Perilia was not strictly speaking a Portsoy drifter, however during the First World War she was requisitioned by the Government as a patrol vessel, and a number of Portsoy men served aboard her while in the Royal Naval Reserve.

 

Built of wood in Banff in 1912, her first owners are listed in Olsen's Almanack as "A. Watt and others, Gardenstown."  There is some dubiety in how the name is spelled.  The plant's name is Perilla - a rather obscure herb used in Chinese medicine!  Olsen (which is not foolproof) lists the boat as Perilia.  However in print it is easy to mistake i and l.  What was actually painted on the boat is anybody's guess.  There was a small boat in Portsoy called the Ubique (Latin for "everywhere").  At one point, some local joker painted over the top of the U to make an O, and it was henceforth known as the Obique, rhyming with queue!

 

A local Roll of Honour of 1915 lists Portsoy crew members of the "Perilia"as follows: William Mair sen., 74 Church Street, Captain; John Mair, 55 Schoolhendry Street, Mate; William Mair jun., 74 Church Street, Deckhand; John Currie, 12 Harbour Buildings, Deckhand; Daniel Sutherland, 25 Low Street, Trimmer; James Sutherland, 25 Low Street, Cook; George Wood, 5 Shorehead, Deckhand. 

 

George Wood, the writer’s grandfather, later to serve as the last Provost of Portsoy, recalled that the Perilia was mainly engaged in the “Northern Patrol”, i.e. sailing in waters to the north of mainland Scotland, looking out for enemy movements.  He related that on one occasion the boat was caught up in a storm east of the Orkneys, in the North Sea, and they rode it out for several days. 

 

After the storm had abated, but out of sight of land, the crew had no idea where they were.  On watch duty during the night, grandad eventually spotted a light, which he identified as being from the Butt of Lewis.  The Captain had great difficulty believing this, however grandad was proved quite correct.  He told his sons that he knew the flash intervals of all the coastal lights off by heart.  They suspected he had just looked up the Pilot book!

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After WW1, the Perilia began life as a fishing vessel.  On 28th February 1930, registered as FR295, she went aground in fog at Milleur Point, Loch Ryan, Wigtownshire.  The crew took to the small boat and survived.  The drifter sank in 15 feet of water, and remains can still be seen at low tides.

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