Hitlerism in the Highlands

[MichaelMcGuire]

Last edited Thu Mar 22, 2012, 03:05 PM - Edit history (1)

(picture: Amazon)

By Oliver Brown M.A. (1948)

{SNIP}
You have so far been presented with a one-sided view of Scottish history, the “pacification” of the Highlands, the increase of material prosperity subsequent to (though not necessarily consequent on) the Union of 1707, and the careers offered to Scotsmen through the seizure of that land now known as the British Empire. You have been diligently shown the credit column (containing some assets of doubtful), whereas little or nothing has been said about the debit side.

To rectify this omission you will find listed in these pages some of the evil consequences of the Anschluss of 1707 whereby the former nation of Scotland was incorporated in the English Reich. It is hoped that you will thus be enabled to strike the proper balance and reach the ultimate truth of which the following facts form an indisputable and indispensable part.

NOTE.- I wish to acknowledge my gratitude to Miss Mary Ramsay, M.A., Docteur de L’Universite (Paris) whose active assistance in the selection of material for this pamphlet is a guarantee of its reliability.

F.A. MacQuisten, K.C., M.P. (Late Conservative Member for Argyll in the English Parliament) from a speech made in the House of Common, 7/2/39: - “It will take a generation and immense sums of money to undo the enormous wrongs of the last two hundred years since the Act of Union and the Battle of Culloden. (Laughter). It is no use laughing about that. It is a very recent wrong in the minds of our people. The wrongs are beyond all mention.”

CULLODEN.

“The Duke of Cumberland had the cruelty to allow the wounded to remain amongst the dead on the field of battle, at Culloden, stripped of their clothes, from Wednesday, the day of the unfortunate engagement, till three o’clock on the afternoon of Friday, when he sent detachments to kill all those who were still in life; and a great many who had resisted the effects of the continual rains, which fell at that time, were then dispatched. He ordered a barn, which contained many of the wounded Highlanders, to be set on fire; and having stationed soldiers around it, they, with fixed bayonets, drove back the unfortunate men who attempted to save themselves, into the flames, burning them alive in this horrible manner, as if they had not been fellow creatures.”
-Mitchell, “Scotsmen’s Library,” 1825 {SNIP}

{SNIP} THE CHURCH AND THE HIGHLANDS

“Your Majesty having been graciously pleased by your Royal High Commissioner to signify your royal intention of continuing your pious donation in the order to reform the barbarous parts of our country whereof some have lately made the most unworthy requital.” (Address to King George II.).

THE DISARMING ACT.

“Anyone wearing ‘plaid, philibeg, little kilt, trews, shoulder belt, or any part whatsoever of what peculiarly belongs to the highland garb’ – “shall suffer imprisonment during the space of six months, and for the second offence shall be liable to be transported to any of His Majesty’s plantations beyond the seas there to remain for the space of seven years.”

THE CONSPIRACY AGAINST THE HIGHLANDER - (Wolfe-Letter to Captain Rickson).

“I should think that two or three independent Highland Companies might be of use: they are hardy, intrepid, accustomed to a rough country, and no great mischief if they fall. How can you better employ a secret enemy than by making his end conducive to the common good.”
-“Life of Major-General James Wolfe,” by Robert Wright (1864). {SNIP}

{SNIP} EVICTED!

“On his (Sellar’s) arrival I told him that the poor old woman was in a condition unfit for removal. He replied, ‘Damn her, the old witch has lived long enough. Let her burn.’ Fire was immediately set to the house and the blankets in which she was carried were in flames before she could be got out.”
-(MacLeod’s “Gloomy Memories.”)

“I shall, however, notice a very few of the extreme cases of which I was myself an eye-witness. John MacKay’s wife, Ravigill, in attempting to pull down her house, in the absence of her husband, to preserve the timbers, fell through the roof. She was in consequence taken in premature labour and in that state was exposed to the open air and to the view of all bystanders. Donald Munro, Garvott, lying in a fever, was turned out of his house and exposed to the elements. Donald MacBeth, an infirm and bed-ridden old man, had the house unroofed over him, and was in that state exposed to the wind and rain until death put a period to his sufferings.”
–(Donald MacLeod).

