Timber Corps Women on D2 Tractor
John Baillie, originally from Grange, Keith, started working in the Forestry (Home Grown Timber Production Department) in 1941 at the age of 14 and was posted to the timber camp at Oathillock near Milton of Deskford to work at wartime felling of woods in that area. The men in the Oathillock camp were helped by Timber Corps women based at one of the two nearby camps at Bogmuchals. The second camp at Bogmuchals was used for training including the training of lorry drivers.
This photograph is courtesy of John Baillie, Garmouth and shows Timber Corps ladies Betty Wilson, Lincoln at the controls of the tractor with Sheila Dewar, Edinburgh area, standing on the drawbar.
John drove this D2 Caterpiller Tractor as well as a TD 6 and was told by the gaffer, Jimmy Stewart (from Cairnie, Huntly and almost certainly a ganger at the Bin Forest in later years) to keep quiet about his age and say he was 17. The petrol driven donkey engine used to start the main diesel engine of the tractor is under the cowling next to the diesel tank. The tractors were used to pull slypes (sledges) and pole trailers among the felled trees where the cross cut timber was hand loaded on to them. The loaded trailers were then emptied at loading bank points on roads where the timber would eventually be again hand loaded onto lorries bound for sawmills and if pit props, to railway stations. There were three saw mills in the locality, one at one at Airdiecow Farm (on the north side of Greenhill) one at Heathcot Farm at Bogmuchels and one on the south side of Greenhill the name not recalled.
Lady Gordon Duff from Drumuir was the senior officer in charge of the Timber Corps whilst they worked and lived at Deskford and also in charge of the training camp at Bogmuchals.
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Groups: Forestry Areas, Forestry in Action, Northeast Scotland , Tractors Ploughs and Drainage Machines, Women's Timber Corps - Timber Jills