fca today magazine summer 2019-5 pkg today magazine winter 2019.pdfbefore inviting ron hoblyn, mbe...

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The newsletter for former Forestry Commission employees Issue 68 - Winter 2019

FC

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PageDean Forester Training School Reunion .............................2

Details of FCA AGM 2020 .................................................7

Centenary Event at High Lodge Thetford ...........................9

Remembering a Celebration of 75 Years of the FC ............12

Forest Name Signs .........................................................13

A Tale of Two Glider Pilots .............................................16

The Centenary of the FC Celebrated at Glentress .............20

Mount Rushmore ...........................................................23

Forestry Centenary Event - Wales....................................25

Book Reviews ................................................................29

Letters to the Editor .......................................................32

Contact Details ..............................................................34

Happy Christmas and a Happy Writing New Year

FCA Today Issue 68 - Winter 2019


We were called and we came!

Thirty six of us were at the Speech HouseHotel for a Reunion Dinner in theVerderer’s Court, in the centre of theForest of Dean on 21st September, 2019.

If I've got it right, there were 23 DeanStudents and three from Gwydyr. About30 other students heard the call, but senttheir apologies.

The event was organised by Gerry Gissopand Martin Fletcher, but Gerry was keptfrom the actual event because of surgeryonly a week before.

As we gathered for drinks before sittingdown we were labelled with name badges,so we began to eye up the strangers and

tried to work out the names we shouldknow and recognise.

It was very well organised, and Martin andGerry had lined up various speakers to saya few words between courses. AfterMartin's introduction, John Latter saidGrace.

Following starters, Martin delivered variousmessages from absentees. Keith Walliswas called upon to propose a toast to theladies. Keith stressed what foresters owedto their wives and families. It should notbe overlooked or forgotten that our wiveswere uprooted from work, friends andfamilies to unknown places where they hadto start their lives and careers again.

Dean Forester Training School Reunion



Diana Fletcher replied to this toast onbehalf of all wives.

She said, and I think this is the gist of it,that before marriage Martin was managinglife OK, but after marriage he was doingmuch better. She had also helped him withhis Reunion introduction, welcome andmessages. “Say this” and “don't say that”,it had clearly worked very well.

Later, Roger Fitter, the earliest studentpresent (1956-58) gave us reminiscencesof his time at the school and later.

The Loyal Toast completed the formaldinner, and there was still lots to talk aboutfor everybody and people to reacquaintwith. The longest “re-acquaintance” gap,

if there is such a term, was between PeterDarch and Peter Noot, a gap of 56 years.My own biggest gap was 49 years withBrian Greig, with whom I briefly workedalongside in Thetford.

Slowly the tables were cleared of plates,glasses and debris, and essentially, wewere shooed back into the bar so that thestaff could prepare for breakfast.

There was very keen approval for anotherreunion, with a gap of two years, this hasnow been booked for 9th October 2021.

Ex FTS students from any of the schoolswould be welcome. Make a note.


A jolly time is being had by some of the participants in the Verderer’s Court at the Speech House




The rest of the participants in the Verderer’s Court.



