Three lads from Habost (Ness)

5 March 1943
We deeply regret to announce that three young men from Habost are presumed to have lost their lives through enemy action at sea in the month of February. They are Finlay Macdonald, youngest son of Mr Murdo macdonald and the late Mrs Macdonald of 24 Habost; Kenneth Murray, only son of the late Mr and Mrs Alex Murray, 20 Habost; and Murdo Murray, youngest son of Widow Catherine Murray, Back Street, Habost. Finlay Macdonald was married to Maggie Macritchie, youngest daughter of Mr Donald Macritchie and the late Mrs Macritchie of Cross, Ness. He was in the USA for a number of years, also in Canada. He came back tot he old country before the war, joined the Merchant service and made a few trips to the Colonies. On some of these trips he had the pleasure of meeting his eldest brother, Donald, who was bosun on a well known vessel for a long time, until he settled on the New Zealand coast. An older brother, John Macdonald, MA, is a schoolmaster in the Elementary School at Perth, and a sister, Annie Macdonald, is resident in Detroit, USA. Their father is still int he old home with his daughter, Chrissie Macdonald. Finlay's widow and their two children live at Cross. Kenneth Murray (a first cousin of Finlay Macdonald) was on the same ship. Kenneth was for a number of years in New Zealand and was well-known in the city of Wellington, where he was in the Caledonian Pipe Band. He was a splendid piper, of whom Ness had reason to be proud. One of his sisters, Mrs John Macdonald, whose husband belongs to Lionel, lives in Wellington, and another, Mrs Duncan Thomson, whose husband belongs to Skigersta, is in Vancouver, BC. A third sister at home is Mrs John Murray, 20 Habost, Ness. Murdo Murray was better known in the district as "Laddie Beag". He was in the Merchant Service before the war, and saw quite a lot of active service from September 1939, back and fore from New Zealand and many other parts of the world. His father lost his life in the last war. He was in the Seaforth Highlanders and made the supreme sacrifice in France. Mrs Murray's only brother, Malcolm Maclean, Back Street Habost (one of the survivors of the "Maimoa") is a prisoner of war in Germany. She has another son in the RNR. Murdo Murray, who has also seen a lot of service in this war. We deeply sympathise with the relatives of these three gallant seamen in their great loss.

Since war began, five young men from Habost have lost their lives through enemy action at sea. Not so very long ago, PO Kenneth Maciver, husband of Mrs Doleen Murray, Back Street, Habost, was lost at sea on a convoy to Russia. John Morrison, RNR, Back Street, Habost, youngest son of the late William Morrison and Mrs Morrison, Back Street, Habost, lost his life at sea about two years ago. His only brother, Hector Morrison, a piper in the Seaforth Highlanders, is a prisoner of war in Germany since Dunkirk.