Biography

Calum MacIntosh (Calum Dhòmhnaill Ruaidh a' Bharraich), was from 1 Grenitote in Solas, North Uist. He was born in 1921 and had two sisters and two brothers, Kirsty Mary and Maggie, and William and John. Calum married Morag Ferguson from Knockintorran in North Uist and they were married for fifty years. They lived in Bayhead and had four children – Mary, Donald Archie, Margaret, and John.

Calum wrote the song 'S Fhada Bhuamsa Thar a' Chuain during World War II and Catriona Garbutt set the tune. In a programme on BBC Radio nan Gàidheal, he explained the situation that led to its composition:

"We were on the boat going to Normandy, three days after D-Day. The boat I was on was carrying guns. It was an anti-aircraft boat and the guns were the same type we used ourselves. We were ordered to man the guns. I was the first man to go up to the turret where the gun was, and then the first hand came in behind me. He was sort of in charge of the crew. And when he went up, he leaned against the turret and started to cry. Dover was then shrouded in mist. It was begining to disappear out of sight, and he said, 'I won't see this place anymore.' 'Ah,' I said to him, 'don't you have the same chance that we have? Perhaps we won't see it either.'

The incident passed just like that. But we landed anyway. We didn't stay long until we had an encounter. We were digging down into the earth so we could defend ourselves. We had a big gun to take ashore, but it never made it ashore. It was sunk. But anyway, the operation was ongoing and the retaliation was mostly coming from overhead, although we were also getting shelled. Late into the night I was in the trench when a sergeant jumped down on top of me and shouted at me to get up because many of them were wounded and injured. When I came out of the hole, that same first hand I saw was on the edge of the hole, dead. He was the first of those who went out with me, the first I saw killed, though I saw many others after that. And then this feeling came over me, just starting to piece together the event as it happened. It was the feeling I had of being back in Uist, as peaceful and calm and good as it would be, rather than seeing people tearing each other apart and the suffering people endured as a result."

Calum MacIntosh died in October 2002.

List of compositions

'S Fhada Bhuamsa Thar a' Chuain