“A dense cloud of smoke enveloped the whole country by day, and even extended far on the sea; at night an awfully grand but terrific scene presented itself, all the houses in an extensive district in flames at once. The conflagration lasted six days till the whole of the buildings were reduced to ashes or smoking ruins. During one of these days a boat lost her way in the dense smoke but at night she was enabled to reach a landing place by the light of the flames.” –(Donald MacLeod).

“The splendid and comfortable mansions of these gentlemen (i.e. the ‘c) were reddened with the glare of their neighbours’ flaming houses without exciting any compassion for the sufferers. No spiritual, temporal or medical aid was afforded them.”
–(Donald MacLeod) {SNIP}

{SNIP} ROSS-SHIRE (1820)

“The people resisted; a military force was brought against them. The military and the women of the glen met at the entrance to the glen – a bloody conflict took place; without reading the Riot Act or taking other precaution, the military fired; (by the order of Sheriff MacLeod) ball cartridge upon the women; one young girl of the name of Matheson was shot dead on the spot, many were wounded.

“When this murder was observed by the survivors and some young men concealed in the background, they made a heroic rush upon the military, when a hand to hand melee or fight took place. In a few minutes the military was put to flight. The sheriff’s coach was smashed to atoms and he made a narrow escape with a whole head. But no legal cognisance was taken of this affair as the sheriff and the military were the violators.”

“However, for fear of prosecution, the sheriff settled a pension of £6 yearly upon the murdered girl’s father, and the people kept possession of their glen.”
– Rev. Doctor MacLauchlan

“GREENYARD” (1854).

“Then a general slaughter commenced; the women made noble resistance until the bravest of them got their arms broken, then they gave way. This did not allay the rage of the murderous brutes; they continued clubbing at the protect less creatures until every one of them was stretched on the field weltering in their blood or with broken arms, ribs and bruised limbs. In this woeful condition many of them were handcuffed together, others tied with corpse ropes huddled into carts and carried prisoners to Tain. Donald Ross placed the whole affair before the Lord Advocate, but no notice was taken of it by that functionary.”
-“The Old and the New Islands and Hebrides,” by James Cameron.

“Take care of yourself, the law has come to Ross-Shire.” (Popular saying of the time). {SNIP}

{SNIP} THE REWARD !

The royal Commission on the Highlands reported that between 1840-1883 there had been expelled from Skye 6,940 families, calculated by Mr MacFarlane M.P., to equal over 34,000 persons.

Casualties among the Skye women clubbed by policemen in defending their homes at the “Battle of the Braes” (1882) include:-

Ann Nicholson – struck repeatedly, unable to move arms; condition critical for several days.
Kate Finlayson – seriously wounded
Flora Nicolson – cut on head by stone thrown by Glasgow policeman
Marion Nicolson – knocked down and bruised
Mary Nicolson – (over 70) was picked up unconscious

Note. – After this “Battle” the police of Glasgow, Paisley, Edinburgh, Greenock, etc., refused to take action against the crofters.

SKYE.

In the year of Our Lord 1885 and in the 178th Year of English Rule. - Sheriff Ivory

“I tell you I have authority to kill every soul in Glendale, whether you are innocent or guilty, and if I have not enough powder and shot to do it there is plenty in England which is at my disposal.”

(Quoted by Rev Donald MacCallum, minister of Waternish, 29/1/1885.

This sheriff devised a police medal for “crofters brought in, dead or alive.”

The Relative Value of Dogs and Babies.

In 1885 the belongings of Mrs M’Rae, Peinness, near Portree, were pounded by the sheriff and inventoried as follows:-
Dresser and crockery, ------------------------------------------------ valued at 1/6
Wooden seat,------------------------------------------------------------- valued at 2/-
Bed,-------------------------------------------------------------------------- valued at 2/-
Puppy dog,-----------------------------------------------------------------valued at 1/-
Child and cradle,------------------------------------------------------- valued at 6d

LOCHBOISDALE.

