicemen. A helicopter clipped the top of the hill opposite Balnakeil Craft Village on the far side of Loch Croispol near the shepherds' bothy. There was no great explosion although there was scorch marks from the burning of the fuel. The helicopter was smashed into pieces.

 

Distressing Incidents

 

Two recorded unfortunate mishaps have happened to visitors.

 

Around 1979 a visitor staying at the Far North Hotel on a Highland Safari holiday slipped on the grassy slope on Faraid Head while out viewing the Puffin colony. Unable to catch a grip as she slid down the slope she fell against a rock where the slope becomes rocky and vertical, falling onto the stones below. She died before medical attention arrived.

 

A couple of years previous a visitor to the Cape Wrath Lighthouse was photographing close to the Clo Mor cliffs and walked backwards when a gust of wind lifted her over the edge. This was also a fatal accident.

 

 

A senior citizens party, started from an idea by William Campbell, Dickey Mackay and Dr. Sandeman, now all deceased, has been a successful event for some years. A meal and a drink at the Smoo Cave Hotel plus entertainment from the school children, carol singing, together with music from the local musicians, is a Christmas date the mature residents of Durness appreciate.

correspondent. Before 1980 the job was filled by Mr. George Mackenzie, From 1980 to 1994 Lucy Mackay wrote regularly and in June 1997 Ronald Lansley, after an absence of a regular input from Durness started corresponding.

 

Until 1995, newspapers arrived at five p.m., and mail was delivered at six p.m. After transport reorganisation in 1995, newspapers are delivered in the morning and mail deliveries are between noon and two p.m. Postal services have always been a valued and important duty for the parish. Several people were involved in the early deliveries on foot and bicycle to the distant locations scattered around. Sealed containers were transported over the Kyle to the community on the Cape side. The making of roads from tracts and motor vehicles taking over from horses has reduced the delivery to one person. The amount of mail has apparently also decreased.

 

Mains water arrived in 1906 piped only as far as Durine to begin with and cost five shillings for an outside tap and ten shillings for an inside tap. The school in the Durine was amongst the first to have an inside supply followed by the doctor's house and the Durness Hotel. The present reservoir is Loch Meadaidh but in the past, Loch Caladail has been used. There are discussions and plans to transfer the supply to Loch Borralie in 1999. There are several definite springs where water has been collected from in the days of yore. One sometimes used today is situated in the Glebe. Another more obvious well is at Churchend where on the hill the standpipe and fittings are unmistakable. This was erected in 1902 from a pump and fittings removed from the Durine School. Tests have shown the water very pure but the source has never been detected.

 

The first automatic telephone exchange was erected at Rockville opposite the Primary School in 1935. In 1955, there were four telephone kiosks and thirty five private subscribers in the parish In 1992 the building was demolished, enlarged and converted to a holiday home. The site behind the telephone kiosk and now used as store by the painter and decorator was the exchange until 1989 when a larger building was constructed at the rear of the council houses opposite the Mace Shop. In 1997, there are reports of the system being digitised as the last upgrade in the Highlands. In 1989, the last button telephone on the British mainland was replaced by an upgraded system. This remote roadside kiosk twenty one kilometres from Tongue on the A838 was Durness 299 and the last to operate through an old style radio transmission system. It could not be converted previously, as cables had to be laid as part of the modernisation scheme. Other operations of the same were phased out in the rest of the country some thirty years earlier.

 

It was not until 1986 Durness had watchable television The erection of a relay mast at the highest point overlooking Sangomore headland gave a signal to practically the whole village with the necessity in the lower regions of a high site for their aerial. In 1998, the mast was renewed and provision was made for mobile phone reception to the area.

 

In 1997, new houses were built and Hames Place was extended with eight new homes. A new guest house, Craig Lea, was built and opened at the arrival to Durness from the south. This brought for the first time temporary traffic lights at two situations, one in the Durine opposite the church of the joiners workshop in June, and at the approach in to the square at the school in July and August. They functioned for about two weeks while electric and drainage was being installed which involved lifting the road surface.

 

The policing of Durness is from Rhiconich where the one-man station has the biggest beat in Britain covering crime from Laid to Kylesku. There was supposed to be an additional police officer based at Durness from 1985 but this never transpired. Violence and crime are uncommon with the exception of increasing minor offences during the tourist season. Unrecorded violations are mainly to do with motoring and alcohol and although serious ordinarily amount to very little harm.

 

The Volunteer Fire Service has been in operation for a number of years and in the summer of 1997 moved the station where the small-equipped vehicle is garaged from Smoo to the old county depot in School Road. The vehicle is taken out once a week and tested. Ten volunteers, regularly attending instruction sessions and being trained locally by visiting professionals, are on twenty four-hour call. Up until recently for an attendance at a fire, which are generally chimney fires, a call would be made to the chief volunteer or any of the fireman and the matter would be dealt with. The regime now requires an emergency call to the Inverness headquarters who in turn contact the local volunteers. All have been issued with belt beepers and respond accordingly. Should the fire be suspect and requiring further assistance the unit from Kinlochbervie, which is slightly larger, or the appliance from Lairg, a full sized tender, is despatched. In recent years two substantial fires have caused devastation, one in 1989 when a house was burned down killing an occupier and one at Balnakeil Farm destroying a large barn and killing animals. In December 1997, the fire fighters had to attend a house fire at Daill on the Cape side. Equipment had to be loaded onto the passenger ferry and across the Kyle of Durness. A shepherd from Balnakeil was using the house and he alerted the emergency services from the lighthouse telephone when he returned after tending sheep. The fire was extinguished with the destruction of one room. In January 1998, a new, larger and improved fire appliance was allocated to Durness.

