Angus MacIver was born in 1887 in the isolated hamlet of Geshader (Geisiadar), on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland. His parents were Murdo and Marion MacIver, and he was one of seven children.

Detail of Angus’ early life are a challenge to uncover. It would seem that he worked with boats when he completed whatever schooling he undertook. Given Geshader’s proximity to the coast, it is likely that Murdo was a fisherman, and that his three sons – Angus included – followed suit.

By the time war broke out in 1914, Angus had joined the Canadian Merchant Navy. He held the rank of Sailor: records suggest that he would have been an Able Seaman, had he been in the Royal Navy.

In the spring of 1918, Sailor MacIver was serving on board the SS Tagona, a Canadian steamer, ferrying goods across the Atlantic. The ship was en route for Glasgow, having sailed from Bilbao, Spain, and, on 16th May she was passing close to the North Cornish coast. Five miles (8km) from Trevose Head, Tagona was torpedoed by the German submarine U-55, and sank. Eight crew members, including Angus, drowned. He was 31 years of age.

The body of Sailor Angus McIver washed ashore in the Camel Estuary: the remains were identifiable, but his family were unable to bring him back to Lewis. Instead, he was laid to rest in the peaceful graveyard of St Menefreda’s Church in St Minver, Cornwall.

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