Bute might feature in the BBC’s Coast series

Although it’s only a rumour, it’s being suggested that the Isle of Bute could be seen in the BBC popular ‘Coast’ series:

BUTE could feature in a future series of the BBC’s Coast documentary series, the island’s tourism and marketing group has been told.

The annual general meeting of VisitBute this week heard that the makers of the popular programme had shown an interest in examining the island’s role in the Second World War and in filming Rothesay’s famous Victorian toilets for possible inclusion in a future episode.

Bute in line to feature on ‘Coast’ – Local Headlines – The Buteman

The island played a significant role in the conflict, and its contribution is probably not the most widely known.

Much of the background to Bute’s role can be found here:

Isle of Bute V-Day

The Kyles Hydropathic Hotel at Port Bannatyne was requisitioned to serve as HMS Varbel, where much of the testing and training for Britain’s secret X-Craft was carried out, as was most of the training for Britain’s submariners.

Sadly, the grand hotel was unable to survive the cheap package holiday deals of the 1970s, and was demolished, but can be seen in the memorial picture below (if you cannot read the text, please click on the image to see the original):

Kyles Hydropathic memorial © Zak

Further pics of the memorial garden at Port Bannatyne can be seen here, and here.

Although relatively small, Bute also had boatyards which were pressed into service to repair was damaged vessels.

Poppyscotland 2011

It’s hard to believe that yet another year has passed since I made our traditional mention of the annual poppy appeal, in particular our own Poppyscotland local variation on the national theme.

I make this small contribution to maintaining awareness of this appeal, since so many of the secret, or lost, items which can be identified around Scotland have a basis somewhere in the two great conflicts, and even today, we are discovering formerly unknown links to that past, as archives are trawled, and sealed records opened.

Sadly, the chances of discovering any new revelations from survivors are now dwindling rapidly, and we can only hope that those who have remained silent will share their knowledge, before it is perhaps lost forever.

This year, at least as I make this post, it is not tarnished by some tale of bottom-feeders having stolen donations – although I suspect that is more likely to be my failure to detect this, rather than its absence somewhere in the land.

There is however, an act of disrespect and desecration to past heroes and their memorial, with the increasing occurrence of theft of statues, plaques, and other metalwork from memorial (and not just war memorials) by metal thieves, and scrap metal dealers with no scruples, who are happy to part with untraceable cash in exchange for items which the seller obviously can have no right to be disposing of. BOTH deserve to be caught and dealt with harshly by the authorities. The crime is bad enough, and the addition of insult needs to be dealt with similarly.

BBC News – Metal thieves target Britain’s war memorials

On a more positive note, Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory celebrated its 90th anniversary this year:

A Scottish Government minister has paid tribute to veterans who work at the country’s only poppy factory.

On Tuesday, Transport and Housing Minister Keith Brown, who is responsible for veterans’ issues, visited Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory in Edinburgh.

The factory employs disabled veterans to hand-assemble the poppies and wreaths which form a key part of Armistice Day ceremonies.

Every year more than five million poppies and 8000 wreaths are produced for the annual Scottish Poppy Appeal, which is marking its 90th year.

The 40 former servicemen employed at the factory have just finished making the poppies for this year’s appeal, and are now starting on next year’s consignment.

Mr Brown said: “The Scottish Poppy Appeal run by Poppyscotland is a fantastic example of the respect and pride we bestow on our war veterans. Without the funding raised by the appeal, many simply would have nowhere else to turn for support.

“In many respects, the issues facing our armed forces as they return from battle are similar to what they would have been 90 years ago when the poppy appeal was established.

“Over the years there has been a tremendous amount of money donated and, as our military involvement continues to grow, so too does the need for us to support our ex-servicemen and women.”

Poppy factory celebrates 90th anniversary of appeal | Edinburgh News | STV Local

Glasgow memorial to victims of Arandora sinking opens May 16, 2011

Proposed some three years ago, and funded with the help of donations from the Scottish-Italian community, a memorial to those who lost their lives in the sinking of the Blue Star liner Arandora Star, en route to Canada with German and Italian ‘enemy aliens’ – unwanted German and Italian civilians – and PoWs (prisoners of war), will be opened in the garden of St Andrews Cathedral, Glasgow, on Monday, May 16, 2011.

805 lives were lost when the liner was torpedoed by a German submarine, in waters off the west coast of Ireland, among them some 100 Scots-Italians sailing from Liverpool to St John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. Of 1,216 detainees on board, 586 survived.

The ceremony to open the Italian cloister Garden will be attended by 91-year-old Rando Bertoia, the only living survivor of the Arandora Star, Archbishop of Glasgow Mario Conti, and First Minister Alex Salmond.

Memorial to victims who died in wartime disaster to officially open next week | Glasgow and West | STV News.

Arandora Star

Remembrance 2010 and spoilers

I don’t really know what has kept me so diverted, or if things have been particularly low key this year, but it was only when I arrived at the shops last night I really noticed my first proper poppy event – with some Army personnel doing their stuff around the checkouts.

