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Newfoundland Loggers - Forestry Journal

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Lots of activity in the camp at Ballater. Note the logs being pulled by Garronponies.The autumn rains had turned theirtrails and tracks into muddy quagmires,unable to provide safe andsustainable routes for getting thelogs down to Ballater.The loggers seemed to be unconcernedwith this problem and continuedto cut down the trees withgreat gusto. They stacked themhigh up on the hills close to wherethey grew. As the log piles becamesteadily bigger those looking on hadno idea what the <strong>Newfoundland</strong>ershad in mind. The first onset of heavywinter snows soon allowed them toshow all and sundry just what theyhad been planning. The deep snowwas used to literally slide the logsoff the hillside on wooden sledgesdragged by Garron ponies.The work of the loggers washard, with ten-hour shifts, six daysa week, for a reward of only $2 perday, $1 of which they had to sendback home to <strong>Newfoundland</strong>. Fromthis money they also had to pay fortheir tools and clothing! They hadmost of their food prepared on siteand they supplemented their normaldiet of pickled beef and pork withbread, pies and cakes. They weresuspicious of many things that camefrom outside the camp, but they didenjoy attending the local Saturdaynight dances that took place inBallater and other surrounding villages.These allowed them a chanceto unwind from their daily toils andhard work on the hill.Such was the importance of thework, that when many of the loggersdecided at the end of theirinitial six-month contracts to enlistor to return home, the then DeputyPrime Minister, Clement Atlee, journeyednorth to persuade them howvital their work was to the overallwar effort. He was mostly successfulin his pleas and after this crisis moremen were recruited to the cause,this time on longer contracts thatwere for the duration of the war,and a potentially disastrous situationwas averted. Many, though,still wanted a chance to fight againstthe Nazi tyranny.Later the loggers did get theirchance to serve by forming theirvery own Home Guard unit; thisunit at its height had over 700<strong>Newfoundland</strong>ers in its ranks. Themen showed their commitment byspending most of their spare timetraining to defend the Highlandsagainst a German invasion. Theytrained on purpose-built assaultcourses and took part on many fieldexercises, but never had to face theenemy for real. Their commitmentto Britain’s war effort could notbe questioned; thirty-four graves invarious lonely cemeteries throughoutthe country are testimony tothis. The inclement weather andsome fatal accidents while carryingout their vital and dangerous workare the reasons noted on many ofthe headstones that stand alone inthese quiet country graveyards.Two years was all it took to stripPannanich wood and then the loggersmoved on to other camps. Bythe war’s end a massive reforestationwas required to make sure thatthese Scottish hillsides would returnto their former glory. A mixtureof native Scots pine and importedDouglas fir were used, perhaps fittingly,allowing a North Americanpresence to remain in the area yearsafter the loggers had left.Edgar Baird, the manager of theunit, was quoted at that time assaying that, following the replantingat Pannanich Wood, in 30 years’time the hill would be unrecognisableas the barren, desolate placeit was when the <strong>Newfoundland</strong>ersdeparted. For a period after this,Italian and German POWs took overthe recently vacated cabins, thusoffering yet another historical perspectiveto this Scottish woodland.1200 loggers remained to helpthis reforestation process and continuedto assist the forestry industryto get back to its pre-war productionlevels. In 1946 the unit wasofficially disbanded. By then manylocal workers had returned andtaken over the forestry labours. Themajority of the <strong>Newfoundland</strong>ersreturned home, some with localgirls, but a few were so taken by theHighlands that they actually marriedand settled in the area.A visit to Ballater nowadays,starting at the Old Royal Station,allows visitors the opportunity towatch the DVD A Bygone Forest.This short film, made by the Ballatergroup with the help of a grantfrom the Lottery and support fromthe <strong>Forestry</strong> Commission, retells theloggers’ story. It also provides a veryinteresting forerunner to the walkup to the actual campsite.The station, famous for its royalconnections, was the start of theexit route that the prepared timbertook as it was transported awayfrom the area southwards. It alsohad a popular bar which was frequentedby the loggers and localsduring the Second World War.Following the Lumberjack Trail upfrom Ballater, you literally stumbleacross the former camp site as youwalk around a corner on this beautifulwoodland walk.As you stand there in the forestit is possible to imagine thefar-gone cries of ‘timber’ that the<strong>Newfoundland</strong>ers must have madeas they felled tree after tree. Walkingthough the forest, if you look carefully,there are still remnants of theloggers’ camp to be seen lying allaround. In fact, the site of the campmidden would no doubt offer mucharchaeological data on the campitself, if it were ever excavated, TimeTeam style.The film, the trail, informationleaflets and boards, as well as theplans for a full-blown interpretiveheritage centre to be housedin the two reconstructed huts atDalmochie are all going to ensurethat these brave men are rememberedfor many years to come inthe Deeside area. This centre, whencompleted, will be a fitting tributeto them and it will also allow visitors,in particular schoolchildren, tounderstand the rich history of forestryon Deeside.James HendriePictures courtesy NOFU/GladneyWebsite: http://www.mgl.ca/~cpike/NOFU.html(Left) Camp 51 at Kildrummy, west of Aberdeen, where the loggers operated between 1940/41. (Centre) Glenmuick Camp, at Ballater was numbered Camp 49and this picture shows the cookhouse and other logger huts. (Right) While ponies and caterpillar tractors played their part in the logging operations, the use oftraditional steam power was also important.<strong>Forestry</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> 6/09 www.forestryjournal.co.uk37

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