One hundred years ago, Thursday 13 August 1925, the West Mainland Show opened on a dull day. The weather, however, held and the rain did not come. The 1925 show was a good day financially for the West Mainland Agricultural Society whose organising paid off as the crowds flocked in.

The Admission price for Adults was 1 shilling (£2.05 in today’s values) and for Children under 15, 6 pennies ( £1.03) .

The Judges on the day were:

• Horses: Robert Cocker, Hill of Petty, Fyvie, Abderdeenshire.
• Cattle: John Fowlie, Loanhead, New Deer, Aberdeenshire.
• Riding Horses, Ponies, and Sheep: A. Anderson, Wideford, St Ola, Orkney.

Stewards:

• Horses: George Muirden, Newhall, Birsay; George Learmonth, Pow, Sandwick; James Wood, Garson, Sandwick; J. Robertson, Lyking, Sandwick; amd Robert Skea, Newhouse, Dounby.
• Cattle: Robert Learmonth, Saither, Dounby; Percy Wood, Aikerness, Evie; Thomas Wylie, Swartland, Sandwick; and William Tait, Ingsay, Birsay.
• Sheep: W. Harvey, Wattle, Birsay.

Listed below are some of the prize winners

Horses –

Best mare or filly (Class A), medal to Robert Work, South Clestrain, Orphir.

Best mare or filly (Class B), medal to John Flett, Nistaben, Harray.

Best foal, sired by Milton Monarch (Class A), silver teapot to W. Corrigall.

Best foal, sired by Milton Monarch (Class B), silver teapot to William Work, Outbrecks, Stenness. This animal also won the Highland Society’s prize for the best foal.

The championship for the second year in succession went to South Clestrain.

Cattle –

The Championship went to J. Stanger, Boardhouse, Birsay, with a well fleshed black cow of exceptional good quality.

J. Stanger also won the Society’s medal for the best cow or heifer (Class A).

The J & W Tait, Kirkwall, Cup for the best 2 year old steer, or heifer suitable for a butcher’s animal, went to W. Tait, Ingsay, Birsay.

The Shows in Orkney are always eventful, and so they were 100 years ago. The Orkney Herald reported on 19 August that an accident had occurred after the show. Captain Angus, of Ramsquoy, Stenness, came off his motor bike while rounding the corner ‘at the late Samuel Firth’s house’ . The report goes on to say:

‘it appears the footboard of the machine struck something on the road, with the result that the rider collided with a dyke. He received serious injuries to his head.’

He was taken to Balfour Hospital.

Fiona Grahame