WARTIME HERITAGE TRAILS EXPLORING KINTYRE

West Side of Kintyre - Campbeltown to Tarbert - A83

Dickie's Boat Yard, Tarbert -

During the war this yard, founded in 1885 by Archibald Dickie, was very busy building and overhauling motor launches and motor torpedo boats for The Admiralty.

Balinakill Hotel, Clachan -

This was once the country house of Sir William Mackinnon, co-founder of Keil Technical School for Boys that opened in Southend in 1915. In 1924 the school had moved to Helensburgh but,because of the threat of enemy action there, the pupils and staff took up residence in Balinakill House for the durationof the war.

Balure Bombing Range -

A bombing range was built on the west side of Kintyre, just north of Tayinloan within theboundaries of Balure Farm, with towers south - NGR 692 490 and north - NGR 71 3 503 of a central 'plot' tower -NGR 705 499. The bombing target was a structure built on top of Sgor Cainnteach, a rock immediately out offshore.In 1943, a wrecked cargo steamer was placed off Gigha as a target ship. Wrens who came up daily from HMS Landrailat Machnhanish staffed the observation posts.

Argyll Arms Hotel, Bellochantuy -

This was the site of an early war incident. Stray machine gun bullets from what was later thought to be an RAF plane hit a garage shed opposite the hotel. Although shell cartridges were found, itisn't clear why either a British or an enemy aircraft would have aimed at that target.

Cefoil Seaweed Factory, near Putechan -

Remains of a seaweed factory opened in 1934 that was owned by CefoilLimited based in Maidenhead. This factory processed seaweed into products of wartime value such as camouflagepaint, parachute silk, cellophane paper etc. It was closed in 1942 and the production transferred to newly-built factoriesnear Oban and at Girvan.

Tangy Road Block - NGR 653 278 -

Roadblocks were under police control and only rarely manned.

Breackachy Radio Station - NGR 671 268 -

Above the Tangy road HMS Landrail erected a radio station matching the one at Drumlemble. This has now been converted into holiday cottages changing its appearance considerably.

Tangy Rd/Drumalea Farm - Dummy Airfield - NGR. 66S 269 -

A generator installation was set up to power acarefully positioned set of dummy airfield landing lights - NGR 667 221 - which were lit up when enemy bombers were detected in its vicinity. This was installed to divert the enemy from the Fleet Air Arm installations atMachrihanish. The generator building was manned by a small group of Campbeltown-based men during the hours of darkness.

From Campbeltown to Machrihanish - B843

Dalyvaddy Farm - Strath Airfield - NGR 677 199 -

When in 1933 civilian scheduled flights were started inKintyre, this field, the Mitchell's field at The Strath, next to the old 1918 airfield, was the preferred landing place. Anaircraft hangar and two other brick buildings erected beside Dalyvaddy Farm still survive.

Drumlemble Radio Station - NGR 662 188 -

Erected by RN Fleet Air Arm to divert German bombers.

Ugadale Arms Hotel, Machrihanish -

This hotel, later called The Machrihanish Hotel, was built in 1898. TheFleet Air Arm requisitioned it as accommodation for their personnel.

Machrihanish Air Station -

The original Machrihanish airfield, constructed in 1918, had become disused after WWI. The flat land of The Laggan, between Campoeitown and Machrihanish, was perfect for an airfield and between1940 and 1941 the English-based firm of Sunley's constructed a new airfield for The Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm, itcalled HMS Landrail. Over the war years it was to be home to over 200 air squadrons flying Swordfish, Chesapeakes,Blenheims, Masters and Fulmars and would become one of the three busiest front-line air stations in the UK. Thebase of convoy escort squadrons and anti-submarine squadrons, the airfield was closed in 1946. N.B. The Royal Navy calls its aerodromes, like its on-shore buildings, as if they were ships. They are distinguished by being called by thenames of birds - Landrail is another name for the corncrake.

Machrihanish Gun Emplacement - NGR 650 211 -Machrihanish Observation Post - NGR 677199 -

Built beside the site of the Fessenden Radio Mast.

South of Campbeltown

Keil Hotel, Southend - NGR 676 078 -

In 1939 Captain James Taylor, a retired farmer, saw his newly built, 28-bedroomed, 'Keil Hotel' requisitioned by The Admiralty, based in Campbeltown, as a hospital. It would not open asa hotel until after the end of the war.

Davaar Island Observation Post - NGR761 206

- This post was built just beside the lighthouse but functionally was unrelated to the east coast bombing range.

East Side of Kintyre - Campbeltown - Skipness - B842

Boom Defence Depot -

In November 1941 an anti-submarine boom was laid out across the entrance toCampbeltown Loch between Trench Point and Davaar Island. The 'boom' was a steel net, reaching 90 feet deep andabout 2000 feet long. Two officers, three WRENs and twenty-two ratings serviced 'the boom'. It was removed in July 1945, a job which took several weeks to complete.

Kilchousland Gun Emplacement(s) - NGR 752 223 -

These emplacements, obviously intended to protect theentrance to Campbeltown Loch, were never fitted out. However, German U-Boats were active off the coast and U-33secretly visited Carradale in November 1939 but was spotted by a school bus user who 'phoned the navy control roomin Greenock. HMS Gleaner sank the U-33 off Pladda in February 1940 while on an expedition to mine the approachesto the Clyde.

Glen Lussa House - NGR 763 254 -

Unoccupied at the time, the house was requisitioned as accommodation for The Women's Land Army. Twelve girls occupied the six bedrooms.

