108051: Angus Joseph MacPhee

Angus Joseph MacPhee, born in 1915 at Nettlehole, Lanarkshire, was the son of Neil MacPhee and Ellen McHendry. The family lived at various locations in Renfrewshire and Lanarkshire until 1922 when, following Ellen’s death, they returned to Neil’s childhood home in South Uist, crofting at 52 Balgarva.

In 1934 Angus enlisted with B Squadron of the Lovat Scouts Territorial Army Unit. This was a mounted unit, the horsemen of Uist equipping their horses with bridles woven of marram grass. Following the outbreak of war, B Squadron left for active service on 4^th September 1939.

Angus found himself unable to cope with military life, and he was eventually admitted to Craig Dunain Hospital in Inverness. There, based in the farm ward, he spent his time in the evenings weaving and plaiting long grasses from the grounds, making ropes, items of clothing and boots, horse harnesses and halters.

Angus spoke only on rare occasions, so became known as ‘the silent weaver’. In 1996 he returned to South Uist, where he passed away in 1997.

For those interested in discovering more about Angus and his work, several of his items are on display at Kildonan Museum in South Uist. Roger Hutchinson’s book The Silent Weaver provides a detailed account of Angus’s life.