Dean Forester Training School ReunionDean FTS Students Attending

Ex FTS STUDENTS FTS YEARS TOTAL ATTENDEES FTS APOLOGIES

Keith Campbell 69 - 71 Keith Campbell Toby BeadlePaul Cooper 57 - 59 Paul Cooper Mike BludIan Cox 64 - 66 Dorothy Cooper Neville BousfieldDave Craze 61 - 63 Ian Cox John BrainPeter Darch 63 - 65 Dave Craze Peter BrettRoger Fitter 56 - 58 Peter Darch Tony CoxwellMartin Fletcher 66 - 68 Pat Darch Bob CulleyDick Gossling 69 - 71 Roger Fitter Cliff DampneyBill Gregory 65 - 67 Martin Fletcher Colin FruenBrian Greig 57 - 59 Diana Fletcher Gerry GissopGordon Griffiths 66 - 68 Dick Gossling Family HendrieJohn Latter 65 - 67 Bill Gregory Roger HodgeDave Mackie 58 - 60 Elaine Gregory Mike HoughtonHugh Milner 64 - 66 Brian Greig Dave LangfordPeter Noot 62 - 64 Rita Greig Roland LiddellHarry Oram 69 - 71 Gordon Griffiths Simon MaloneDave Rogers 69 - 71 Marion Griffiths David MercerPeter Schweiger 66 - 68 John Latter Dick MihalopPat Smith 69 - 71 Rose Latter Arthur MillerLes Starling 64 - 66 Dave Mackie Rod NewboroughDerick Stickler 69 - 71 Brenda Mackie Roger NewlandKeith Wallis 58 - 60 Hugh Milner Dave PikeRoger Warn 68 - 70 Peter Noot David RicePeter Webb 59 - 61 Brenda Noot John Richards Harry Oram Mike Steward Dave Rogers Bruce Uglow Peter Schweiger Dave Watts Pat Smith Dave Yearsley Les Starling Sue Starling Derick Stickler Keith Wallis Jill Wallis Roger Warn Margo Warn Peter Webb




Speeches During the EveningIntroduction and Welcome

Martin Fletcher~

GraceJohn Latter

~Messages

Martin Fletcher~

Our LadiesKeith Wallis

ReplyDiana Fletcher

~Dean Forester Training School 1905 – 1971

Roger Fitter~

Loyal ToastGordon Griffiths



The North Wales Group are pleased toinvite FCA Members and Groups to theNational AGM to be held on Tuesday 12th

and Wednesday 13th May 2020.

The Venue will be the Beaufort Park Hoteland Conference centre, near Mold inFlintshire.

It was our host location for the NationalAGM in 2017. We were treated very well,the rooms are comfortable and the foodexcellent.

Bar meals are available for delegates whoarrive in time for lunch on the first day (notincluded in the price) and the Bar is wellstocked.

The programme is to hold the AGM on theafternoon of 12th May, starting at 2pm.There will be a Conference Dinner thatevening with a guest speaker.

The menu choice for the Dinner will beavailable at the AGM meeting.

We have been offered a good rate forAccommodation.

Room, Breakfast and Conference Dinner:

£115 for a double room (two people)

£85 for single occupancy

Dinner only, for non-residents: £23

Delegates will make their own bookingsdirect with the hotel, quoting ForestryCommission as a reference.

This is a very busy hotel, so the cut-off datefor booking accommodation is 1st April 2020.

There is no lift at the hotel, but delegatesmay book a ground floor room if they sowish.

Contact details: -Beaufort Park HotelMoldFlintshireCH7 6RQTelephone 01352 758646Website beaufortparkhotel.co.uk

On the morning of 13th May we plan to visitthe National Waterways Museum atEllesmere Port. This is a chance to seesome of the local social and industrialhistory, the trading links with the rest ofthe country and the world in general. It isa unique experience with a working barge,views of the Mersey and Manchester ShipCanal together with many exhibitions ofworking and living conditions for thoseinvolved in the canal trade. Remember,these were the Motorways of their time.

The Museum is a 30 minute journey fromthe Hotel and is easy to find.

There is a cafe on site with a wide choiceof food.

On departure, the exit of the museum isdirect onto the M53 and the rest of theMotorway network.

The Group rate for admission to theMuseum is £8.50

Delegates and their partners are allwelcome at the AGM and Dinner. If desiredbookings can be taken for the ConferenceDinner alone. Just let us know and we willfit you in.

Forestry Commission AssociationAnnual General Meeting 2020

beaufortparkhotel.co.uk



As usual, we need delegates to registertheir intentions beforehand so that we canhave adequate facilities available.

Therefore, please inform either CharlesDickens or Arthur Miller of your plans forattendance and your wish to visit the CanalMuseum, by Monday 27th April 2020.

Charles’ e-mail is [email protected]

Arthur’s details are:10 Hawthorn AveConnah’s Quay,Flintshire,CH5 4TFPhone 01244 831361Mobile 07788 711307e-mail [email protected]

We are looking forward to seeing you all atthe meeting and hope that you enjoy a visitto this part of the world, with all its sceneryand long history.

