Tulliallan Forest Hostel – temp accommodation for Strathyre workers 1n 1957
Norman Morrison (now based in Australia) writes an account from his diary of his time working in Strathyre Forest where he was based for at least two years as an apprentice worker living in the Strathyre Hostel. This diary excerpt refers to an event where some of the Strathyre apprentices were sent over to Tulliallan Forest hostel or bothy and worked in Devilla and neighboring nurseries. The excerpt is courtesy of and via William Fleming who was also at the Strathyre Forest Hostel about the same time.
“Now to Dave's question (Dave Balfour)....
I've checked the dreaded diaries and it looks to me like Strathyre (Forest) sent a small team to Tulliallan in 1957 but I've no record of anyone going in 1956. Like you I was out of Strathyre by February 1958 so I can't say what went on in that year.
So, to 1957. A group us bothy boys were sent to help out at Tulliallan Forest in April 1957. We left Strathyre on Saturday 13th April in Mary's lorry (Mary MacLeod - Strathyre Forest lorry driver)) and arrived before 9:30 am at Tulliallan. After we got our gear and beds organised I record that I got the lorry to Kincardine and had a bit of a look at the place then got an Edinburgh bus at 11:30 and was home by 1 o'clock. On Sunday 14th I got the Kincardine bus at 7:15pm and got to the bothy at about 9 o'clock.
As far as I can see there was Dave, me, Squash and Sandy Robertson. Hooky was not mentioned in my diary but that doesn't mean he wasn't there. It looks like they sent boys who lived near Tulliallan. Squash (Ian Scott) was able to live with his folks and Dave and I could easily get to Edinburgh. How Sandy (Sandy Robertson) got involved I don't know, and I found no evidence of Tojo (James Stuart) being in the squad. It's possible Curly (Gordon Watson) was with us, like Squash he was an ex Tulliallan worker but that's just a possibility and I certainly couldn't swear to it.
On Monday we started work in the Devilla nursery, I record that our team had to lift 600,000 seedlings. On our first night 8 of us went to the flicks and saw Guys and Dolls, which I enjoyed, we got back to bed at 11 o'clock. The next days were all nursery work. We seemed to get chopped around quite a bit. Mainly lifting seedlings but also the various jobs associated with creating new seed beds. I was raking, digging the alleys between the beds and spreading chemical fertiliser. On Thursday 18th it was raining for the first 3 hours and we were in a shed with a nice fire in it, not like the poor old shed we had at Strathyre, they were burning birch which makes an amazing fire.
Friday was Good Friday so we were on a long weekend so after work on Thursday we all went our separate ways, and Dave and I got the same bus back to Tulliallan on Monday night. On Tuesday I was tramping down the soil and then raking till Dave and I were moved to our third nursery area where we were put on weeding. I wasn't a happy bunny. I don't record Dave's feelings! The next two days we were weeding, spreading fertiliser, raking and tramping down. After dinner on the Thursday Dave and I went into Alloa to see Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Friday was a repeat of all the other days then on Saturday morning the lorry arrived at 9 and we were back in Strathyre at about 11. Just time to stow my gear and then I was on the 11:40 train to Stirling and so to Edinburgh and home by 3 in the afternoon.
Just as an add-on, I stayed at Tulliallan bothy for a few weeks between leaving Strathyre and going into the RAF”.
William Fleming comments on all the nicknames used:
“Dave is David Balfour who also lives in Australia , he did go to Devilla with us, the question was put to him about the names but he could only remember a few. Squash was Ian Scott who died a few years back and Tojo is James Stuart who still lives in Falkirk, finally the name Hooky was lumped on to me because I complained bitterly about the lack of hooks for hanging up garments in my locker when going to the hostel in 1956.
If you were not given a nickname on arrival the place you lived previously was applied so David Balfour was known as Edinburgh and a chap from Cowal became Dunoon. Another lad from Aberfoyle was gifted the name Sprog (RAF newcomer) and a chap from Lancashire (Waddell ) became Preston. One other lad from Cambelltown of small stature was known as Bauchle and a chap from Tayport was known as Gimp. l can only imagine he got this name as he was a bit of a character. Rae Brown was for obvious reasons was Bruno, Jimmy Allan the assistant forester was listed as Haddie presumably because he came from the North East and a local man I worked with called Fisher was called Balvaig after the river that runs through Strathyre. A few other nicknames from the past include a ganger called The Glenogle Bogle, a worker called Joe the Mole and Alex Stewart was known as Big Dan. Some collection! - So there you go that's how we were tagged “.
Willie adds- "Some extracts below are from Norman Morrison’s diaries from 1957 as he mentions Asian Flu, it struck most of us down that year. These give a good insight into our activities at the time. The boys took turns at being orderly for a week at a time and on cooks day off one would take over with mixed results. Jock who is mentioned drove a grocers van which came to the hostel every Friday night and we would all spend about ten Bob each on sweeties and fruit ( wages at the time were three pounds per week net). Willie mentioned here was Willie Rose the foreman (brother of Sandy Rose, Ledmore). Dormitory raids were common and resulted in all the beds being tipped up and it was a bonus if the bed was occupied at the time. We went to night school in Callander two nights a week working only a half day on these days. The entries give a fair detail of the areas we worked in ranging from Treen at Callander to Dalchonzie near St Fillans".
The extracts are in the attached PDF link below.
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Groups: Buildings in Forests, Forest Nurseries