The Loch Ness Monster. United Kingdom

In 1936 a general practitioner (medical doctor) called Dr McRae had retired from his London practice and gone to live on Loch Duich**. This is a deep sea loch on the West Coast of Scotland, only 36 miles (58 km) from Loch Ness. (A route, incidentally, once proposed by Thomas Telford for the construction of a navigation canal.) Early one morning, during a visit to Loch Ness he saw the “Orm” and sent a man running to fetch his camera. He then filmed the “thing” in full view at a range of about 100 yards. The film lasted for several minutes and the creature showed three humps together with the head and neck. The neck was held low over the water and seemed to be writhing to and fro. During the sequence a bird flies down and lands on a stone in the foreground, which helps to give scale to the picture. The Orm’s head appears to be bluntly conical in profile, like half a rugby ball, (or US football).

On the crest of the head are two horn-like sense organs. Starting between these, and running down the neck, is a bristly mane. Slit-like eyes could be made out on the head but they are not very distinct.

Occasionally, the Orm rolls on the water and one of the forward flippers makes an appearance. It is thick and fleshy in appearance and seems to be capable of independent movement. The skin looks tough and leathery. Another interesting feature was that the head seemed to be in a continuous state of flux or movement, apparently due to the play of muscles under the skin.

The second film taken by Dr McRae shows a creature lying in the shallows in Loch Duich itself, writhing its head over a bed of seaweed. It differed from the Loch Ness creature in having a longer neck and a mane, which looked tufted.
 
 Alastair Dallas

In view of the scorn with which “monster” witnesses were treated at the time, and the certainty that those handing it out would be the first to capitalise on its proven existence, Dr McRae decided he would not give them the satisfaction of commercialising the subject. He chose to withhold the films from public view, and to form a Trust so that, after his death, the films could be released only when the public was ready to take the matter seriously. The films were only shown to a few close friends. There were three trustees appointed, of whom Ted Holiday* named two as the late Sir Donald Cameron of Lochiel, and Mr Alastair Dallas, the Kirkcudbright landscape artist. Holiday visited Dallas in 1965, and it is his (Holiday's) story that appears above.

Some ten years later the story took another turn, when Alan Wilkins, a Dumfries-shire schoolteacher, observed and photographed a very sizeable object at a distance of several miles. Following my meeting and interview with him on behalf of the continuing investigation, a friend visited Alastair Dallas and was told a rather different story. In this version there was only one film by Dr McRae, but Mr Dallas himself had had a sighting, and had made some sketches. A copy of this drawing was given to the friend, who passed it on to me in October 1975. As attempts to pursue the alleged film failed, it might be useful to study the sketch.

Over the past quarter of a century I have shown this sketch to numerous zoologists, naturalists and serious researchers and there is no consensus view. Superficially the animal appears to be a plausible member of the sirenian group, (and in a moment of weakness I coined the phrase "plausiosaur") although the neck length is of unclear benefit to a member of a group which eats seaweed, a commodity for which the supply greatly exceeds any potential demand, making adaptive evolution seem unlikely. Let us examine the sketch in a much detail as possible.  It consists of four components:

Sketch A – upper left, a right side view of the fore-part of the creature.
Sketch B – upper right, a frontal view of the head only.
Sketch C – lower centre, the most complete view
Sketch D – lower right, the head apparently sucking a rock

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To some, it is just a fun fairytale to lure tourists - whilst others wholeheartedly believe that at least some of the hundreds of sightings are genuine. 

The existence of the Loch Ness Monster - in the body of water of the same name near Inverness, is a conundrum that has never been solved definitively either way.

But a 1936 sketch of the rumoured beast once convinced a 'staggered' expert, who accepted the chubby rendering as being a plausible depiction of the creature. 

The drawing showed a beast that was supposed to have come ashore near the village of Drumnadrochit in September 1936. 

It was seen both facing forwards and side-on, with its rolls of fat around its midriff standing out. 