Forestry Commission AssociationAnnual General Meeting 2020 Continued

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As we all know theForestry Commissioncame into being on1st September 1919,following the enact-ment of an Act ofParliament. On 31st

August 2019, localforest staff held anActivity Day at High

Lodge Forest Centre, Thetford to celebratethis 100th anniversary.

As well as displays by the Friends ofThetford Forest, the Norfolk Militia, deerstalking and archaeological exhibits anddisplays of modern forest machinery, theBreckland Group of the FCA was invited totake part.

A gazebo and all the hardware facilitieswere provided by the local forest andmembers put together a simple but

effective display of old photographs andhand tools.

A selection of old photographs wasobtained from the local forest archive andthese generated some debate andamusement about where they were takenand who was in them.

Hand tools which were loaned by Groupmembers and displayed, included an oldDanarm chain saw from the 1960s, variousaxes, slashers, saws and weeding hooks.

The day dawned fine and sunny and thegood weather held out throughout theentire day and a large crowd was inattendance, enjoying the various displaysand the usual activities available at thispopular venue. BBC Radio Norfolk put in anappearance early in the day as well.

On display in the Visitor Centre café was ahuge birthday cake measuring around 5feet by 2 feet in size. This was to providethe highlight of the day with a formalcutting of the cake mid-afternoon.

Centenary Event – High Lodge, Thetford



Surrounded by staff and visitors in thecafé, Tristram Hilborn, the Forest DistrictManager, gave a short speech explaininghow the Forestry Commission had comeinto being on the 1st September 1919,before inviting Ron Hoblyn, MBE and AnneMason to join him in cutting the cake.

Ron is a retired forester who spent muchof his working life at Thetford. He wasawarded his MBE in 1992, just before hisretirement, for services to ornithology andis today still active and much respected inthis field.

Anne is the very enthusiastic chair of theFriends of Thetford Forest, now a veryactive group with over a thousand mem-bers of whom some 150 are regularlyworking in the forest, the arboretum andassisting with a wide range of projects.




Members of theforest staff woreT-shirts celebrat-ing this fantasticmilestone and vis-iting members ofthe public sharedin the celebrationsby tucking intoslices of the cakeas well. Between

them all, they made significant inroads intothe cake in no time!

A great day and one which will be remem-bered by all present. A good number ofour Breckland Group turned up during theday and there was much reminiscing aboutthe “good old days”.

I am grateful for the help of many of theGroup members in preparing for our partin the event, for the loan of tools, forsharing their memories and for giving uptheir day to help man our display.


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The photograph below shows personnel, messengers and Print Room staff celebrating 75years of the Forestry Commission in 1994 at Silvan House.

John McGough, ?, Margaret Green, Susan McLeod, Moira Bardy, Theresa Andrew, CorinaKelly, Sylvanna Hewitt, ? , Irene Gilbert, Liz Kirk, Mary Goldie, Kathleen Burt, Kate Fielding,?, Joanne Macauley, Walker Scott, Jan (print room).

Alister Taylor, Marion Quigley, Cathy Johnston, Pat Sinclair, Lynn Carty, Elizabeth MacArthur,Marjorie?, Muriel Stickle, Anne Stott, Angela Dudley, Lynne Rennie, David Niven, Coll Gardiner

George Prior, Gordon McLardy, ?, ?, Elizabeth? Grey Hair, Sandra Lawrence, Chris Smith,David Taylor, Jack Reynolds (Messenger), Tom Edwards, Alan Craythorne.

Celebrating 75 years of the Forestry Commission



In the excellent and interesting article on“Jamie’s Tool Collection” in the FCA TodayWinter 2018 Edition, there was aphotograph and a brief mention of the oldForest Name Plates. I had not realised thatthey are now “a rarity and much soughtafter”, as I have a collection of about twodozen of these signs. I certainly agree thatthese attractive signs represent an eralong past.

