THE FORMER MILITARY CAMP AT LOCHAILORT

The Lochailort Military Camp 1940-41

A PHOTOGRAPHIC RECORD

by

Iain Thornber

November 2010

1

Introduction

A standing building photographic record of the former military camp at Lochailort in the Parish of Arisaig and was carried out on behalf of Marine Harvest () Ltd in October 2010. This project was undertaken in advance of an imminent planning application by Marine Harvest (Scotland) Ltd to build a new Salmon Smolt Recirculation Unit on the site. Inverailort Castle has not been included in this record as full external and internal photographic and architectural surveys were undertaken some years ago by Iain Thornber and The Royal Commission on the Ancient & Historical Monuments of Scotland and can be seen in John Sinclair House, Edinburgh.

Site location, Topography

The site lies near the head of . It sits on an area of glacial moraine between the River Ailort to the NW and the steep-sided Seann Chruach to the SE. The soil is poor and interspersed with peat and until the construction of the A861 and some realignment of the River Ailort many years ago, the site was subject to sporadic flooding. There is no field evidence to suggest that the area was used for anything other than basic agricultural purposes. An estate plan of 1805 and later Ordnance Survey maps, confirm that permanent settlements in the vicinity were on higher ground. There are no recorded archaeological sites on, or finds from, the immediate area. A recent aerial reconnaissance and a quick walk-over survey produced no evidence of any early features or flint.

The Military Camp

In May 1940 Inverailort Castle, Glenshian Lodge and part of Inverailort Estate were requisitioned by Scottish Command (under the 1939 Defence Regulations) for the establishment of a military Special Training Centre. Permanent tents and Nissen huts were quickly erected and by the time the first students arrived in early June, a range of brick and asbestos-roofed buildings had been added by Messrs William Tawse Ltd, the well known Aberdeen contractors. The camp, excluding Inverailort Castle and Glenshian, comprised a NAAFI, catering accommodation, a recreation hall, generator house, cook-house and medical block, drying room, shower room, wash room, boiler house, latrine blocks, paint store, two ammunition sheds (which now and again doubled up as gaols) and over fifty corrugated-iron Nissen huts on concrete bases. Later a cinema and pistol range were added.

In 1942 the STC was taken over by the Admiralty as a Naval Training Establishment and called HMS Lochailort. When the war ended in 1945 the site was returned to the proprietor of Inverailort Estate who purchased all the permanent buildings and several large Nissen huts from the Admiralty.

2

In 1949-50 the former recreation room and NAAFI were used as Roman Catholic Youth Training Camps until the early 1960s when they were then leased to Unilever Ltd for fish farming purposes. At least one of the larger Nissen huts standing in front of the farm cottages was used for general estate and farm storage until the 1980s.

The Camp Site Today

Today only eight buildings constructed for military use remain standing above ground level. Not all fall within the application footprint but nevertheless are included in this record. They are (1) the paint shed/store, (2) the cook-house, medical block and boiler room, (3) the recreation room, (4) the NAAFI block, (5) a latrine, (6) the generator house and (7) & (8) two ammunition sheds. The numbering above relates to those marked on the accompanying plan.

Of the above (1) has recently been re-roofed and is an estate store and externally remains more or less intact; (2) houses a large number of poultry. Immediately following the withdrawal of the military it was used for housing sheep and cattle. It still retains its asbestos roof, which is holed in many places and overall is in a poor state of repair. A window in the south range containing bottles, with their ends facing outwards, thought to date to the time of the military occupation but was in fact built less than three years ago by a local resident. (3), (4) and (5) have been incorporated in Marine Harvest’s office and laboratory complex. Their external walls have a concrete wash and all three have been reroofed and have had numerous doors, windows and lintels inserted since the 1960s and bear little resemblance to their original layout and appearance. (5) currently houses a compressor. (6) is more or less externally intact and used for agricultural purposes. (7) and (8) are intact with the exception of the most southerly which has had its only entrance widened for modern farm equipment. (7) still retains some of its internal wall cladding.

