Background
Donald MacKillop was born on the island of Berneray, North Uist and attended Berneray school until the age of 14.
Donald MacKillop was born on the island of Berneray, North Uist and attended Berneray school until the age of 14.
In 1941 he spent seven months as a shepherd on the island of Pabbay, Harris, which at that time was deserted except for three shepherds. This was a formative experience and he wrote a number of poems about the island. After working on Pabbay he moved to Fort William with his family and worked at the aluminium smelter in Corpach.
In 1944, aged seventeen he joined the Royal Navy as a boy sailor and served on the North Atlantic Convoys, on the Flower-class corvette, HMS Loosestrife.
In 1950, MacKillop joined the Strathclyde Police force where he worked for 25 years in the Maryhill division.