The name plates are very much a part ofthe history of the Forestry Commission andwere very informative as each smallwoodland block proudly had its own namesign prominently displayed at the entranceto the woodland.

Over the years, I managed to collect thesigns during my travels around the countryfor the Pathology Branch from Alice Holt,usually from old wet weather shelters orabandoned tool sheds following theamalgamations of forests, when the signshad been replaced by the new woodenones.

The sign name plates for the Welsh forestswere naturally in Welsh, (see the photo forTowy Forest), but I have one sign for KerryForest which is in English, although thismay be because part of Kerry straddles theEnglish/Welsh border and I do rememberseeing other signs in Welsh for Ceri.

Apart from the Welsh wording, the onlydifference of the English, Scottish andWelsh name plates is the symbol at thebottom of the sign, a rose for England, a

lion for Scotland and a Welsh dragon (seephotographs).

I intend to keep a few signs which haveparticular associations with my work inPathology, mainly those forests where wehad major experiments. They includeThetford, Swaffham, Lael in Scotland,Kerry and of course Alice Holt. However, Iwould be pleased to pass on the followingsigns to anyone who might be interested.

In addition to the Forestry Commissionsigns, I have two older name plaques forthe State Forests of Halwill and Lydford(see photographs), which I presumepredate the more familiar ForestryCommission signs.

Forest Name Signs



I have no idea when the State Forest signswere replaced by the Forestry Commissionheading, although I was told recently itwas by Royal command!

I would be very interested to learn ifanyone has any information on the historyof these signs, especially when they werefirst introduced and where they weremanufactured.

The design and iconic shape of the signs isalso interesting and looks to have aprofessional touch.

Also in the collection are a few Fire Signs,one in Welsh, plus Road Closure andDistrict Office notices, all of which bringback memories of bygone days.

I am extremely grateful to Harry Pepperfor his photographic skills in taking thepictures of the Forest Name Signs.

Forest Name Signs



Forest Name Signs



Let it never be said that the FCA Todaymagazine is parochial as this intriguing talecan verify.

Graham Hamilton takes up the story:

My good friend and former colleagueFinlay MacRae died on 5th June 2014. Iprepared an obituary, which appeared inthe Summer 2014 edition of this magazineand it was also published in ScottishForestry Vol 69 (1) in 2015.

I had often heard Finlay talk of his wartimeexperiences with the RAF which he joinedin 1942. He recounted some amusingrecollections of his spell in Florida, trainingto be a pilot.

Later, Finlay transferred to the Glider PilotRegiment. There had been huge casualties

incurred by the Army Glider Pilot Regiment,resulting from various glider airborneoperations including D-Day and Arnhem.

This required the secondment(‘volunteering’) of RAF pilots to the GliderPilot Regiment. Subsequently, Finlay tookpart in ‘Operation Varsity’ on 24th March1945. This was a major operation involvingmoving British and American troops andsupplies across the Rhine into Germany.

In his memoir ‘A Tune in the Woods’ Finlaydescribed the event as the largest airborneoperation in history.

A Tale of Two Glider Pilots



It remains the largest operation in historyand included the following:

541 aircraft carrying paratroopers;

1,050 troop carriers towing an additional1,350 gliders with troops and vehicles onboard;

They were accompanied by 2,153 alliedfighter aircraft;

In total over 4,000 aircraft and their pilotsand over 16,000 paratroopers.

The Horsa gliders were capable of carrying28 fully armed men or a mixture of menand supplies. There were two pilots in eachglider. Some 3,655 were built in Britain byAirspeed.

I referred to Operation Varsity in theobituary and mentioned that Finlay hadbeen captured soon after the glider toucheddown. His subsequent experience as aprisoner of war was very unpleasant, but itwas mercifully short.

In May this year our Editor, RichardToleman, got a letter from a lady calledRowena Smith who lives in Hampshire. Inthe letter she explained that her fatherFlying Officer Harry Grinham had been aglider pilot and had taken part in ‘OperationVarsity’.

