Working in the logging pond Mar lodge
The image is courtesy of Alistair Cassie, Ballater, who received the images from a contact in Australia.
Canadian Forestry Corps (CFC) Company No 25 was one of eight companies based in the Deeside area as part of CFC District No 2. Records indicate the Mar Lodge camp construction began in December 1941 aided by men from Companies 2, 3, 4, 13 and 16. The team of men that formed Company No 25 arrived in Deeside at the end of March, early April 1942 and no doubt began timber production shortly after.
The logging pond performs two critical functions the first being it helps take all the mud and stones off the logs and reduce damage to the saws. Secondly, and more importantly, quantities of logs can be sorted fairly easily into sizes and lengths required for a particular run through the sawmill and directed easily for pick up by the log chain.
The long poles shod with an iron collar and spike aided the job significantly enabling the men standing on the duck board paved sides to guide the logs one by one onto the log chain feeding the saws. Some of the logs look fairly low quality! Lovely image of the work.
Can anyone name the poles used or provide any more information on the process?
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Groups: Canadian and Newfoundland sawmillers in Scotland, Forestry Areas, Forestry in Action, Northeast Scotland , Sawmills, pulp mills, chipboard mills, War time constructions and defence structures in woods and forests