Danny Alexander, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, has promised to take on board concerns
that cuts in UK defence budgets may devastate the South Uist economy.
Last September, the then Labour government executed an U-
There are fears the Uist redundancies plan may be dusted down by the new coalition administration with military budgets undergoing a major review to make dramatic savings.
But on a whirlwind visit to the Western Isles last week Mr Alexander highlighted he that spending part of his childhood on South Uist made him aware of the economic significance of the military base to the island.
It is virtually unknown that the 38-
Me Alexander said: “I did spend a few years of my life in West Gerinish so I am well aware of the rocket range issues.”
The military radar station on the summit of Rueval Hill towered above his family cottage where his parents Dion, known as Di on Uist, and Patricia moved after leaving Colonsay.
The narrow village road passing by their home wound out by cattle grazing on the machair on the shores of fresh water Loch Bee. Not far along it trundled past the missile command centre and onto the bombing range off the beach.
He has probably forgotten the Gaelic phrases he picked up from the native speaking friends while attending the tiny Gerinish School, shut by Western Isles Council not long after the family left the island for Lochabar in the 1980s.
North Uist resident Philip Harding remembers the Alexander family.
He said: “They didn’t stay long in West Gerinish. But they took to island life. They stayed in South Uist but I also knew them from the Isle of Colonsay where my aunt and uncle had a farm.
“Di Alexander was then a potter and also the island’s assistant pier master.
“I recall an eight or nine year old Danny as a highly intelligent youngster. He knew everything about whales and dolphins. They were depicted on a chart on the wall and he could talk me through it.
“Danny had a great interest in the word of nature and was a extremely knowledgeable for a young boy, strongly so.
“His mother was very devoted to her family. His father Di was well liked. He was very, very interested in local history and carried out a lot of research into Gaelic place names. He was involved in learning Gaelic and sounded out indigenous islanders to write down previously unrecorded folklore and local data.”
Uibhisteach Treasury chief aware of Rocket Range importance 29/8/10