Talk:Helmsdale

Chain Home

Sorry for mis-type! jmb 19:57, 30 April 2006 (UTC)

I changed "Loth" to "Crakaig", because that's where it was built. I then thought to myself, but it's called "Loth", so I went back to change it accordingly - you'd beaten me too it! :) Lianachan 20:21, 30 April 2006 (UTC)

I don't suppose you know anything about the CHL at Navidale? There are reports that it was on top of the hotel at one time. jmb 19:57, 30 April 2006 (UTC)

All I know about the Navidale station is that it opened in the summer of 1941 and was placed on a care and maintenance basis in December 1943. Centrimetric radar had been installed earlier in 1943 but was dismantled in 1944. Yes, the radar had been mounted on the hotel at one stage! There's about half a dozen buildings relating to the station still standing. Lianachan 20:24, 30 April 2006 (UTC)

PS If it helps with whatever your interest in them is, these are the CHL stations in Scotland that I am aware of:

• LEWIS, EORODALE, CHAIN HOME LOW RADAR STATION
• POINT OF STOER, MEALL AN SGRIOBAIN, CHAIN HOME LOW RADAR STATION
• LEIRINBEG, SANGO CHAIN HOME LOW RADAR STATION
• LOTH, CHAIN HOME RADAR STATION
• NAVIDALE, CHAIN HOME LOW RADAR STATION
• DUNNET HEAD, CHAIN HOME LOW RADAR STATION
• THRUMSTER, CHAIN HOME RADAR STATION
• HILL OF ULBSTER, CHAIN HOME LOW RADAR STATION
• SOUTH RONALDSAY, WARD HILL, CHAIN HOME LOW RADAR STATION
• BARRA, GREIAN HEAD, GHREIN, CHAIN HOME LOW RADAR STATION
• BENBECULA, BORVE CASTLE, CHAIN HOME BEAM RADAR STATION
• HARRIS, RODELPARK, CHAIN HOME LOW RADAR STATION
• SKYE, KENDROM, CHAIN HOME LOW RADAR STATION
• CROMARTY, SOUTH SUTOR, CHAIN HOME LOW RADAR STATION
• ABERDEEN, DOONIES HILL CHAIN HOME LOW RADAR STATION
• HILLHEAD, CHAIN HOME RADAR STATION
• COWSRIEVE, COCKLAW, CHAIN HOME LOW RADAR STATION
• TIREE, BEINN HOUGH, CHAIN HOME LOW RADAR STATION
• DOUGLAS WOOD, CHAIN HOME RADAR STATION
• KINGSMUIR, NAVAL CHAIN HOME LOW RADAR STATION
• THE LAW, CHAIN HOME LOW RADAR STATION
• ST CYRUS, SCOTSTON OF KIRKSIDE, CHAIN HOME LOW RADAR STATION
• SCHOOLHILL, CHAIN HOME RADAR STATION
• ISLAY, KILCHIARAN, CHAIN HOME LOW RADAR STATION
• DIRLETON, GROUND CONTROL INTERCEPT RADAR STATION
• DRONE HILL, CHAIN HOME RADAR STATION
• DUNSOUR, NORTH CAIRN, CHAIN HOME RADAR STATION, TECHNICAL SITE
• UNST, SKAW, THE GARTHS, CHAIN HOME RADAR STATION
• WATS NESS, CHAIN HOME LOW RADAR STATION
• NOSS HILL, CHAIN HOME RADAR STATION
• SUMBURGH, CHAIN HOME LOW RADAR STATION
• KNOWE OF CRUSTAN, CHAIN HOME LOW RADAR STATION
• DEERNESS, THE WARD, CHAIN HOME LOW RADAR STATION
• SANDAY, WHALE HEAD CHAIN HOME RADAR STATION, REMOTE RESERVE
• SANDAY, WHALE HEAD CHAIN HOME RADAR STATION
• LEWIS, BRENISH, MEALISTA, CHAIN HOME RADAR STATION
• LEWIS, DRUIM GRUNAVAT, ISLIVIG, CHAIN HOME LOW RADAR STATION
• LEWIS, EYE PENINSULA, BROAD BAY, CHAIN HOME RADAR STATION

