Air raid warning!

Stornoway Gazette, 6 October 1939

West Uig, along with other parts of the Island, has contributed its quota to the fighting forces, both army and navy.  Being on the Atlantic Seaboard, much interest is taken in all surface craft observed, and much speculation as to their intentions is rife.  More interest, however, is taken in the very unusual appearance of any aircraft and, so, considerable apprehension was blended with interest one day last week when an aircraft was first heard and then seen rapidly approaching the coast.  One was not very sure what to do – whether to stand and star or make for the nearest ditch!  The absence of a gas mask, that talisman against air raids which hasn’t been distributed here yet, added to the feeling of insecurity.  “How can anyone escape a gas attack when one’s only protection is a thatched roof?” is how one old lady put it.  However, the plane must have been a friendly one, for not even a leaflet was dropped, and apart from a few cows which swung their tails and rushed helter-skelter for cover, no one was seriously alarmed.