 

The Volunteer Coastguard operates actively around the area. Based at a garage at Smoo the well-equipped Land Rover is manned by a regularly trained and committed group.

For many years, funerals have followed a similar pattern. A service is held in the church and the remains are transported to the cemetery followed by the procession of mourners. Another short ceremony is followed by the close relatives and friends lowering the coffin into the grave. People who are native to Durness are often returned for burial after living away for some years to join ancestors in the cemetery. Before motorised hearse the coffin would be carried or transported by horse and cart. If the wishes of the deceased were to be interred at Balnakeil and they died away from home, the relatives have been known in times past to carry the coffin by foot to Durness. A woman attending the cemetery was unknown until quite recently. In November 1998, a break from tradition was made when two women were part of the pall-bearing group lowering a coffin into an open grave.

 

The custom of seeing the old year out and new year in is usually celebrated in ones own house. Neighbours and friends visit one another after midnight calling at the homes of people in the village until the wee small hours. First footing involves in practice sharing a drink from the New Year bottle and greeting friends with a wish of a "Happy New Year." Dances in the village hall is an event that has disappeared from the celebrations. Occasions have arisen when excitement and rowdiness through excess alcohol have turned the event into disorder.

The passing of the old year into the new stretches beyond new years day and is traditionally more than a period of time. It is a state of mind and a state of the heart. A time for drawing together and a chance for reflection on the turning of the world. Ne'erday, the void between past and future, between the old and the new and what might come. People seek hope and reassurance from each other in a free flowing of feeling and sympathy. The meeting and drinking is a slowing process of time to absorb strength from each other.

In times of old people used to travel miles on foot over mountain and water to reach destinations of isolated families around the peninsula. Specific stories of adventures and people involved are still told interpreting the true idea of Hogmanay and New Year. These tales are becoming less frequent and less specific from the older generations.

Sports Awards

Lucy Mackay was recognised nationally for her devotion and commitment to sport, both coaching and development in the north west over a period of nearly twenty years. On the 13th of November 1997, at a dinner in the elegant Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh she was awarded, from the Scottish Sports Council and Barclaycard Volunteer Investment Programme, Sporting Volunteer of the Year. This followed from a presentation earlier in the year as best sports volunteer in the district when John Mackenzie put her name forward for consideration. Lucy had been exceptional in instigating, fostering and nurturing sporting activities at all levels, to all age groups in and around Durness and thoroughly deserves this accord.

 

After qualifying as a teacher in Physical Education she worked in Wick and was appointed in 1985 as the first visiting primary school gym teacher in north west Sutherland. In addition to providing qualified school physical education, she has in various different approaches, encouraged people to try assorted games, developed individual and team sports and facilities, established contests and recreational clubs and inspired others with confidence by showing example and determination to the possibilities and advantages of sports in the area. The voluntary sports work has progressed into established clubs, bringing facilities to the people of the area. The amount of time Lucy has dedicated to providing others with the skills she herself possesses, sharing the commitment she enjoys and providing regular opportunities for others to participate is beyond recording. She has arranged for specialists and professionals to bring skills to the people of Durness that would otherwise have been lost experiences. In her usual shy and embarrassed manner about praise, Lucy kept very quiet as regards her jaunt to the capital and there were many surprised and delighted people in Durness when the report was revealed in the Press and Journal. Along with a framed certificate supporting Individual Awards in 1997 for outstanding contribution to volunteer services, she received an engraved silver tray, an Edinburgh Crystal decanter together with brandy glasses and two hundred and fifty pounds.

 

Published: 22/12/2006 00:00 - Updated: 29/11/2011 16:56

50 Years Ago December 21, 1956

During the first years of the last war, it was the lot of Mr William Bell Whyte, postman, Durness, to be stationed in London. There he met, courted and married a charming lady from the neighbouring county of Ross-shire a far cry from Sutherland to find romance and a wife whose home was in the next county. Recently, Mr Whyte was gonged and summoned to attend GPO headquarters, London, and on his arrival there on the Saturday morning he was passed on to BBC headquarters and booked to appear in the weekly Saturday night broadcast of In Town Tonight. He told his listeners of his job as postman between Durness and Cape Wrath Lighthouse, one of the most remote areas of the country, of his three days a week call to the scattered shepherds houses and to the lighthouse at Cape Wrath, of the occasions when because of bad weather he was storm-stayed on the wrong side of Cape Wrath ferry from his home, and of the kindly shelter given to him overnight by the ferryman. The need for Post Early campaigns was stressed by him, especially for mail addressed to those people who by force of their occupation were compelled to live far from the towns and villages and where, at this time of year, climatic conditions were uncertain and changeable. There were a number of celebrities on the programme, and Mr Whyte enjoyed the pleasure of meeting them all at tea before the broadcast. The captain of the Queen Mary and his good lady appeared on the same programme. He had just retired from command of his ship. When asked what had impressed him most on his visit, Mr Whyte said that he had been most astounded by the marvellous job which had been made in rebuilding the many parts of the city which had been so thoroughly destroyed during