Introduction / Families / Harcus / James Harcus and Marion Allan / John Harcus and Jane Drummond / Peter Hercus / Peter Harcus (Hercus) and Jessie Moodie

John (Jock) Alfred Harcus and Annie Jane Rousay

John (Jock) Alfred Harcus, born 9th May 1911, was the third of eight children of Peter Hercus and Jessie Moodie from Doggerboat.

On leaving school, he did farm service in Eday and the Stromness area. He returned to Pharay and on one occasion in August 1931 found himself carrying the new teacher over the rocks as there was still no jetty. This was Annie Rousay whom he was to marry.

Annie was the youngest of six children of John Rousay and Ann Tulloch, Costa Head, Eday and born on 4th January 1908. After the South Public School, Eday, she went to the Kirkwall Burgh School from 1921 and in 1927, was accepted for teacher training at the Moray House Training College, Edinburgh. She finished her training in July 1930 and was assistant teacher at the Skelwick School, Westray before being transferred to Pharay.

Two years after Annie moved to Pharay, Jock moved back to the island after a spell recovering from illness in the Balfour Hospital to be with his parents who were aging. Annie was already a frequent visitor there.

Jock went lobster fishing with his father and invested in the motorboat, the Jenny.

With the Second World War approaching, he got work on the Hatston Airport, Kirkwall and subsequently as a crewman with Bremner and Co, Stromness on their boat “Pride of Fife”.

Annie resigned as teacher in Pharay and they were married on 5th March 1940 in the Paterson Church Manse, Kirkwall. They had one daughter who was born the following year.

In 1944 Jock was employed as a fireman / stoker on the North Isles boat, SS Earl Siguard, so the family moved from Stromness, where they had been staying, to Palace Road, Kirkwall. They were there for twenty six years.

Jock had great physical strength and was once said to be the strongest man in Orkney.

Photo: Dorothy Thomson

He was a keen Doonie Ba player, winning the New Years Day men’s game in 1956.

Annie did temporary teaching in a number of schools and was five years as assistant teacher in Dearness, travelling from Kirkwall each day. She was subsequently six year at the St Andrews School.

Jock was over thirty years on the Earl Siguard and subsequently the Islander, retiring in May 1976.

Annie died on 7th December 1999 and Jock on 30th September 2007.