Forestry Memories

Anderson family at No 15 Achnamara Village - Knapdale Forest

Anderson family at No 15 Achnamara Village - Knapdale Forest

Date Added: 20 May 2020 Contributor: Norman Davidson Year of Photo: 1958 Picture No: 4733

The photographs are courtesy of Will Anderson, Seafield and Strathspey Estates and his father Willie Anderson. Both men worked for a period with the Forestry Commission in Tulliallan Nursery and surrounding forests.

The Anderson family have three generations who worked and still work in the forestry industry and part of that time with the Forestry Commission. Will comments “My Grandfather, John Anderson, worked with the FC at Knapdale, Rattagan, Carron Valley and finally Tulliallan where he retired. My father (Willie) started work in 1956 at Knapdale (all left in 1959) then afterwards at Garshelloch Carron Valley and Tulliallan before starting work as a timber contractor with his brothers in 1968. We lived at Westfield, the FC village at Tulliallan until 1969. After a few years he went out on his own as an establishment and maintenance contractor and worked almost exclusively for Tilhill throughout Central Scotland until he retired in 2012 at the age of 72.

At Knapdale my Grandfather was a forest worker and worked in partnership with a chap called Jimmy Angus felling using a crosscut saw. My father (Willie) said that Jimmy Angus went off sick for a fortnight and my Grandfather asked him to step in as a replacement because he did not want to lose condition by not sawing for a fortnight. Dad says it was an “education”!! Being told to “get lower” and that “six inches at the butt is worth six feet at the top”!!”

Here Willie Anderson is dressed in his National Service uniform and is sitting with his sister Jean and brother Peter.

The PDF shows a better view of the No 15 Achnamara with Willie Anderson and friend outside the front door.

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Groups: Buildings in Forests, Groups of people

3 Comments

"Being told to ? get lower? and that ? six inches at the butt is worth six feet at the top?!!? " OH! How those words still ring in my ears and some of the 'tables' left by harvesters in Devilla during the 2000's rankled. All because the mill didn't want anything bigger than 40cm butt diameter! So I was informed by the lorry driver, picking up the logs.
Comment left on 20 May 2020 at 22:04 by Bill Rayner
Heard that saying many times, in the days before harvesters! Comment left on 21 May 2020 at 21:02 by Robert Hannah
We were the first occupants of number15 in 1952. We moved to South Lecknabaan in 1955 Comment left on 05 January 2023 at 12:32 by George Gerc
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