An axe man or ‘limber’ from Maine, USA at Sawmill Unit 2 based near Creich, Bonar Bridge 1917
The images and letters are courtesy of Stacey York, Mechanic Falls, Maine, USA. The series of images from Stacey are in the sequence on Forestry Memories from No 6282 to No 6298 and forms part of the Forestry Memories Groups collection ‘American Sawmillers in Scotland 1917’.
In the Great War of 1914-18 the UK and its allies were facing severe shortage of timber products to keep the coal mines operating and providing power for manufacturing for the war effort. Timber railway sleepers for the railways to the war front in Europe were urgently required and also wood for manufacturing of boxes and containers for munitions and other products. German submarines were severely interrupting timber imports and there was a great shortage of men to work in the forests and timber industry in UK because they had been called up in their millions to serve in the war effort as soldiers and sailors. An original request for assistance with timber cutting and sawing in British forests from the British Government was directed to the New England States.
A rapid response to the British crisis was taken on board by six New England States and a specially convened committee organised the supply of one sawmill unit funded by each state. The states involved were Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. In addition several individual companies and many individuals provided the necessary funding for a further four sawmill units resulting in a total of ten units and all their equipment being sent to Liverpool and eventually to Ardgay in Ross-shire in the summer of 1917. The timber workers and saw millers were on a contract to the British Government for a period of one year.
This unnamed man was shown with Clarence Abbott in the previous image. Can anyone name this man? This image may represents a ‘limber’ or ‘swamper’ who used axe and cant dog (cant hook) to remove the branches from the felled trees on Andrew Carnegie’s Swordale forest above the area known as Creich near Bonar Bridge. The wedge shape axe described by Lovell as from four to six pounds weight have a remarkably straight handle with no ‘fawn foot’ shaped end to reduce slippage from the hand. The crossed ‘cant dogs’ (in UK cant hooks) are used to roll the trees and logs when on the ground and allow the branches underneath to be accessed and axed off. ‘Swampers’ generally did this work as well as clear branches and debris to form an obstacle free route among the branch free logs for the teamsters with their horses and extraction wagons.
Lovell Churchill based in the Swordale Wood area of Andrew Carnegie’s estate of Skibo was on contract for a year and in that time sent a number of photographs back to his parents and family in Maine, USA. Lovell also wrote a series of short letters to his parents and sister describing his experiences and adventures. These letters and companying photographs were kept by his parents and then the family. Forestry Memories is very privileged to have been offered the opportunity by his granddaughter to place these on the website.
Download Large Version (1.6MB)
Groups: American sawmillers in Scotland 1917, Caithness and Sutherland, Tools, equipment and clothing