In his logbook, his co-pilot was named asSergeant MacRae, but no first name orinitial was given. Rowena had spent yearstrying to locate this person, who she alsothought had been best man at her father’swedding.

Remarkably, in the process of searching forSergeant MacRae, she came across Finlay’sobituary in FCA Today and, given thereference to ‘Operation Varsity’ immediatelysaw the possibility that he might be theperson she was looking for. I hadmentioned Finlay’s family in the obituaryand Rowena managed to find a referenceto Donna, Finlay’s daughter, but thatyielded nothing. So, she sent the letter toRichard who passed it to me. I then phoned




Joey, Finlay’s widow, to ask if Finlay hadever mentioned Harry Grinham, who wasoriginally from the Borders. This name ranga bell with Joey, but she could not quiterecall the connection.

The possibility that Finlay was HarryGrinham’s co-pilot was clearly a strong one,but some more evidence was needed. Ipassed Rowena’s letter to Donna, Finlay’sdaughter.

Donna now continues the story:

When Graham got in touch and introducedRowena and me to one another, I was quiteamazed and really hoped that this Sgt

MacRae would indeed turn out to be mylate father. Rowena believed that herfather’s co-pilot had also been the best manat her parents’ wedding. I managed to findthe photograph of the wedding online but,sadly, I confirmed this was not ‘Dad’.However, Rowena quite undeterred wentback to her family and discovered that herparents’ best man had been a cousin of herfather. So, we were back on theinvestigative trail. It was only when Rowenasent me a photograph of a page in herfather’s logbook that the puzzle began tocome together.

Her father’s logbook recorded an exercisewith the glider (with troops on board) andlanding in a field near ‘Bigot Hall’. Isuddenly remembered that in hisautobiography, Dad had also recounted thisstory and said ‘my Skipper was a fellow Scotfrom the Borders’. Rowena had said herfather came from Dumfries. Dad also saidthat they were carrying men from theOxfordshire and Buckingham Light Infantryand that they had landed near a big halland when they made their way there, thatthe door was opened by a nun and that itwas a girls’ school. I went straight toGoogle and looked up Bigot Hall (recordedin Rowena’s father’s logbook). Sure enoughit had been a girls’ school run by nunsduring the War! That was the conclusiveproof we needed.

What a great story and how good to knowthat both these (then very young and verybrave) men went on to earn their country’sthanks for their civilian and Serviceachievements in the form of their respectiveMBEs.




Finally, a word from Rowena:

Having spent nearly 20 years researchingmy family history and piecing together myfather’s WW2 story, the search for hisco-pilot, a Sgt MacRae, seemed impossible.

Upon discovering the very sad obituary inthe FCA Today magazine for Finlayhowever, my excitement was escalated atthe possibility of maybe discovering myfather’s missing Second Pilot.

Nothing ventured nothing gained, Icomposed what must have appeared amost random e-mail to Richard as Editor ofthe FCA Today magazine. I was amazed toreceive an immediate response suggestinghe would forward my details to Graham. Iwas beyond emotion and excited when Iforwarded a copy of my father’s PilotLogbook to Donna.

By comparing entries in the Log to Finlay’sfirst-hand account, Donna was able toconfirm that Finlay was indeed the 2nd Pilot

in Horsa Glider RX875 towed by a StirlingBomber. They took off together from RAFGreat Dunmow, Essex on 24th March 1945as part of the largest airborne operation ofWW2 Operation Varsity, the Crossing of theRhine.

I still have a lump in my throat that after74 years, these two Scottish lads have nowbeen reunited. I do not know whethereither of them knew if one or other of themsurvived the war. My father being injured,was listed as Missing in Action. Finlay, routemarched as a Prisoner of War. ‘G’ Squadronsuffered 60% casualties.

Finlay and my father were two of the manybrave men who piloted with skill and luck,a flimsy glider with no engine, that was notmeant to survive intact for a return flight.They also had the added responsibility forthe lives of the troops they carried on board.

I am happy to conclude that my father'sstory is now complete, and I extend myoverwhelming gratitude to Richard, Grahamand ultimately to Donna. Thank you.


