This novel is based on the true story of a ship called the SS Politician, which ran aground off the north east coast of the island of Eriskay in February 1941 on its way between Liverpool and New York. The crew were all rescued but the ship broke in two. The ship was carrying a mixed cargo of Japanese currency, plumbing fittings, motorcycle parts and 264,000 bottles of whisky to help pay for the Second World War. Before government officials and official salvagers arrived many islanders helped themselves to many of the bottles of whisky, which they hid around the islands in the most unlikely places. When HM Customs and Excise officials and the police arrived they searched the crofts. 36 islanders were sent to court and 19 were convicted of illegal possession and imprisoned in Inverness.
In the book the ship is called the SS Cabinet Minister and it runs aground between the fictional islands of Great and Little Todday, which incidentally have recently run out of whisky due to wartime shortages. Officials search for the whisky on the islands but none of the islanders are caught. The story is fleshed out by the romance and forthcoming weddings of Sergeant Odd and Peggy Macroon and school teacher George Campbell and Catriona Macroon. The islanders are depicted as lovable rogues, who only pay lip service to the laws of the land and who, if not all alcoholics, all drink large quantities of whisky. The book was made into a film of the same name by Ealing Studios in 1949 and partly filmed on Barra.
The author Compton Mackenzie lived on Barra for several years, as well as being tenant of Herm and Jethou in the Channel Islands for a time and owning the Shiant Islands for a few years. He died in 1972 and is buried at Eoligarry on Barra.
6/10 - the book lacks the humour of the film
Islands covered - Eriskay
West coast of Eriskay
Eoligarry, Barra
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