Forestry Memories

Joint Fire exercise at Knockie near Inverness

Joint Fire exercise at Knockie near Inverness

Date Added: 27 February 2013 Contributor: Norman Davidson Year of Photo: 1980 Picture No: 1630

The photograph is courtesy of the family of George Dey. George took many forestry photographs in his forestry career and many are now shown on this web site. Check under ‘Groups’ and George Dey Collection.

This double exposure still shows the two main individuals who developed the helicopter hose reel and other joint operating systems. The man next to the camera is John Poland of PLM Helicopters and beside him is the Chief of the Northern Highlands Fire Brigade, Bob ? (Apologies if I have title wrong and also name does not come to mind – can anyone help?).

The joint exercises involved Firemen from various parts of the northern force as well as private estate and Forestry Commission staff.

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Groups: Aircraft in Forestry Work, Forestry Areas, Forestry in Action, George Dey Forestry Collection, Groups of people

4 Comments

The fire officer is Bob Gordon Comment left on 26 February 2017 at 15:18 by Sandy Gordon
The face at the feet of Bob Gordon and John Poland is that of the late Finlay MacRae, MBE, District Officer, Dingwall.

To the immediate right of Finlay, the next face is that of my old Head Forester at Torrachilty Forest until 1984 and is the late Jim Colling. Jim was Northumbrian through and through, from Bellingham, who started out with the FC at Falstone, following the ploughs with a hack to make sure the ridges stayed inverted for planting, rather than rolling back over. Jim was at the FC forestry school at Benmore in Argyll and was a forester at Whinlatter Forest in the Lake District, before getting his promotion to Head Forester at Torrachilty.

My understanding is that these fire training days and the use of the helicopter for transporting men, beaters, supplies and 100 gallon water dump buckets to tackle fires were largely as a result of the large moorland fire southwest of Baddengorm on the A9 between Carrbridge and the Slochd; in which a large area of trees, peat, the A9, along with a fire pump tender were destroyed by the fire in the late 1970's.

If anybody has more details about the fire, these exercises, or I have something incorrect, please leave a comment. Thank you. Comment left on 27 February 2017 at 22:46 by Bill Rayner
I was present with a squad from Culloden Forest on the first day of this fire..A fire engine, from I think Grantown-on-Spey, went along an old narrow track to get in front of the fire There was nowhere to turn so they tried to reverse in dense smoke and went off the track.The crew abandoned it. As it burned there was an explosion which sent shrapnel through its water tank and very soon it was completely destroyed. Comment left on 27 March 2017 at 19:31 by Frank Thom
The fire officer (top right) is Bob Gordon (now Robert Gordon, QFSM, GIFireE).

If the date on the photograph is correct, Bob Gordon would have then been an Assistant Divisional Officer with Northern Fire Brigade (brigade name between 1975 and 1983) at that time.
Source: Fire Directory ("The Yellow Book") 1985/86.

Bob Gordon went on to be the Firemaster of Highland and Islands Fire Brigade between 1996 and 1999.

The person at Bob Gordon's feet in the photograph was Finlay M MacRae, MBE, BSc (For), the District Officer in Dingwall, who was our friend and neighbour.

Mention is made in the comments of this photograph of the major forestry and moorland fire which took place at Carr Bridge.
This burned with a four mile front and took place over several days in July 1976. It was tackled by 200 men - firemen, estate workers, forestry worker, soldiers and men from RAF Kinloss and RAF Lossiemouth.
Source: The Glasgow Herald, 10 July 1976

Leslie Mutch, BA (Hons), MSc (Merit)
Master of Science (with Merit) in Fire Investigation Comment left on 23 September 2018 at 12:20 by Leslie Mutch
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