Mysterious forces were at work in Tarbert this year. To great surprise on the street last Saturday, three crocheted servicemen suddenly appeared on post – or, more accurately, on bollards – and no one knew why.
The three figures, from the RAF, Army and Royal Navy, stood to attention overlooking the bay, outside The Deli, Knap Guest House, and The Harbour Gallery.
“It was a total surprise, but really lovely,” a member of staff from the gallery said. “It has created such an attraction. It has boosted everybody’s morale. A lot of work went into it, and there is a lot of appreciation.”
But who made them, and why? “Joint effort,” explained an organiser of Tarbert’s Remembrance Day service, Aggie Dennis, on social media. “My friend Rosemary MacKellar did the vast majority of the work and must take the credit. It took her a year! I crotchet poppies! Tribute to the fallen.”
“I came up with the idea a year ago,” Aggie, a former Royal Navy clearance diver, explained. “We have got the bollards – we just need the expertise! I spoke to Rosemary. She agreed to take on the challenge.
Photograph: Joanne Simms.
“Three weeks ago she said they are ready to go. Let’s put them out. We just went out on Saturday afternoon. Before we even finished, there were people taking pictures. There is a constant stream.”
“It was a bit nerve-racking,” recalled Rosemary, a retired secretary in Tarbert, who has been crocheting, knitting and weaving for many years. “I never said a word, never having done anything like this.
“I thought I will give it a go. It will look nice in the village. We got stuck in, and kept it quiet, in case it went pear-shaped! It was just made up as we went along.”
Quietly crocheting in the evenings, Rosemary modelled the RAF uniform on that of her son Andrew, a former RAF sergeant, while the sailor’s stripes came from her husband Donald, a retired marine engineer in the Merchant Navy.
The soldier was enlisted in the Royal Army Medical Corps, honouring the nurses in the family. “We used a fishing float to model the head on,” she said. “We just used what we could.
“It was nice people appreciated what I had done, and the fact they are still standing. They are done in acrylic yarn. That is the toughest. I had a waterproof spray because I was concerned the rain would make them go south! They are particularly solid on the post. Now we’ve got them, so we can re-use them.”
“They will be put out every year during the Remembrance period,” added Aggie. “I was very impressed by the work and dedication. I was delighted to be part of it.”
Rosemary thanked people for their comments on Tarbert’s social media page, and other crafters in the groups Crochet UK and the UK Post Box Toppers & More, as well as Nairn Wool Shop, which supplied the yarn at discount.
Ahead of Armistice Day, Aggie announced the Faslane Patrol Boat Squadron will be officially affiliated with the community this weekend, with the full backing of Tarbert and Skipness Community Council.
“You will see the crews on parade on Sunday but you will also see them out and about in the village,” he said. “Please make them welcome.”