“There were terribly pathetic scenes which burned themselves into my memory. Many people quitted their homes and took to the mountains to avoid embarkation. The ground officer and a number of policemen pursued and captured some twenty men who only accompanied the officers back when an attempt was made to handcuff them. My brother Alexander was sent from Lochboisdale against his will to the island of Barra with a boat for a batch of emigrants. A young lad escaped and was found sleeping on the ledge of a rock in North Bay, Barra. When he saw the police approaching he leaped into the sea.”
-Mrs McAulay, Barrahead Lighthouse.

THE COFFIN SHIPS

“Out of 106,000 emigrants from Ireland and Scotland, 6,100 perished on the voyage, 4,100 on their arrival, 5,200 in the hospitals, and 1,900 in the towns to which they repaired.”
-Mr Labouchere, M.P., 11th Feb., 1848.

NOTE. - This is more than five times the percentage of deaths suffered by the British Army in its Norwegian and French campaigns after being “subjected to ceaseless attack by land, sea and air.”
-See Parliamentary answer, 15th May, 1941.
{SNIP} THE GOVERNMENT GAVE 15 MINUTES FOR THE AFFAIRS OF THE HIGHLANDS. (UPROAR).



“Mr Colville is one of the clearest speakers on the Treasury Bench, but this afternoon much of what he said was inaudible owing to the noisy conversation of English members who did not conceal the fact that they were not interested. It may have been end-of-the-session weariness or simply impatience due to an unusual prolongation of the time for questions, but to outward appearance it was an inexcusable display of bad manners….”

“English back-bench members grew more and more restive as the Scottish Secretary read his lengthy list of proposals. At one point their interruptions and jocular comments provoked Mr Kirkwood to a fiery outburst in which he told them that they would have paid more attention if this had been about Czechoslovakia or Jerusalem. Mr Colville finished amid a good deal of ‘barracking,’ ironical cheers, and laughter.”

-“The Scotsman,” August 2nd 1939

The Government’s proposed expenditure (later withdrawn!) of £65,000 per annum on the Highlands equals 1d. per week per head of inhabitants – the premium on a funeral insurance policy!

THE CAUSE OF OUR MISFORTUNES

“We have had a raw deal from the English Parliament for over 100 years, and that is why people have left the Highlands.” F.A. MacQuisten K.C., Tory M.P. for Argyll (10th March 1937)

Now the Highlands have been declared “a protected area” by the Government against which they require protection.” Similarly, in Germany, the Gestapo takes its victims into protective custody (even the vocabulary does not vary!)

Can the Highlands survive the economic and social hardships imposed by this action of the London Government? Yes! But only if we secure the establishment of a Scottish Government which will restore the land to its rightful owners and develop the hitherto neglected resources of this great area.

SCOTLAND AND FREEDOM

We enjoy, it is true, a considerable freedom of speech in Scotland – a freedom which is every day diminishing. The imprisonment by the English Government of Arthur Donaldson and Mathew Hamilton without charge or trial shows the danger of rousing the resentment of our London rulers. Nevertheless, some freedom still remains to-day (June 1941)

But nine-tenths of freedom is freedom of action.

IN THIS RESPECT HOW FAR ARE WE FREE?

For two generations the Scottish People at every General Election have sent to the English Parliament the demand of the great majority – that the Highlands should be “not a pleasure ground for the rich but a treasure house for the people.” (Campbell-Bannerman). Yet the curse of landlordism continues and increases.

On 12 occasions since 1890 an increasing majority of Scotland’s representatives have voted in favour of the establishment of a Scottish Government. On Monday 7th April 1931, the “Daily Record” stated that in reply to Scottish M.P.’s had declared themselves as follows:-

In Favour ------------55
Non-committal------6
Opposed -------------1
No Reply -------------9

In spite of these votes, Scotland, under the domination of a permanent English majority in the House of Commons, has no more freedom of action than Norway under Nazi occupation, and Commander Locker Lampson was able to ask, with every justification and without receiving any answer on 15th May 1941, in the House of Commons, “Is not Scotland England?”

