Jim Speed, Commander D.S.C. R.A.N. Retired.

Hi,

I am typing the memoirs of Jim Speed Commander D.S.C. R.A.N. Retired.

He is ex R Commando Group and served at HMS Armadillo on Loch Long and HMS Lochailort'

I am having problems with a couple of words and hope the collective minds of CVA can help.

1/
Posted to a new Naval Base in Scotland or C??. It was HMS Armadillo on Loch Long.
I think it might be Cowal.

2/
November 1943 we arrived at Strath?? in the snow country of North Scotland.

Regards

Hi Rick,

The only thing I can think of is the old region of Strathclyde which covered the area on the west coast of Scotland and stretched from the Highlands in the north to the Southern Uplands in the south.

Cowal is certainly a possibility as it is less than 20 miles from Ardentinny.

Presumably these are taken from Commander Speed's journals? is there any chance of a scan of the two names - at least we'd have something to go on which is always better than trying to guess.

Nick

Hi Nick,

I have attached the sections of the letter and I have underlined the particular word.

Regards

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 12/03/2015 14:54:22

Could it be Gourock, Loch Long/Clyde, as convoys frequently formed in the channel of Sands Island (Argyll). Also on the tip of the peninsula there is a Southend, (he mentions a short convoy). Also HMS Armadillo is not that far away.
Kevin

I think you are misreading the 2 letter word after Scotland as 'OR' whereas I believe it says 'OF'. If you look for a comparison to the the first few words where he states "A piece OF paper". It is written as this one is. If you accept that it is OF then the sentence could read

"in Scotland of course"

.

The second document I believe refers to a location called Strathpeffer.

Very good Pete, your attention to detail and aptness to code braking is 10/10.
Kevin

Hi Rick,

I'm with Pete on this - 'course' & 'Strathpeffer'...

Nick

Hi,

I will go with that.

Thank you Gentlemen for your help and time....

It all fits together and if I can get permission from Jim to post the whole letter I will.

Regards

Hi,

Checking on the name Strathpeffer I came across a reference on another Commando's memoirs

"Later in 1943 we moved from Ayr to a little village in the highlands called Strathpeffer. The village consisted of two large hotels, a few shops, houses and small hotels plus a large hall where we had a few dances occasionally. The troops were in the two big hotels, the one I was in was called the Highland Hotel. It was an LMS railway hotel and had been taken over for the duration of the war. There was a big barn in the village that had been turned into a cinema.
Strathpeffer was practically at the foot of the second highest mountain in Scotland, Ben Wyvis (3,433 ft).

Another reference " Hospital Staff Naval Base No 2 Strathpeffer Scotland WW1"

Regards