Jim Millar on worksite at Clatteringshaws Forest about 1950
The photograph is courtesy of Jim Millar, Banbury who began his forestry career in Bennan Forest in Easter 1949 and worked for periods in Clatteringshaw Forest.
As a forest worker Jim started at Bennan Forest early 1949 to gain two years practical experience as required for entry into forestry training schools. Following his national service he attended Benmore Forester Training School at Dunoon for two years from September 1952 following which he was posted to Inshriach Forest. In 1956 he was then posted to Glen Moriston (Port Clair Forest) and from there to Fiunary Forest (Lochaline) in 1960 for six years.
Jim recalls his periods of standing in for the forester at Sunart Forest to cover for holidays and using the forestry boat to cross over Loch Sunart to the forest at Glencripesdale. At that time Finlay MacRae was the District Officer based in Fort William and knowing Jim was a piper asked that when he, Finlay, visited that Jim had to bring his pipes as well. The two of them would play as they crossed over the loch! Jim recalls that Finlay was a great piper. Another Sunart episode that remained in his memory was a little fishing expedition (not legal) whereby the local postmaster, the retired policeman and Jim crossed the loch to the other side to extricate some grilse and sea trout from the mouth of a burn!
Jim remembers that he was covering for John Macleod at Sunart Forest in the 1960s when John was on holiday. He and John had actually exchanged Forests in 1956 when Jim moved from Inshriach to Glen Moriston, John moved from Glen Moriston to Inshriach. When Jim moved to Glen Moriston (Ceannacroc Forest)in 1956, JC Watson was there having just moved up from Sunart Forest leaving that forest to J Mackenzie.
Following on from Fiunary Jim was posted to Glen Urquhart in 1966 but soon afterwards in 1967 he was seconded to the Ministry of Defence at Catterick to look after the forests on MOD land. In time, Jim joined the MOD and retired in 1989 by this time as Forest Manger in charge of all the MOD forests in North England and Scotland.
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Groups: Forestry Areas