Inveraray & District Local History SocietyThe book 'Roll of Honour' marking the fiftieth anniversary of the end of World War 2 is the first publication of the Inveraray Local History Workshop. The book is now out of print and the authors are pleased that it now be made available on the Web. As a taster, below is just part of the publication which will be of interest to many. INVERARAY IN WARTIME Few people who lived through these years are likely to forget that tragic Sunday of 3rd September 1939 when news came of Britain's declaration of war on Germany. Many young men and women left the area to go to war. The older men and the boys awaiting call-up were formed into a Local Defence Volunteer Company (later the Home Guard) under the command of Captain John Campbell-Blair, Dalchenna, and Lieut. A.M. MacPherson, Manager of the local Union Bank (now the Bank of Scotland). An Observer Corps was formed under the command of Captain Walter Thursby, Horse Park. The Police force under Sgt. Taylor was augmented by Special Constables, mostly men from the Inveraray Estate who had seen service in the previous conflict. In preparation for an outbreak of hostilities, plans had been made for the evacuation of city children to the comparative safety of the country, and these were now implemented. Here at Inveraray, in a thunderstorm, the "Duchess of Hamilton" tied up at the pier and a troop of bewildered children was led down the gangway and marshalled at the jubilee Hall in the Maltland where they were given a hot meal, cooked by a committee of local ladies. Under the direction of Mr. James Carmichael, a local contractor, every available car in the district, including those from Turnbull's garage, was used to convey the children to their respective destinations. There they were given a warm welcome. The original number of evacuees, which included women and children, was 424. Many found the country way of life so different to that of the city that they soon returned home, preferring to face the dangers of the German bombers in familiar surroundings. In the school log of September 25th 1939, the Headmaster, Mr. Donald Mackechnie noted - "Government evacuees began work to-day along with our own pupils, - 22 Boys; 43 Girls". By the 21st March the numbers are recorded as 6 Boys and 16 Girls. By Dec. 1943, 4 evacuees still remained in the Burgh. After the fall of France in 1940, the Prime Minister began planning the Invasion of Europe and realising that troops had to be specially trained for invasion by sea, admiral Keyes began the search for a suitable place to train Commandos and crews together. The choice eventually fell on Inveraray, and on the 15th Oct. 1940 ViceAdmiral Theodore Hallet RN assumed command of No. 1 Combined Operations Invasion Training Centre. Suddenly this quiet little town on the west coast of Scotland found itself playing an important part in the war against Germany. Royal Engineer and Pioneer Companies duly arrived to set up camps with the local firm of Messrs. James Carmichael and Messrs. Cowieson of Glasgow as principal contractors. Town Camp and Avenue Camp were erected behind the Newton, while Duke's and Castle Camps sprang up in the castle policies. Shira Camp was built at the entrance to Glen Shira, and south of the town, land on Dalchenna Farm was requisitioned to build the Naval Camp known as "HMS Quebec" (now Argyll Caravan Park). Further along the shore appeared Kilbride and Chamois Camps. As the camps were completed, occupation took place, and many famous Regiments were to receive specialised training in the hills and on the shores of Loch Fyne. Commando troops who were later to take part in many raids on enemy territory, had their first training here. They arrived in the late autumn in troopships which anchored off the Creags. Among the officers was Captain Randolph Churchill, son of the Prime Minister. Some of the larger houses and buildings in the town were requisitioned by the Admiralty, including Dalchenna House, Fern Point, Coffee house, Rudha-na-Craig and Tigh-an-Ruadh, (the present Loch Fyne Hotel), the latter becoming Admiralty House. In the grounds of Fern Point a Nissen but was established for use as a decontamination centre. Other buildings that were requisitioned during these war years included the Cherry Park, which became the Quartermaster's Store, whilst the old byre there was transformed into a cook-house. The town was often the scene of attack and defence from doorway-to-doorway and close-to-close. As khaki-clad men armed with tommy guns and revolvers, would overrun the streets whilst the townspeople carried on with their normal duties. One young evacuee lived with his grandparents