Do you have any articles for publication in this magazine?

Send your articles to the editor

by e-mail to: [email protected]

by post to: Richard Toleman, Manuel Stables, Linlithgow, EH49 6JF.



On the 4th Octoberwe had a local cele-bration of the FCcentenary at Glent-ress near Peebles.

It was hosted bythe new forestrybody in Scotland,Forestry & LandScotland (F&LS).

A large number of pastand present members ofthe old FC came along andit was great to catch upwith old friends.

My word, you do lookwell / bright / perky / fitand that sort of stuff,(even if it was tricky toactually recognise an oldfriend!).

F & L S was verygenerous, providingdrinks and eats andarranging for quitean extensive plant-ing of specimentrees in a smallgrove close to thevisitor centre.

The Centenary of the Forestry Commission Celebrated at Glentress



The Centenary of the FC Celebrated at Glentress



The final scenes of Alfred Hitchcock’s film‘North by Northwest’ are set on thePresident's heads at Mount Rushmore. Butthe real effect and setting of themonument is not disclosed to its full extent.

In practice it is a homage not only to thePresidents, but also to America’s talents forpatriotism, showmanship and engineering.

The carvings represent GeorgeWashington, Thomas Jefferson, TheodoreRoosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.

The work started in 1929 under theleadership of Gutzon Borglum, and wascompleted in 1941 by his son LincolnBorglum.

Mount Rushmore is situated in the BlackHills of Dakota, which was selectedbecause of its size, orientation to themorning and midday light, and fine grainedgranite.

However, it is more than just the heads,impressive as they are. The location of thesite in the middle of the hills meant thatnew roads had to be built for access. Theroads are not your typical straightAmerican highways. They wind in and out

of the valleys and ridges of the hills,passing through beautiful scenery andextensive areas of forest. FCA memberswould feel quite at home.

Travelling south from the Memorial to theCuster State Park is the Iron MountainRoad. An impressive piece of engineeringwith many twists, turns, pigtails (spirals tous), bridges and tunnels. It was designedby an engineer whose brief was to makethe journey exciting, memorable and togive the best long distance views of theMemorial.

So he started off by selecting the bestridges from which to see the heads, thenblasting tunnels through the ridge to framethe view, and then joining up those tunnelswith one of the best roads ever to driveand enjoy. Indeed, many drivers andmotor cyclists visit the area just for theexperience.

Mount Rushmore



At the Monument site itself there is a visitorcentre, shop, performance arena and aviewing terrace. In addition is the mostimpressive display of patriotism you couldimagine, The . On bothsides of the Avenue, leading up to theviewing area, are stone pillars, holding theflags and giving the accession dates of allthe states in the USA. So that Americanscan go to find their own State, and thensee it in context with the rest of the States.

A non-American visitor can gain a sense ofhistory, and of both the independence and

also the interdependence of all the statesin the Union.

The heads themselves are huge. Noses areabout 20 feet long, eyes eleven feet wideand mouths about 18 feet wide. 400labourers, mostly from the ranks of theunemployed, worked on the memorial.About 450,000 tons of rock were blastedfrom the mountain. An idea of the quantityof the work is demonstrated by the hugeboulder field of waste rock that lies at thefoot of the mountain.

The visitor centre (or center, in American)is very informative, with both staticdisplays and film shows of the constructionand history of the memorial. The whole ofone wall is dominated by one photographshowing a workman on a face. Judge foryourself.

The memories linger on, but no words arereally adequate to describe the experience.Just go and see it for yourself.

We were fortunate to visit in the summerof 2018 in the company of two very goodAmerican friends who have shown usmany parts of the USA.

Mount Rushmore



September 27th saw Natural ResourcesWales hold several events to mark theCentenary of the Forestry Commission.

Chris and Margaret Griffiths, together withDavid and Ann Williams were present atGwydyr Uchaf, Gwydyr Forest. Chris was,at one time the F.D.M. there.

John Morgan and Bob Farmer, both pastDirectors (Wales) were at Llanafan.