Lianachan 20:30, 30 April 2006 (UTC)

Been to quite a few of those! Where did you get the list? I have been looking for a list with NGRs. I must send the details of Navidale in to the RCAHMS and Highland SMR and I think they have very little on the site. The two remaining buildings at Navidale are the Main Engine House and Standby Set House - I think the larger one to the South was the main one. There is the base of the CHL building - very characteristic with channels in the floor. There should be the remains of the gantry at one end but too overgrown. Two air raid shelters, base of the guard house at the West side of the A9 and the base of something else on the other side. "Army" hut by the side of the A9. A friend in London sent me a copy of a wartime(?) sketch of the layout of the site.

The book RDF1 is an excellent history of WWII radar. I put a link at the bottom of the Chain Home page to an Isle of Man document, it has lots of information on buildings at radar sites. A lady from one of the houses there said there were masts further up the road i.e. North up the A9 but I think she was thinking of the modern telecom site on hilltop a few miles North. I was told this by the Historic Radar Archive "Interestingly, Navidale must have been one of the earliest single gantry CHLs, being built as such right from the start. Most such stations became operational in 1942, although there were some in 1941 which is why they were known as 1941 type CHL. Navidale became operational in August 1941, so it would have been quite advanced for the personnel working there." jmb 20:55, 30 April 2006 (UTC)

I got that list, and my info on Navidale, from RCAHMS. You could use their CANMORE database to get NGRs for them. I could probably photograph some of the sites for you if you'd be interested. I drove past a few of them today! Lianachan 21:14, 30 April 2006 (UTC)

PS Extremely good work on your Google Earth placemarks of WW2 airfields. You've not done seaplane bases yet, I notice, which explains the lack of RAF Alness (first thing I went looking for). I'm guessing a similar project is why you're chasing NGRs for CHL :) Lianachan 21:25, 30 April 2006 (UTC)

I have pictures of Loth and Navidale so unless you find some more buildings! I am doing a trip around some sites up the East coast with three members of Subterranea Britannica at the beginning of June.--jmb 22:05, 30 April 2006 (UTC)

I use RCAHMS regularly and was going to go through it to collect all the NGRs for CHL but not got around to it yet. The Highland Museums SMR is also very good and they welcome photographs being submitted for any sites that do not have one. I suspect there might have been another CD radar station near Tarbat Ness at Hilton Farm. There are some military buildings there and the farmer said he demolished some others. There was no record in any of the books but a friend has found a reference to what might be the site in the National Archives.--jmb 22:05, 30 April 2006 (UTC)

Thanks about the airfield etc set of Placemarks. It was just that the book I used has a list of airfields with Lat/Long but the list of seaplane bases did not have them though should be easy to find. There are some airfields missing as well but there were lots of small ones. I would like to add a set of Placemarks for the various types of WWII radar stations and ROTOR sites, just a matter of finding the information and collecting it together. --jmb 22:05, 30 April 2006 (UTC)

Gold mining

I notice that someone has removed the Gold Mining in Scotland category. Gold was extracted commercially at Kildonan [1] so I would have thought it thought the category should stand even if there were no actual mines dug. It does not seem necessary to start a new category so that it is absolutely accurate. --jmb 12:27, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

I removed it. I know all about the Kildonan gold, and was in fact the first person to mention it here (and added it to the gold rush page too). Maybe I know too much about it - but I removed it because there was never a mine. If that's seen as pedantic, and there's no need to be absoultely accurate (isn't this supposed to be an encyclopedia?) then by all means put it back. Lianachan 15:54, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

Maybe the category is misnamed, should be Gold extraction in Scotland? Laurel Bush (talk) 12:09, 5 February 2008 (UTC).

Perhaps should be noted that the Wikipedia Gold mining page includes gold panning, sluicing, dredging and hydraulic "mining". Gold extraction sounds clumsy to me even though it is technically more accurate. --jmb (talk) 17:08, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Inn

Is there more than one inn? And is it necessary or appropriate to give the name of any one? Laurel Bush (talk) 12:11, 5 February 2008 (UTC).

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