Bert Thomson in Monaughty Forest circa 1970
Photograph is courtesy of David Foot, Surrey and is a view of European larch seed stand planted in 1918. Bert Thomson on the right is standing with a man believed to be David Jackson.
John Thomson, son of Bert, writes:
‘Dad grew up in Forres where his father worked for Sanquhar estate which at the time included an extensive land holding in Kintail giving him great opportunities to learn to fish and shoot. Together with working as a schoolboy on the nearby Altyre Estate this upbringing kindled a life-long love of the outdoors. He volunteered for military service towards the end of WW2 joining the Royal Navy. He worked in stores where the hardships of the military diet could be circumvented by befriending the cooks. He put on a stone and a half.
Returning to Forres he joined the Forestry Commission squad at Culbin working on the early plantings to stabilise the dune systems. Culbin can be quite disorientating so walking there in his mid-70s a cyclist expressed concern that dad may become disorientated and proffered a map. He responded that even in the dead of night he would know within a couple of minutes where he was in Culbin accurate to the metre. Exhibiting some promise he went to Forestry School leaving as an ex-school ganger then working throughout the north east including a spell at Fetteresso sky-lining following the “53 blow.
He settled then to work under John Corbett at Craigvinean. Mr Corbett had a formidable reputation but dad always spoke very fondly of his experience there with a great many entertaining stories recounted over the years. He spoke only recently again of felling huge firs near Dalguise where he could remember both the volume and the price rate/hoppus foot.
In those days on promotion a move was inevitable and my parents, knowing that a shift was imminent, wondered where they would end up desperately hoping for “anywhere but Fife”. The next eleven years, perhaps the happiest of his career, were as Forester in Charge of Tentsmuir, at that time a separate unit with a squad of its own.
On the next promotion dad asked to relocate to Culbin as his mother, now a widow, was still in Forres. He received written confirmation that he had been appointed to take charge at Culbin but a couple of weeks before the move a visiting lorry driver told him he was bound for Monaughty. Lorry drivers of that era had more influence than even the Director General so it was to Monaughty the family moved for a brief but happy period with a super squad mainly doing chainsaw felling. Dad worked closely with the late Jack Frater based at Newton who was a real character and remained a good family friend until his death.
With the next round of amalgamations dad, now a Chief Forester, was posted to his own new unit Craigellachie based at Elchies. The original office was a roughly 2m x 2m wooden shed which included a patched panel where a former forester had once thrown an irate complainant through the wall. There was a lot of new establishment underway which dad much enjoyed not least the preliminary muirburn. On one occasion burning heather on the Cabrach a fire engine appeared. Dad advised brusquely that he had notified the Dufftown brigade. It transpired that the engine had come from Elgin some 18 miles further north where the limited visibility in the high street was causing concern. He took great pleasure earlier this year that the first clearfell in Glenfiddich returned a high green log volume.
In the final few years (retirement at 60 was then mandatory) he led the Forest Management side of the newly formed Moray Forest District at Balnacoul working alongside the late Jim Webster, Lachie McCallum and Gordon Rae latterly with Douglas Clark as FDM. Very much now in a managerial role he never the less wore his boots to work each day.
He remained interested in everything to do with FC/FES/FLS and indeed we chatted at length about forestry the evening before he passed away. He absolutely loved being out in the woods but also had a particular affection for all FC people perhaps most especially his squads, wildlife rangers and plough operators. A short stocky man with a mischievous sense of humour dad was extremely lucky to have a 44 year career that was also a hobby. He loved to whistle and was rarely seen without a wild springer spaniel. He passed away unexpectedly but peacefully in the early hours of Tuesday 11th October 2022 in Dr Gray’s hospital Elgin aged 94.’
Groups: Forestry Areas, Northeast Scotland