In addition there was an event at ClocaenogForest. The FCA were well represented withnine members: Eifion and Llinos Jones, Lesand Sue Starling, Jean and Arthur Miller,John Roe, Andy Phillips and Phil Lloyd. Wehad all been involved in Clocaenog and thesurrounding District over the years.

The events included a walk up to PincynLlys, at the top of the forest, where thereis a tower commemorating the originalplanting of 1830 on the old hunting estate,together with a plaque marking the first FCplanting in 1930. This time there was a treeplanting and a notice to commemorate thecentenary.

Amongst the large group of people who hadmade the trip, there were severalyoungsters, children and grandchildren ofthe current staff. Part of their fun was toleap in and out of the planting hole, toensure that it was deep enough!

After a gentle stroll back down the hill wewere treated to hot drinks and biscuits anda steady round of socialising and catchingup with all the news, making new friendsand linking up with old friends.

It was an obvious photo opportunity, as thepictures will show. One highlight was a timeline. We all stood on one long row with themost senior FC member on the left, and themost junior of NRW on the right. There wasalso a group photograph of just present andcurrent staff.

Enjoy the pictures, see who you can spot.There were too many people present toidentify everyone.

In the evening we all repaired to a localhostelry for a very good evening meal andmuch more socialising.

The FCA members were well received bythe current staff, who made us all feel bothwelcome and appreciated.

Our thanks go to Bruce Theobald and FfionHughes for arranging the day and makingit feel so special.

Despite all the difficulties of recent years,it was gratifying and pleasing to see thatthe standards of the Forestry Commissionwere being upheld and maintained.

Forestry Commission Centenary Event - Wales

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If you have any news, announcements or forthcomingevents, post or e-mail the details to the editor. Contactdetails are on the back page of this magazine.

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John & Menna Roe



Walking Scotland's Lost Railways: TrackBeds Rediscovered

Scotland still has hundreds of miles of disman-tled railways and the track beds give scope formany walks. Some track beds have been'saved' as Tarmacadam walkway/cyclewayroutes while others have become well-troddenlocal walks. The remainder range from good,to overgrown, to well-nigh impassable inwalking quality. This book provides a handyguide to trackbed walks with detailed informa-tion and maps. It is enhanced by numerousblack and white old railway photographs,recalling those past days, and by colouredphotographs that reflect the post-Beechingchanges.

The integral hand-crafted maps identify the oldrailway lines and the sites of stations, most ofwhich are now unrecognisable. The 'RailwayAge' is summarised and describes the changefrom 18th century wagon ways and horsetraction to the arrival of steam locomotivesc.1830. The fierce rivalry that then ensuedbetween the many competing companies asrailway development proceeded at a fasterpace is recounted. Although walkers may beunaware of the tangled history of thedevelopment of the railway system during theVictorian era, many will have heard of, orexperienced, the drastic 1960s cuts of theBeeching axe. However, in more recent timesScotland has experienced a railway revival -principally in the Greater Glasgow area but withnew stations and station re-openingselsewhere. The long awaited 30-mile BordersRailway from Edinburgh to Tweedbank, thelongest domestic railway to be built in Britainfor more than a century, is something on a verydifferent scale. Early passenger numbers haveexceeded expectations and towns served bythe line have seen significant economicbenefits.The walks offer a fascinating and variedselection of routes that can fill an afternoon, aday or a long weekend.



When war was declared in 1939, Britain wasalmost completely dependent on importedtimber – but only had seven months of itstockpiled. Timber was critical to the wareffort: it was needed for everything fromaircraft and shipbuilding to communicationsand coal mining. The British timber tradewas in trouble. Enter the Lumberjills.

Lacking in both men and timber, thegovernment made a choice. Reluctantly,they opened lumber work for women toapply – and apply they did. The Women’sTimber Corps had thousands of memberswho would prove themselves as strong andas smart as any man: they felled andcrosscut trees by hand, operated sawmills,and ran whole forestry sites. They may nothave been on the front line, but they foughttheir own battles on the home front forrespect and equality. And in the midst ofheavy labour and wartime, they lived a life,making firm friends and even finding soulmates. In Lumberjills, researcher JoannaFoat tells their story for the first time, andgives them the recognition they so trulydeserve.



