Forestry students at Darnaway Castle Estate 1951
Photograph courtesy of Donnie Williamson, Forres.
This photograph shows students and instructors on a three month forestry course held at Darnaway Castle Estate in 1951 run jointly by the Forestry Commission and Royal Scottish Forestry Society. It seems these courses had been run for quite a number of years and students who attended, particularly those from the Forestry Commission often went on to enter into Forester Training Schools.
Donnie with help from John Keenleyside has come up with the following names of the people in the photograph
1. Dougie Grant - F.C. Ardgartan, Arrochar.
2. Jimmy Shipp - Darnaway Estate, Forres.
3. Andrew MacMillan - Tainloan.
4. Joe Davies - Darnaway Estate, Forres.
5. Donnie Williamson - F.C. Millbuie, Black Isle, Ross-shire.
6. Hugh C. Grant - Seafield Estate, Cullen, Banff.
7. Unknown from Lethen Estate, Nairn.
8. John Campbell - F.C. Raasay, Isle of Skye.
9. Unknown from Edinburgh City.
10. ? Lyle from Edinburgh City.
11. Euan Grant Instructor, Forestry Consultant, Grantown on Spey.
12. Mrs Alice Howie – Canteen Cook. Husband was Estate Joiner.
13. Jimmy Bowles - F.C. Assistant Instructor
14. Jimmy MacLennan - Dunrobin Estate, Golspie, Sutherland.
15. Lew Davis - Location Unknown.
Note the large rutter spades for cutting sides of drains each being a different hand for use on either side of a drain. The long cutting edge with the wing led in the direction of the edge of drain to be cut. Heavy foot tramped down the spade to full depth or hard bottom. It was pulled partially up by the strength of the operators arms and angled wing edge moved sideways slightly in direction of travel and rammed down again by foot. With this repeated action like very heavy sawing a sturdy operator could cut a deep line 2-3 yards long in a few minutes. This formed the one side of a future new drain.
John Keenleyside adds ‘The Darnaway courses were held at Conicavel where the accommodation was in a small village hall.
The Head Forester at Darnaway was a Mr Feaks who was a gentleman forester, wore a Bowler hat and kid gloves and had a car and a full time chauffer provided by the estate. The Course Instructor at Darnaway in 1951 was a Euan Grant a consultant Forester from Boat of Garten, the father of Ian Grant well known in the F.C. and a D.O. in Dornoch in the 50s and pioneered the early plantings at Borgie, Strathy, Rumster and Naver. The Darnaway courses ceased in the early 50s and moved to Dunkeld and that is where people like Struan Stewart and Calvin Booth were involved.’
Any help with the missing names and information on when the courses at Darnaway Castle Estate started would be very welcome.
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Groups: Forester Training Schools and Universities, Groups of people