This letter to Miss Hope MacDougall's mother makes an interesting footnote to our World War I Bulletin Issue '86.

Mull View Cottage, Coll
April 19th 1917

Dear Mrs MacDougall, I am sure you will know by this time that we had hardly any communication with the Mainland for the last three weeks owing to the disaster to one of our minesweepers off Arinagour. I saw it from the door and it was a fearful sight, I shall never forget it and the poor souls that went down with her. She went down in about five minutes time, it was terrible, just at our doors.

The egg boxes have never arrived yet, so I am just packing them in straw as I am afraid I .. have kept them too long, but I was always waiting for boxes. I have 36 dozen in all, but I am three short, broken when packing them. Trusting you will get them alright and in good condition. I am sending them with "Patrol" tomorrow, failing that "Lochiel" Saturday morning when passing for Oban. This is the route now for all steamers, and back of Mull, as from Ardnamurchan to Tobermory is closed in this side. I trust the delay has not caused inconvenience as eggs are still scarce.

Yours sincerely,
Mary MacQuarrie

Miss MacDougall explains: The eggs were for the National Egg Collection for the Wounded (Patron Queen Alexander).

The local collecting centre, organised by my mother, Mrs MacDougall of MacDougall, was at the Old Lodge, Dunollie, a small octagonal building, near the present Corran Halls, Oban.

From it, during the First World War, over one hundred thousand eggs were received and dispatched to hospitals. Mr Corson had a basket for eggs for the wounded at the Auction Mart every' market day, and undertook to deliver them to Dunollie Lodge. Coaches carried them free. Capt. Budge, of the Lighthouse Ship "Hesperus" collected them from islands wherever she called (including the Isle of Man), taking loads of empty egg boxes, and bringing back full ones; the eggs were usually smeared with butter to keep them fresh. Many schools had an egg-aweek from each child, collection. The local collection was discontinued in March 1919.