Abergeldie – site of former Canadian Forestry Corps Camp
Alistair Cassie kindly accompanied and showed the location of the camp in among the trees below the south Deeside Road.
Abergeldie Camp was manned by Nos 22 and 24 Companies of the Canadian Forestry Corps, No 22 Company arriving in Ballater 20 Jan 1942. Men from Companies 2, 3, 4, 13 and 16 assisted with construction of the camp from late 1941. No 24 Company arrived at Abergeldie on 30 March 1942. By mid 1944 the two Companies had moved on either overseas or back home.
The site in view is down on a much lower level below that of the camp site above. When the camp was dismantled after the war these items were thrown over the bank and have rusted there ever since. There are quite a number (at least 7-8 of each) of the iron box like shapes and also drum like shapes with holes in the sides. They may have formed some type of heating stove but that is pure conjecture. Does anyone have any ideas?
According to Bob Briggs who has the website on CFC
‘for heating a drum was turned on its side with chimney on the top of one end with the other end having a door to put in the fuel – during the winter months there would be a fire picquet to keep the stoves burning and for security.
Coal would keep the fire going through the night better than the wood – would be less noisy I expect – the men would sleep better in the huts.
They had worked hard through the day. On top of that the firewood they had would be up for sale with some dropping off by accident in front of a cottage!’
The PDF shows some other views of the iron constructions scattered on the site.
Download Large Version (1.4MB)
Groups: Canadian and Newfoundland sawmillers in Scotland, Northeast Scotland , Sawmills, pulp mills, chipboard mills, War time constructions and defence structures in woods and forests