History - Part IV
Jura since World War I
One of Jura's soldiers during World War I
World War I
World
War I certainly affected the inhabitants of Jura with a considerable
number of
men becoming soldiers and sailors. Using Knockrome-Ardfarnal as
an
example, six men, roughly equally split between the army and navy as
well as
the community, are recorded on the 1918 local voting rolls, with only 9
men of
voting age recorded as having been crofters, farmers or labourers. The Laird of Jura noted in a letter to a
newspaper that 27
recruits from Jura had enlisted in the 8th Battalion of the Argyll
and
Sutherland Highlanders war began; Campbell lost two sons, thus 14
men from
Jura died in that war. At any rate, the war drew away
individuals
who would have been involved in a largely agrarian island economy and
for whom
the possibilities of returning to their previous way of life would have
been
undesired, difficult or impossible. Their departure further
weakened the
millennia old link between man and the landscape on Jura.
Charles Campbell, one of the Laird's
surviving sons
from World War I, had only one eye when he returned home to take over
the
estate left to him by his father; he found that times and finances had
change
considerably. Eventually, Charles Campbell sold the few remaining
vestiges
of the Jura estate along
with Jura
houses. This occurred in 1938, thus ending 300 years of
World War II and afterwards...
World
War II saw a replication of the effects of World War I upon the
landscape
of Jura as once again agriculture “went to war” as production was
geared to support the war effort. While no agricultural figures
for the
period 1940-1949 are known at present, however, two items give us an
idea of what
had occurred to agriculture island wide.
First, the 1950 agricultural statistics for the Isle of Jura show that the number of holdings had increased by 6 since 1939, oats were now growing on 161 acres versus 104 in 1939 and cattle production had soared to a total of 1,122, more than anytime since records were begun in 1870! Even the number of horses had increased from 36 in 1939 to 41 in 1950. Consequently, it would appear that the post-war optimism that affected the entire world was felt as well on Jura, though the population had fallen to 254 in 1951.
At
any instance, the period between 1939-50 was one of great change for
the
crofting landscape and community with the war and post-war rebuilding
boom. In
the late 1950’s and 1960’s a dairy in the township supplied all the
milk for Jura; during this same period several of the township
occupants sold
eggs to the egg-packing group on Islay as well. The period
between 1950
and 1960 for Isle of Jura are reflective of yet another dramatic swing
after the
short post-war recovery for agriculture. In 1960 holdings had
dropped to
a new low of 26, versus 60 in 1880, no barley under cultivation versus
24 in
1880 and only 16 acres of potatoes, while there were 96 in 1880.
The
dairy that had supplied the island with milk closed in 1967 when the
family
moved to
A
three-dimensional view of the Knockrome-Ardfarnal Landscape in 1948
created
from period aerial photography and modern digital terrain data. Note
the varied
agricultural fields.
An interesting aside is that an oyster farm was attempted in Lowlandman’s Bay during the post-World Warr II period but it was found that the growth rate was to slow for the unit to be economical. It was thought that perhaps there had not been enough water movement in the bay to provide the necessary nutrients for the oysters to grow to sufficient size.
Concerning the population of the community and the island, in 1977 Dr. John Sheets, an American demographer studying population decline on Jura and the neighbouring Isles of Colonsay-Oronsay, noted that Jura had a population of 211. The island’s minister recorded 23 people living in and about the crofting community in 1981. The present day population varies between 150 and 185, depending how one counts 'full-time' residency as an increasing portion of the population is retired.
George Orwell & 1984
George
Orwell
George Orwell, or
Eric Blair, came to Jura in September of 1945
after a
Orwell dearly loved the pace and peace of life on Jura and enjoyed it people immensely, often commenting in letters on their life. Describing Barnhill and Jura as "an extremely un-get-at-able place", Orwell was keen for a place without distractions where he could write his greatest and most well-known work, "1984".
Communications and other things of Jura life
Meeting
the
post - the Jura Bus at Port Askaig, Isle of Islay 
The Post Office on
Jura was first
created in 1812 at Lagg and the
mail was
carried by horse or foot to
Feolin
Ferry and then again by horse or foot from Port
Askaig
on
Taking
orders..inside today's 'Jura
Stores'
The Jura Stores,
originally
founded during the 1860s by John
McKechnie was, and still is, the only general store on Jura.
Originally carrying an Aladdin's Cave of items, ranging from food, to
sailing
and fishing equipment-and everything in between, the store still does
so today,
well managed by Steve Martin.
The telegraph, followed along thereafter by the telephone, was
first
installed on Jura in 1898 and had only one line to the outside
world.
Four telephones were in operation on the island at the time with one at
the
post office, hotel, a private residence and at Feolin Ferry.
These phones
operated on the old battery system and number were not used; the number
of
rings indicated whom the call was for. The first and only manual
telephone exchange was opened after WWII and had less than 25 lines. Early
telephone
service?
Computer technology, coupled with the advent of broadband
technology,
has made a tremendous difference on the island with the local Service
Point
providing video conference capability, while numerous residences,
businesses
and individuals have their own web sites now. Jura hopes to have
a
island-wide broadband service in the near future, though sadly remote
areas
will still have to depend on land-line technology.
The most important current issues are improved ferry service,
including the
introduction of direct mainland ferry service again after 30 years,
road
improvements, new, more and better housing, and of course jobs.
Jura's
future is uncertain, but it has an energetic community trying to
improve its
surroundings all the time!