The parade ground, the bases for some of the Nissen huts, latrines and surrounding turf and earth bund walls (most likely constructed by the military to prevent the camp site from flooding) are visible especially from the air.

The Photographic Record

The following one hundred and ninety four digital images, including ten aerial views, were taken at different times of the day over a seven day period to take advantage of the low winter light. The red and white ranging rod seen in most them is half metre graded. Images of the main buildings are included here and the entire record is contained in the accompanying four compact disks.

3

CD No 1

Nos

2303: NAAFI block 2304: Ditto 2305: Ditto 2306: Ditto 2307: Ditto 2308: Ditto 2309: Ditto 2354: Cook-House and Medical Block 2355: Ditto 2356: Ditto 2357: Ditto 2360: Ditto 2361: Ditto 2362: Ditto 2363: Ditto 2364: Ditto 2365: Ditto 2366: Ditto 2367: Ditto 2368: Ditto 2369: Ditto 2370: Ditto (Window with empty bottles constructed 2008) 2372: Ditto 2374: Ditto 2375: Ditto (South wall) 2376: Ditto 2377: Ditto 2378: Ditto 2379: Ditto 2380: Ditto 2381: Ditto 2382: Ditto 2383: Ditto (Lean-to) 2384: Ditto 2385: Ditto 2386: Ditto 2387: Ditto 2388: Ditto 2389: Ditto 2390: Ditto (SW elevation) 2391: Ditto (Doorway) 2392: Ditto (detail of brick wall construction) 2393: Cook-House and Medical Block (Doorway in S wall) 2394: Ditto 4

2395: Ditto (Windows) 2396: Ditto (vent and electricity insulators) 2397: Ditto (window frames) 2398: Ditto 2399: Ditto (SW gable) 2400: Ditto (doorway in W gable) 2401: Cook-House and Medical Block (From W) 2412: NAAFI Block (From W) 2413: Recreation Room and NAAFI Block beyond (From W) 2414: NAAFI block, Latrine and Recreation Room (From W) 2415: Recreation Room (From W) 2416: Ammunition Shed and temporary jail: (One of two from SW) 2417: Ditto 2418: Ditto 2419: Ditto (From S) 2420: Ditto 2421: Ammunition Shed and temporary jail (Two of two from S) 2422: Ditto 2423: Ditto 2424: Distant view of Cook-House and Medical Block from S

CD No 2

Nos

2448: NAAFI Block (From W) 2449: Ditto 2450: Ditto (West Gable) 2451: Ditto 2452: Ditto 2454: Recreation Room (E end from S) 2455: Recreation Room and NAAFI (From S) 2457: Ditto 2459: Ditto 2460: Recreation Room (From S) 2461: Recreation Room (W Gable) 2462: Ditto (S wall looking NE) 2463: Ditto 2464: Ditto (S wall looking NW) 2465: NAAFI Block (W Gable) 2466: Power House (From S) 2467: Ditto (S Gable) 2468: Ditto 2469: Ditto 2470: Ditto (window and sill arrangement in E wall) 2471: Ditto 2473: Ditto 2475: Ditto 5

2477: Ditto (N gable) 2478: Ditto 2479: Ditto (N gable and E elevation) 2480: Ditto 2481: Ditto 2482: Ditto (detail of walling) 2483: Ditto (S wall and E elevation) 2484: Ditto (S gable and E elevation) 2485: Ditto 2486: Offices and Storeroom S of Farm House (From W) 2487: Ditto 2488: Ditto 2489: Ditto (Window in W Gable) 2490: Ditto (From S) 2491: Ditto 2497: Cook-House and Medical Block (From W) 2498: Ditto 2499: Ditto (Doorway) 2501: Ditto (From W) 2502: Ditto 2503: Foundations of hut to N of Cook-House and Medical Block 2504: Cook-House and Medical Block from NW 2505: Hut foundations N of Cook-House and Medical Block 2506: Entrance Cook-House, Boiler Room and Medical Block 2507: Ditto 2508: Ditto (Looking E along N face) 2509: Ditto 2510: Ditto (Entrance to Medical Block from E) 2511: Ditto (From N) 2512: Ditto 2513: Ditto (From N) 2514: Ditto (Doorway in N wall) 2515: Ditto (W Gable) 2516: Ditto 2517: Ditto (Entrance door) 2518: Ditto 2519: Ditto (South wing with bottle window) 2521: Detail of brick used 2522: Ditto 2524: Ditto 2526: Cook-House and Medical Block (From NW) 2527: Ditto 2528: Ditto (From S) 2529: Ditto 2530: Power House (From NW) 2531: Cook-House and Medical Block (From S) 2532: Ditto (S Elevation) 2533: Ditto (Distant View from S) 6