Dear Richard,

I have had a dig into the Getty websitewhich has the original much better versionof the photograph below. The listing on theGetty website states the photograph wastaken on 12th May 1960, when plans werediscussed to conserve the Black Wood ofRannoch.

Unfortunately there is a cost to get theimage legally and we will have to pass onthat and forgo showing it on the FM websiteunless someone has a FC owned copy.

https://www.getty images.co.uk/deta i l /news-photo/members-of-the-forestry-commission-consult-a-map-whilst-news-photo/3400381?adppopup=true

I have had some good fortune on the imagedetails and gathered some names fromDuncan Menzies who was a forester inRannoch at this time. He has named mostof them and I have managed to name one,thus leaving one chap still to be sorted.

As Prof H M Steven was chair of East ScotlandConservancy RAC, I believe this was partiallya RAC information gathering meeting.

The people have been named as followsfrom the left:

1. ? RAC Member?2. Willie J Riddoch

3. Frank Oliver

4. Pat Garrow

5. Prof Stevens

6. Sam Petrie

7. Davie Woodburn

Any comments welcome.

Norman Davidsonwww.forestry-memories.org.uk

Letters to the Editor

12

34 5 6 7

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/members-of-the-forestry-commission-consult-a-map-whilst-news-photo/3400381?adppopup=true





Dear Richard,

I have read the Summer edition of FCAToday in one bash - just couldn't put itdown! What an interesting collection ofmemories and reports.

I would like to particularly mention both theThetford items (AGM report & TreasureTrove in Thetford), Dick Ayre's article onpest and disease import control, but aboveall, Graham Gill's account of the William'sCleugh Pine Pollinations 2013.

We see and hear so much aboutenvironmental issues and impendingdisasters, yet on the ground there are thosewho quietly go about conserving anddeveloping the richness of our naturalheritage, who frankly deserve a medal.

The latter is a figure of speech, becausesaid gongs are handed out to so calledcelebrities like confetti and this projectspeaks volumes for the dedication ofconservation staff and volunteers whodeserve our heartfelt thanks.

My first letter to you, the Editor, it will bea shame, but it seems that FCA Today maynot see another edition. In spite of this, Isend the above, hopefully those contribu-tors I have mentioned will somehow learnof my appreciation.

Yours sincerely,

David Holloway

Letters to the Editor

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FCA Today is an FCA productionEditor: Richard Toleman, Manuel Stables, Linlithgow, EH49 6JF. Tel: 01506 845575. e-mail: [email protected]

FCA Liaison Officer: Charles DickensFCA Today editor: Richard Toleman

e-mail Group membership enquiries to: [email protected]

Forestry Commission Association Organisers

FCA Today on Facebook

I have set up a FCA Today Facebookpage. Those with an account can searchfor FCA Today to become a member. Ifyou don't have an account, I recommendyou access the site shown below to setone up.

Simply follow the steps shown - they arequite straightforward. Once you're signedup, search for the FCA Today group tobecome a member, then you candisseminate information as and when youlike.

Alternatively, there are a myriad of sitesto assist in setting up Facebook, if youdon't like this one, just type 'How to setup a Facebook account' into your browser.

http://www.wikihow.com/Set-up-a-Facebook-Account

If there are enough articles, the next issue of the FCA Today magazine will beavailable on the www.fca-today.com website in April 2020.

Articles for inclusion in the next issue of the magazine should be sent to the editorbefore 1st March 2020.

The publication dates of the FCA Today magazine are: - Spring edition: 5th April,Summer edition: 5th August and Winter edition: December.

FCA Today Magazine

Do you have any articles for publication in this magazine?

Send your articles to the editorby e-mail to: [email protected]

by post to: Richard Toleman, Manuel Stables, Linlithgow, EH49 6JF.

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]



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