in a house facing the pier and spent hours watching the coming-and-going of soldiers and the ships in the harbour. He wrote a letter to his parents giving them a blow-by-blow account of everything he had observed from his vantage point. Owing to the censorship of letters at that time, all his parents received was a heading: "Dear Mum and Dad", and a tailpiece: "Love, Jim". Provost A.J. Maclntyre, himself an officer of the 1914-18 War with the rank of Major, E presided over the Town Council while also acting as Welfare Officer between Military and Civil Authorities. It was a busy and difficult time for these civic dignitaries. They suddenly found they had to cope with demands for extra water and provisions to meet the requirements of the large influx of workmen and HM Forces who had increased the population of the town. In a Minute of the Town Council dated 20th September 1940 it was noted that baffle walls were to be erected in front of the closes in the town. As a protection against enemy action, it was agreed to order a dozen stirrup pumps at £1 each! The off-duty hours of the troops were made as comfortable as possible. A cinema was built within the castle grounds and a large N.A.A.F.I. canteen was built on the site of the present Youth Hostel. The local W.VS., which had been organised under the presidency ' of Mrs Alex. J. Maclntyre, opened a canteen in the St. Malieu Hall. This venture, supported by local ladies, proved immensely popular with the soldiers, and opening hours found a long queue waiting. A cup of tea, coffee or a bun cost one penny (predecimal) and the profit went towards parcels for the troops. Mrs A.M. MacPherson, a local banker's wife, looked after the financial side of the organisation, while Mrs John MacCallum was Hon. Secretary, later succeeded by Mrs James Drummond. In addition to the voluntary running of the canteen, the W.V.S. despatched parcels to the local boys serving in the war zones. H.M.S. "Queen Emma" and H.M.S. "Princess Beatrix" were the first warships to remain anchored off the town. The transport ship "Ettrick", with troops for invasion training aboard, lay off shore, as did the hospital ships "St. David" and "St. Andrew". These were used until, as part of American Lease-Lend, the Jubilee Hall at the Maitland was converted to a Military Hospital of 50 beds complete with a fully-equipped operating theatre and X-Ray room. It was staffed by members of the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Medical Nursing Staff and by VA.D.s who were housed in the Maitland buildings. The Medical Orderlies and Ambulance drivers shared but accommodation on the Greens. Some local people, as well as military personnel, owe their lives to the skill and dedication of the hospital staff based there. By 1941 two more ships at the pier were the "Quebec" and the "Beverly Brook". There were regular comings-and-goings of naval ships, including units of the Allied Fleets. Dutch oil-driven lighters were on duty for a long time, mostly on service around Kilbride. Two Canadian lake steamers, the "Eaglescliffe Hall" and "A.A. Fields" were anchored off the pier - the latter was sunk during the D-Day landings on the Normandy coast. In Dalchenna Bay two Mississippi river boats, the U.S. "Northland" and the U.S. "Southland" were stationed as a camp overflow. Several of their sister ships were sunk crossing the Atlantic to Britain. In the latter part of 1943 and early 1944 a number of Docker Companies underwent invasion training at Kilbride Camp. This consisted of loading and unloading ships under war conditions using live ammunition. On the 27th June 1941, the Right Honourable Winston Spencer Churchill, MY, Prime Minister and War Leader, visited the Inveraray Training Area. The Premier and those accompanying him came ashore below the Manse from landing craft after witnessing operations at Ardno, near St. Catherine's. As he entered Admiralty House, a number of householders from nearby Newton greeted him. He replied "God bless you all". In the course of his visit he told the Provost how much he appreciated the wonderful setting of the Royal Burgh. He declared that he, and all at the War Office, realised how much the people of Inveraray were doing under great difficulties and wished his personal thanks to be conveyed to the Council. His closing words were, "Carry on Provost. By our united efforts victory is sure". (Town Council Minutes). Later at Kilbride, from a sandbagged shelter he watched the demolition of barbed wire entanglements and a demonstration of beach assault and landing techniques. Prior to his departure from Loch Fyne, the Prime Minister marched behind a Military Band to the pier, where