The drawing features in a cache of previously confidential documents dubbed the 'Monster Files' that was recently publicised by the National Museums of Scotland.

The tranche contains dozens of pieces of correspondence from people who claimed to have seen the monster. 

The sketch was produced three years after a report in local newspaper the Inverness Courier had brought the possible existence of the monster to the world's attention. 

A local couple claimed in the article to have seen 'an enormous animal rolling and plunging on the surface' of the loch.

This report sparked a cascade of sightings that have continued to this day, with the total now numbering more than 1,000. 

Another famous claimed sighting is a photograph taken in 1934 by Colonel Robert Kenneth Wilson. 

It was later exposed as a hoax by one of the participants, Chris Spurling, who, on his deathbed, revealed that the pictures were staged.

In 1969, government minister Lord Hughes of Hawkshill was mocked by his colleagues in the House of Lords for suggesting that the monster might be real.

He was responding to a comment by a fellow peer, who had branded the creature's existence a 'myth' that pulled in 'gullible tourists'. 

Lord Hughes retorted: 'I do not know on what scientific ground my noble friend says that the monster is a myth.'

Then, in 1975, a person sent expert Ian HJ Lyster, of the Royal Scottish Museum, the 1936 drawing. 

Expressing his shock, the natural historian said its appearance explained previous descriptions and photographs, including one famous image taken by Lachlan Stuart in 1951. 

The photo showed three humps poking out of the surface of the loch.  

The natural historian wrote of the sketch: 'I was quite staggered when I first saw the sketch. 

'My first reaction was that such a creature would explain a lot of the apparently odd descriptions of the Loch Ness Monster and also such photographs as the three humps taken by Lachlan Stuart in 1951.

'The odd fleshy lobes hanging from the head have also been variously described by witnesses.' 

Lyster believed that the monster's appearance meant it could be an older creature, with younger ones likely being thinner.

'I suspect that younger specimens may not have the floppy fins or the dewlaps and that it is the younger, more agile ones which are occasionally seen ashore,' he wrote.

Dewlaps refer to the flaps of loose skin seen in the sketch, which was reported to have been produced by local workman Alastair Dallas. 

Lyster told the sender of the sketch to send him a 'specimen' but otherwise said he had to retreat behind a 'smokescreen of scientific caution'.  

Another expert - botanist John Dennis - said the drawing looked like a 'Walt Disney caricature'.

However, he said the depiction and others like it were the 'most reliable' he had seen, and claimed that hoaxers would not go to 'all the trouble'. 

In March, it emerged that Scottish school children will be taught that the story of the Loch Ness Monster reinforces negative stereotypes and bias about the Scots. 

A 17-page social studies lesson plan revealed how pupils would be told that class structure had a role in the creation of the legend. 

It added that stories about the creature relate to debate on Scottish Independence and even the Cold War. 

Campaigners criticised the classes as 'nationalist, anti-British propaganda' that was aimed at 'brainwashing' pupils.

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The drafting showed a beast that was expected to person travel ashore adjacent the colony of Drumnadrochit successful September 1936. 

It was seen some facing forwards and side-on, with its rolls of abdominous astir its midriff lasting out. 

The drafting features successful a cache of antecedently confidential documents dubbed the 'Monster Files' that was precocious publicised by the National Museums of Scotland.

The tranche contains dozens of pieces of correspondence from radical who claimed to person seen the monster. 

The sketch was produced 3 years aft a study successful section paper the Inverness Courier had brought the imaginable beingness of the monster to the world's attention. 

A section mates claimed successful the nonfiction to person seen 'an tremendous carnal rolling and plunging connected the surface' of the loch.

To some, it is conscionable a amusive fairytale to lure tourists - whilst others wholeheartedly judge that astatine slightest immoderate of the hundreds of sightings are genuine. But a 1936 sketch (above) of the rumoured beast erstwhile convinced a 'staggered' expert, who accepted the chubby rendering arsenic being a plausible depiction of the creature