New England Sawmill unit men arriving at Ardgay July 1917
Image is courtesy of Kyle of Sutherland Historical Society and others.
A spectacular image of American men in their distinctive hats and their luggage disembarking from a special train that had taken them all the way from Liverpool docks. They look surprisingly fresh considering that they had mainly slept in crowded hammocks on the long sea crossing from America and then endured a pretty long journey by normal train – no sleeping coaches. No doubt the 350 or so men would be very excited to be nearing their camp destination and future work sites.
There was a small advance work party of one or two individuals but uncertain if any part of a camp had been erected at Soyal before the contingent arrived. Most likely they may have had to erect their sleeping accommodation tents when they eventually got to Soyal (Syall) - their initially camp site in Strathcarron. This would indeed be quite a memorable event in Ardgay that day and the start of a period of intense building, transporting and large groups of workers congregating in Strathcarron and Swordale.
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Groups: American sawmillers in Scotland 1917, Groups of people, Tools, equipment and clothing