“Defend the Right to be Free,” say the English Government. Can we defend a right which we do not possess? Should we not first demand it? Let us demand it immediately

AN URGENT, TREMENDOUS, LIFE-LONG TASK AWAITS US-TO RIGHT THE ACCUMULATED WRONGS OF OVER TWO HUNDRED YEARS. {SNIP}

Source http://www.scottishrepublicansocialistmovement.org/Pages/SRSMArticlesHitlerismintheHighlands.aspx
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A website with excellent sources, and different views. (Note: It was normal to hear what is the 'UK' call 'England' up until the 1930/40.)

[JNelson6563]

1. Shameful.

Riveting yet horrifying reading. I always find these dispatches, as it were, fascinating. You are a credit to your people Mr. McGuire. A truly passionate advocate.

And for what it's worth, I have never used the UK title, though I guess it's the proper term. I always think of Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales as seperate identities.

Julie

[MichaelMcGuire]

7. Exposure of these crimes, our recent history. It should be shameful to any right-minded person.

The violence that had driven people from their homes is gone now, there are none left. Its odd to walk the highlands with this knowledge that. That glen or strath would have been full of a vibrant and rich culture and Scottish people. True stories of people seeking shelter at churches telling their stories written on the windows, is heartbreaking. The level at which this ethnic and cultural destruction at which the highlands of Scotland has never recovered. Hopefully with the proper reconvening of the Scottish Parliament and Scottish state we can prioritise ways and means to encourage a long over due recovery from its unnatural state.

[libinnyandia]

2. It sounds like the English hated the Scottish almost as much as they hated the Irish.

[Starry Messenger]

3. k&r

[Sea-Dog]

4. the british state has a lot to answer for

[MichaelMcGuire]

8. I doubt it will be forth coming (NT)

[MicaelS]

10. Then if Scotland leaves the Union

Both sides should be happy to be free from the other.

[MichaelMcGuire]

19. History isn't the reason for statehood. (NT)

[Nye Bevan]

5. Reminiscent of how the American settlers treated the Native Americans (nt)

[The Magistrate]

6. An Excellent Title, Sir

This has largely been forgotten, if it was ever remarked, but it ought not to be. Th record presented in excerpts here is accurate, and no exaggeration.

[MichaelMcGuire]

9. Never remarked and what can't be whitewashed more like. (NT)

[The Magistrate]

12. Many Years Ago, Sir, Came Upon Prebble's 'Culloden' And 'Highland Clearances'

It was shocking reading, even for someone brought up on IRA ballads....

[MichaelMcGuire]

17. Don't think I've read them (NT)

[The Magistrate]

18. Published In the Mid-Sixties, Sir: Used Copies May Be Available

Solid work. There was a third volumn ( it was a series ) but I never found the third one.

[MichaelMcGuire]

20. I'll see if I can look them up. Cheers (NT)

[MichaelMcGuire]

22. John Prebble

http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B001RNRKE8/ref=dp_db_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

[geardaddy]

11. Excellent read, brother.

[MichaelMcGuire]

23. No problem (NT)

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. While the Brits did engage in a race war

And it is a catchy tittle, it is wrong.

By the way by no means defending the Brits. They committed genocide in both Scotland and Ireland. But is hard to call it by somebody's name who was not yet even conceived.

To be clear, it was racial cleansing to replace both Irish and Scotts with propper English, and a part of history that is mostly forgotten today.

Appart of titte, bravo for exposing it.

[MichaelMcGuire]

14. Well spotted it should be 1948 not 1942. (NT)

[MichaelMcGuire]

15. In a nutshell it was to replace people with sheep. (NT)

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. And nobility

[MichaelMcGuire]

21. That too (NT)