he responded to loud cheering by waving his cap on a walking stick above his head! In the Autumn of 1941 His Majesty King George VI visited the Inveraray Training Area. On arrival, he was received at the pierhead by His Grace the Duke of Argyll, Lord Lieutenant. The Provost, Magistrates, and members of the Town Council were presented to His Majesty - Provost Alex. J. Maclntyre, Bailie Archd. H. MacDonald, Bailie Donald N1tacLaren, Dean of Guild Alexander Gillespie, Councillor James Devine, Councillor Hugh B. Jenkins, and Deputy Town Clerk George M. Sime. After lunch at Admiralty House, the King proceeded by sea to Frenchfarland, where he too observed demolition exercises. After visiting Kilbride camp and "H.M.S. Quebec" he returned to lnveraray and left by sea. Norwegian troops undergoing training were visited by H.M. King Haakon of Norway and H.H. the Crown Prince Olaf, who spent two days and nights in the town. His Majesty held a review in the Stable Park and was the guest of his officers at the Petty Officers' Club (Coffee House). The Royal visitors resided at Admiralty House, placed at their disposal by the Lords of the Admiralty. During their stay, the Norwegian National Flag was flown on the flagstaff. Lord Louis Mountbatten succeeded Lord Keyes as Head of Combined Operations, and in that capacity visited lnveraray to boost the morale of the men at a time when things were looking grim. A large contingent of W.R.N.S. billeted at Dalchenna, was stationed at "HMS Quebec" and Princess Marina Duchess of Kent, Chief Commandant came there to open a new sick bay. American, Canadian, Free French, Poles and Russians were also trained at lnveraray. On one occasion, several landing craft, one of which was flying the "Stars and Stripes", were seen approaching the shore below the Manse. The company who walked up to Admiralty House included General Eisenhower, Major-General Thorne, G.O.C. Scottish Command and Mr. Winant, U.S. Ambassador to Britain. In 1940 when the B.E.F. retreated to Dunkirk the 51st Highland Division, which included the 7th and 8th Battalions of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, was cut off at St. Valery and the survivors were forced to surrender. Several local men were taken prisoner and spent the remainder of the war as POWs. Among these was Captain Ian Campbell, heir to the Dukedom of Argyll. During his captivity his wife Louise (later Duchess Louise) was instrumental in forming a link by which parcels and comforts were transported to the men in the P.O.W. camps. Many Argyll men had cause to remember her with heartfelt gratitude. One local lady who will be remembered with affection by the troops who passed through Inveraray, was Miss Kirsty MacLachlan of the Temperance Hotel (corner of Main Street East and Front Street). Kirsty turned her hotel into a home-from-home for all who cared to call and was affectionately known as "The Mother of the Fleet". A casualty of the war was the church steeple, which was regarded as being unsafe. It was removed in 1941. Each stone was carefully numbered and stored in the old quarry at Bealach an Fhuarain, with the intention of rebuilding the spire at the cessation of hostilities. The fate of these stones has long remained a mystery, but suffice it to say that, by the end of the war, they had disappeared! To-day the cost of a new steeple has proved prohibitive, and the lovely old Parish Church of Inveraray stands denuded of what was the focal point of the town. Luckily the town clock and the church bell, which were removed during the demolition of the steeple and stored for safekeeping, have been returned to their rightful place. Walk through the woods around Inveraray today and you will still find the foundations of the huts among the trees and pay a visit to the Loch Fyne Hotel where on a wall is a plaque which reads:- 1940-1946 Headquarters for Combined Operations Training Visited by H.M. The King, 1941 Rt. Hon. Winston Churchill, 1941 H.M. King Haakon of Norway, 1943 H.H. Prince Olaf of Norway, 1943 Viscount Louis Mountbatten of Burma. Admiral Lord Keyes. Gen. Eisenhower. Mr. Winant, U.S. Ambassador. Gen. MacNaughton, C in C, Canadian Forces. Mr. AX Alexander, First Lord of the Admiralty. Gen. Do Gaulle, C in C, French Forces 1941 Gen. Sikorski, C in C, Polish Forces In 1984 Lord Lovat the wartime Commando leader opened a Combined Operations Exhibition at the Cherry Park. This was the brainchild of Mr. Berry Savory who served as an RAF officer at Inveraray from 1942-1943. It records in fuller detail the story of Inveraray in Wartime. Unfortunately this Exhibition is now closed. Ann M.Craig Rae MacGregor Sheila W.MacIntyre Inveraray June 1994 |