Maybe I’m not watching enough ‘live’ TV nowadays – the current love affair it seems to have with the talentless (nobodies who seem to think they have talent) and the worthless (celebrities who seem to think they are gods) – means I’ve retreated to channels that serve up programmes made in the days when television was not just a medium for personal promotion and blatant sponsorship.

Anyway, that is tangential and irrelevant to the subject, and I just want to make sure we make our little contribution to the appeal (because so many of the little-known subjects we describe have wartime connections or origins) by giving it a mention.

Last year was marred by the story of a couple caught on video while stealing a Poppy Appeal container with donations.

This year, I spotted a story about an anti-poppy demonstration which took place at Celtic Park, noted because it is not far from me. Apparently this is becoming a regular occurrence, and the club has been slated for not doing more to prevent its re-occurrence. I’ve no idea if it’s the club’s fault or not – it ‘s not that hard to sneak a protest banner in after all given the flags etc that fans carry – they’d have to ban the lot to be effective. The real shame is that this sort of thing continues to show a lack of respect, and that the real story of today.

Click on the image or button below for further details of the Poppy Appeal, and how you might be able to help:

Ross-shire museum call for Arctic Convoy veterans

The opportunity to mention the Arctic Convoys of World War II seems to arise most years (search the Blog to find more posts), and this one is no exception.

This time, the reason is a call from members of the Russian Arctic Convoy Club Scotland for a local museum to focus on the convoys which overwhelmingly sailed from Loch Ewe. Following the German invasion of Russia, deep Loch Ewe in Wester Ross became one of the UK’s most important bases for marshalling convoys of vital supplies destined for the Russian allies.

Between February 1942 and December 1944, 19 convoys totalling 481 ships set out from Loch Ewe, bound for Murmansk or Archangel in the north of Russia.

The route was around occupied Norway to the Soviet sea ports and was particularly dangerous both because of the proximity of German forces and the horrendous weather they encountered, as well as drifting icebergs. Over 100 merchant ships from the convoys fell victim to German U-Boats or aircraft, and over 800 merchant seamen lost their lives. The white berets which the veterans proudly wear are symbolic of the Arctic weather they battled through, in one of the bitterest and most prolonged campaigns of the war.

Highland MSP Rob Gibson said he was proud to be invited to speak at and join the remembrance service at Cove on Loch Ewe for the 3,000 seamen lost in the convoys. and joined survivors of the World War II Arctic convoys at the weekend to promote a museum to their achievements in Ross-shire.

Further details can be found here:

Museum call for Arctic veterans – North Star

Fifty years since Dounreay generated nuclear power

According to the archives, it is now fifty years since the reactor at Dounreay in Cathness first went critical, and electrical power was genereated on November 14, 1949.

This was an event of further significance, as it was also the first time that nuclear power would be generated using fast breeder reactor technology. The great dome at Dounreay had been constructed to contain the results of any mishaps. Fast breeder technology was new and untested. Unlike gas or water cooled reactors, the nuclear core was taken past the point of simple criticality to generate heat, and operated at a much higher power level, such that the uranium fuel was converted, or bred, into plutonium, and giving the the fast breeder its name.

In order to harvest the heat of the intensified reaction, it was necessary to replace the more usual gas or water cooling with something that could carry more heat energy. This was achieved using a liquid metal known as NaK, an alloy of sodium and potassiu, of which the Dounreay reactor contained almost 170,000 litres. Although effective at controlling the intense heat, the alloy is toxic and poses a serious risk to health. It also ignites on contact with air, and reacts violently with water.

However, such reactors are extremely compact, and prove useful for nuclear power vessels, and explains the development of the Vulcan Naval Reactor Test Establishment next door.

The former nuclear reactor site is being restored by Dounreay Site Restoration Limited (DSRL), which has just been taken over by Babcock International Group, a move which marks the end of the UK Atomic Energy Authority’s presence at Dounreay after 55 years, and also completes the privatisation of the entire workforce at the site.

The DSRL site contains numerous archives relating to the Dounreay, including documents, photographs, and videos, such as shown below:

Remembrance and respect

Since many of the items which interest us arose during the war, I like to take the opportunity to mention Remembrance Sunday and the Poppy Appeal, which is now PoppyScotland here.

I never quite know what to write, since this is a recurring event, but had been mulling over the significance this year of the absence of any survivors from the first great conflict, as the last survivor – Harry Patch, known as The Last Tommy – passed away earlier this year, aged 111 years and 38 days, and the last surviving soldier to have fought in the trenches of the World War I.