2534: Power House (From NW) 2535: Ditto 2536: Ammunition Shed and temporary jail (One of two from S) 2537: Ditto 2538: Ditto (Detail on door and window with iron grill) 2539: Ditto 2540: Ditto (Interior looking S to door way) 2541: Ditto 2542: Ditto 2543: Ditto 2544: Ditto (Interior looking to N Gable) 2545: Ammunition Shed and temporary jail (One of two from S) 2546: Ditto (Two of two – most southerly from S) 2547: Ditto 2548: Distant view of Cook-House and Medical Block (From S) 2549: Ditto 2553: Ditto 2554: Ditto 2556: Distant view from S of Ammo Sheds and temporary jails 2558: Cook-House and Medical Block (From S) 2559: Ditto 2562: Ditto (From W) 2563: Ditto 2564: Ditto 2565: Ditto 2566: Power House from NW 2568: Ditto 2569: Cook-House and Medical Block S Gable 2570: Ditto

CD No 3

Nos

2595: Recreation Room (N Wall) 2597: NAAFI (E gables) 2598: NAAFI and Recreation Room (N face and E Gables) 2599: Ditto 2600: NAAFI (E Gables) 2601: Ditto 2602: Ditto 2603: Ditto 2604: NAAFI and Recreation Room 2605: Ditto 2606: Recreation block 2607: Latrine (Between NAAFI and Recreation Room) 2608: Ditto 2609: Ditto 2610: Ditto 7

2611: Ditto 2612: Ditto 2613: Ditto

CD No 4 (Aerial)

Nos

2036: Main Camp site from SW 2037: Ditto 2039: Main Camp site from S 2040: Ditto 2041: Ditto 2042: Ditto 2043: Ditto 2044: Main Camp Site from SE 2045: Ditto 2058: Ditto

Sources

The Cameron-Head of Inverailort Papers ( Council Archives, ); unpublished manuscript by Lt Col A F Austin (former STC Staff) in the author’s possession; personal communication the late Mrs Cameron-Head of Inverailort (1917- 1994); The Cameron Collection, Iain Thornber (2007); Glenshian and Inverailort Deer Forest, Iain Thornber (2000); Commando Country, Stuart Allan (2007).

Acknowledgements

Thanks are due to: Mr Hugh Maclaren, Inverailort Estate, for access to the site; Miss Barbara MacIntosh, Lochailort Post Office; Mr Harry Clyne, Lochailort; Mr Darren McFadden, Highland Council Archives and Mr David Biggin, Marine Harvest (Scotland) Ltd.

Copyright

Text and photographs remain the copyright of Iain Thornber

Image available from www.scran.ac.uk

6 November 2010 8

ILLUSTRATIONS

Lochailort Camp Site and present Marine Harvest buildings from SW

Lochailort Camp Site and present Marine Harvest buildings from SE 9

NAAFI Block

Cook-House, Medical Block and Boiler Room 10

Cook-House, Medical Block and Boiler Room from W

Cook-House, Medical Block and Boiler Room from S

11

Cook-House, Medical Block and Boiler Room from SW

NAAFI, Latrine and Recreation Block 12

One of two ammunition sheds and temporary gaol from SE

Latrine 13

Interior of one of the Ammunition Sheds

Power House from NE 14

Annotated Aerial Photo

Military Camp Plan