Kildonan Road Block - NCR 780278 -Carradale Observation Post - NGR 833 817 -

The original 1939-1945 lookout post was sited on the Castle Hill atCarradale golf course. This site is now used as a shelter for golfers, the post-war observation post consisted of underground rooms, situated on the Shore Hills and the bunker is still there. It was closed in 1992.

Crossaig Bombing Range - NGR 838 522 and NGR 833 506 -

A Swordfish aircraft crashed on the beach atCrossaig, near Skipness, when using the bombing range. One of the WRENs working on one of the nearby observation posts managed to pull one of the airmen from the wreck but he did not survive the accident.

Crossaig Observation Posts - NGR 838 522 and NGR 833 506 -D-Day Gunnery Range - Kilbrannan Sound -

In the months leading up to the D-Day landings, Royal Navy shipsconducted gunnery practice from Kilbrannan Sound onto remote areas in the Kintyre hills. The target was a small lochbetween Ballochroy and Crossaig. Up in Ballochroy Glen can still be found a sign warning 'persons entering' the areaof danger of unexploded shells.

Skipness Observation Posts - NGR 912 575 and NGR 898 573 -Skipness Bombing Range - NGR 910574 -

On the south side of the cemetery, a concrete arrow, now partovergrown but still well visible, points southwards to the start of what was the bombing range on the east side of Kintyre.Sunley's, an English company contracted to build all the new facilities out at Machnhanish for the RN Fleet Air Arm, were also assigned to build the area's observation posts. All these constructions were built in a highly recognisable typeof red brick, an unfamiliar building material in Kintyre.

In and Around Campbeltown

Campbeltown War Memorial -

This was erected by public subscription (over £3,000 was raised by some 2,000subscribers) to commemorate Campbeltown men who gave their lives during WWI - 349 men were killed. Thememorial was designed by architect Alexander N. Paterson and, after several years of prevarification about its siting, was finally unveiled on November 3, 1923 - After WWII, the names of the fallen were added to those fallen in WWI.

Royal Hotel, Kinloch Road -

Requisitioned in part as an officers' mess for the ASDIC (Anti-Submarine Detectionand Interception Corps) trainees. On November 6, 1940, during the first of only two direct enemy attacks thatCampbeltown experienced during the war, The Royal Hotel was partly destroyed by bombs from a single Germanplane. Two people lost their lives in the attack.

Victoria Hall -

Home to the Kintyre Territorial detachments of The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders since it wasbuilt in 1918, the Victoria Hall was requisitioned as accommodation for the ratings of the Rescue Tug Service based inCampbeltown during the war. The officers of the service stayed on two yachts moored in the harbour and kitted outfor the purpose, the 'Minona' and the 'Majesta'. In November 1940, during the first enemy attack on Campbeltown,the Victoria Hall's clock tower was damaged and had to be demolished. The Rescue Tug Service Base was closed inDecember 1945.

Albert Halls, Kinloch Road -

Belonging to the Lowland Free Church, the halls were taken over by Argyll County Council as the official centre for the Air Raid Precaution services (ARP). Here were held the stocks of equipmentnecessary for the protection of people during air raids or enemy attacks. Campbeltown's first 54 ARP wardens wereappointed in August 1939.

Kinloch Mission Hall, Kinloch Road -

The hall belonged to the Free Church and in 1939 was taken over by ArgyllCounty Council to become a gymnasium for displaced Grammar School pupils. For a little while the hall was a depotfor the collection of sphagnum moss - an initiative of John (Jack) Craig of The County Garage. The moss was usedfor the making of surgical dressings for war hospitals. The depot moved to John Street and the hall became a centrefor The Home Guard.

Kinloch Park -

In May 1942, a small parcel of land of the park (opposite the present-day Tesco supermarket)belonging to the Town Council was requisitioned by The Admiralty in 1942 for use by The Air-Sea Rescue Service. The Town Council was to receive 5 shillings (25p) per annum in compensation.

Kinloch School - Millknowe and Dalintober -

This school became the recipient of all the evacuee children thatcame to Campbeltown. These were both the so-called Government evacuees, evacuated on the Government scheme,as well as 'private' evacuees who had come under arrangements made by parents or guardians. According to the schoollog book, there were still evacuees attending in 1946.

Lochend Free Church Hall -

Now demolished, but at the time on the site of today's Tesco car park, this hall wasalso used as a training centre for the Rescue Tug Service.

Dalintober/Lochruan Housing Scheme - Princes Street/High Street -

In 1942, The Admiralty requisitionedthis scheme of new council housing, whilst still in the process of being built. Renamed 'Nimrod B', the complexprovided additional accommodation for Royal Navy personnel when the Grammar School became overcrowded. Thescheme was released from Admiralty use in 1946.

Dalintober Primary School, High Street -

After the Grammar School had been requisitioned, the west building of Dalintober School, which was not in use, was made into eight classrooms for displaced pupils.

Albyn Distillery Warehouse, The Roading -

The basement of the distillery was temporarily requisitioned inDecember 1941 by Argyll County Council as an emergency mortuary. It was relinquished in June 1942.

Longrow South -

The 'Victory Club' for servicemen was situated on the south side of the street between today'schemist's shop and The Bank of Scotland.

Locarno 'Middle' Café, Longrow -

Now 'Gallerie 10', one of three cafés run by the Grumoli family.