Jack Mackay, Dan Macfarlane & George Finlayson

Date Added: 12 March 2009 Contributor: Jane Patience Year: 1938 Picture No: 2315

Jane says "Jack Mackay, Dan Macfarlane & George Finlayson at the wedding of Molly Morrison and Pilot Officer Balden Navity 1938. The men were invited to the wedding as they had rescued the pilot when his plane crash-landed in the Moray Firth near to Navity where they worked at the time."

Excerpt from the book Cromarty Living by the Sea

The paper said the men rushed to the seashore, down over the steep cliffs. Mackay and Finlayson swam out to the plane and got the airman extracted from his parachute. Mackay then turned the officer over and, using the life-saving method, swam with him until Finlayson got a rope from MacFarlane on the shore. Mackay tied the rope round the airman and got him ashore and over the rocks. Mackay was slightly bruised by the rocks when landing. They carried the airman to the salmon fishers' bothy. The men were later awarded Royal Humane Society Award Certificates.

Albums: People

4 Comments

Thank you for this. My husband's grandparents are Molly Morison and Officer Balden, so this is interesting to find whilst researching the family history. Comment left on 23 March 2009 at 14:40 by Vicky Elliot

I have many photos of this event, newspaper cuttings and accounts of these famous three, but I do not have this photo and I am delighted to see it and will add it to our family history book. You see Molly Morison was my mother! Comment left on 23 March 2009 at 18:22 by Jill Morison Fischer

Jill I told my mum Babs about your comment and she said to pass on her best wishes to you, she remembers you so very well. Jane Comment left on 27 March 2009 at 07:42 by Jane Patience

This is a link to the actual wedding!! Capt Balden was my grandfather's brother
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxTl4YJU-uA&list=UUyg7AG3wB3pDqgh2l1amkHg&index=23 Comment left on 19 March 2013 at 19:44 by Alex Armitage

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