It had never occurred to me before, but when I noticed his birthday fell in 1898, it reminded me that my own grandfather had lied about his age so that he could join up during World War I, but I don’t know exactly when. Whatever the events, it wasn’t something he mentioned often, and  I don’t recall the details now, as he did live to a fair age, but his later years were ruined thanks to a lifetime of tobacco – it may not have killed him outright, but it led to a series of strokes, ruined his circulation, and all but destroyed his ability to walk. Despite this, he fought to retain his independence right up to his last day, and insisted on living on his own. Possibly a characteristic of that generation.

Respect

However, I’ve cut short the thoughts I had on that subject, after I was diverted onto the topic of respect, which is something I believe is deeply entrenched in the spirit of Remembrance which we commemorate at this time.

This happened when I saw a recent BBC Scotland video report which allegedly show a woman, accompanied by a male who diverted the shop staff, stealing a Poppy appeal container.

I could probably waffle on for ages about how despicable this is, as in any sort of theft or crime carried out against those who depend on the charity of others in any way, but I think the cowardice and lack  of respect in the case of this particular action marks it out for special mention, and merely adding further words to its mention would be pointless

I prefer to simply give the couple, and their faces, the publicity they deserve, and let the world see this brave pair in action:

Even after Remembrance

2009 doesn’t seem to have been a good year for respect, and on the day after Remembrance Day, a poppy charity collection was was Stolen from the Marriot Hotel in Riverview Drive, Dyce.

No pictures this time though, and Grampian Police wish to trace a a man seen in the area, described as being in his 20s, about 6 feet tall, and dressed in dark clothing.

BBC NEWS | Scotland | North East/N Isles | Poppy money’s theft ‘despicable’

Valiant jetty damaged during installation

Valiant jetty en route to Faslane. Royal Navy picture and wallpaper.

We mentioned the journey of the completed Valiant floating jetty from Greenock’s Inchgreen dry dock to it’s home at HMNB Clyde Faslane a few weeks ago, and it seems that while the 12 mile journey passed without incident, things have not been quite so uneventful with the installation.

The jetty is reported to have been damaged during works to attach it to the piles which secure it in position, when drilling operations resulted in the entry of water into the cells which keep the structure afloat. Work was stopped to allow the water to be pumped out, and the installation continued, but the water had also caused damage to electrical installations within the jetty.

In a statement issued by the Royal Navy after the event, reports that the damage would take £2 million to repair were described as “hearsay”, and that assessors were still reviewing the damage. A categorical denial was also issued with regard to reports in the press that there had been  an explosion.

Until it is completely installed and accepted by the Royal Navy, the jetty remains the responsibility of the contractor, who remains responsible for the jetty until handover and acceptance.

The incident, and any subsequent delay, is not anticipated to have any effect on the Astute submarine programme, as the jetty is not a point of arrival for the Astute submarine.

Nelson’s Monument restoration work nears completion

Nelson's Monument © Peter Church

Announced last October, work on the restoration of Nelson’s Monument on Calton Hill began back in March, and is now reported to be nearing completion.

The monument carried the once essential time-ball, which was used to signal 13:00 GMT to the surrounding area, and the ships in the Firth of Forth, so that clocks could be set correctly each day. This was of particular importance to those at sea, as accurate knowledge of the time was essential for determining their position when they were out of sight of land.

The mechanism was damaged during storms in 2007, and was dismantled and removed to allow repairs to be carried out – the ball weighs some 762 kilogrammes, and was craned out to allow repairs to be carried out to the supporting structure.

The ball, constructed of wood and zinc, was returned to the tower this week, and is due to return to operation during August, once the final repairs to crumbling stonework and corroded banding on the monument has been completed.

Adam Wilkinson, Edinburgh World Heritage director, said: “This is great news for Edinburgh, and marks an important milestone in the Twelve Monuments Project.

“As the project has progressed we have learnt more about the importance of time-ball and its place among other mechanisms around the world. No longer will this great institution drop with an ignominious thunk, instead the repaired historic mechanism will ensure it glides to its resting place each day at one o’clock.”

Valiant floating jetty arrives at HMNB Clyde

HMNB Clyde, Faslane

A bit too far away for even my longest lens, so no pics, HMNB Clyde at Faslane took delivery of the massive Valiant Jetty this week, manoeuvred to the base by five tugs following its completion at the Inchgreen dry dock in Greenock, almost nine miles away.

The floating jetty will ease the work of the base by allowing up to six Astute class nuclear submarines to berth at the base, without the complications arising from their rise and fall with the tide. The jetty will move with them as the Gare Loch’s three metre tidal range raises and lowers the berthed vessels, and will be constrained by four massive piles at its corners, each said to be as long as Nelson’s column. At each end, a heavy steel “forepeak” provides a mooring for the submarines.

The jetty itself weighs some 44,000 tonnes with concrete walls half a metre thick, containing 12 watertight cells within the 200 metre long reinforced concrete structure, and cost £150 million.

If they don’t move the page again, clicking on the image below will take you to the Royal Navy’s report on Valiant’s arrival, where you can download this, and other images, as desktop wallpaper.

Valiant jetty en route to Faslane