Orkney Image Library

I remember Harry Russel from the days when his family and mine cut peats at Gaitnip in St Ola

I was in the KGS library one day and to my surprise I saw my grandfather on the front cover of the ICI Farmer magazine.I asked the then librarian Mr Ross if I could take the magazine home to show my mother, he kindly agreed. Mother wrote to the magazine and numerous copies arrived home at Warrenfield- they were then sent to relations all over the world! I was knocking on for fourteen at the time and my grandfather was a great fella tae be around, always full o fun. Harry would have been 77 when the photo was taken and still did a fair bit about Cannigal although retired. His son jock worked Cannigal at the time o the photo. They won an ICI Farmer award for the most intensively farmed acreage per head o cattle, hence the photo.

A few more comments to what Graham has written. Harry had endless patience with the human race and animals in particular. Although not trained, he was a brilliant engineer who made his own semi-high-speed threshing mill himself with help from Arnold his son who worked home. Harry could turn his hands to anything. I bought a 12 foot dinghy that had been storm damaged against a pier, rubbing out the top three strokes and gunnels of both sides.When I went to pick it up, there was two or three folk about who laughed and said you will never mend that, Ah, I said, I know somebody who can. Harry, with a little help from me, working in the evenings, had the boat ready for the water in three weeks and I will never forget the faces on the gents when I took them out to Scapa to see the boat. They could not believe it was the same. We got a lot of pleasure fishing for cuithes and mackeral that summer and back end. I could go on and on, about what he turn his hands to. His miniature Orkney chairs were the best for detail I have ever seen. Margaret and I have a collection of all his miniatures. We have fond memories of a great father and father-in-law to me. Added by Phil Brough 26 March 2009.

I grew up on neabour farms wae Bob Gilliespie (Bob o the Glebe), strange how Bob was so like Harry Russell (they were cousins). Bob also built his own high speed mill and had very good hands. He could turn them to make anything- I remember him doing up his dinghy, and he was an excellent blacksmith.
Bob helped me at ploughing matches when I wiz a young lad and was never heard to say a bad word about anyone, what a fine man, I am so lucky to have known him, and it seems like Mr Russell was of the same bloodstock and would seem to have had the same ability as his cousin Bob.
Thank you for this reminder of our past hard working decent folk may they never be forgoten.