Commando Museum at the Spean Bridge Hotel closed

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 03/09/2020 15:49:28

From Fred Davis "It is with a degree of sadness that I have to inform you of the decision to close the Commando Museum which was very proudly housed in The Spean Bridge Hotel in Fort William, Scotland. The decision was not taken lightly, but felt necessary in order to ensure the continuing safety of all our irreplaceable exhibits. Everything has been properly packed and stored away in a safe haven until such times as we find a more suitable home. My sincere thanks go to our three curators, John Whyte, Bill Harvey and Willie Hervo in executing the move with the added help of Graham Faulkner (45 Cdo RM), Robert Cairnes, David Macfarlane and Jan Wrexford of the Locharber Archeologiclal society. I will keep you informed of all future developments".

Bill

This is very sad news, especially considering the sterling efforts put in by Bill Harvey, Willie Hervo & John Whyte over the last two years when they have been busy photographing & cataloguing all the exhibits and artifacts and building new display cabinets and updating and installing all the lighting.
However, ironically, this closure may be a good thing as it now means a more permanent home for the' Commando Museum' is being sought...
Meanwhile Bill, Willie & John have re-photographed and re-catalogued everything - again, and it has been carefully packed away and is in secure storage for the time being.

Nick

From Geoff Murray
Good day to you all. Further to the post below from our dear friend Fred Davies regarding the closure of the Commando Exhibition at the Spean Bridge Hotel (SBH), I just want to put everyone?s mind at ease. We all agree that the SBH has served the Commando family well since the exhibition was opened in 1993, a joint initiative between the then owner Mr Ferguson, and the Commando Association. We may all agree that the Hotel would naturally be the preferred choice, due to the history, location, facilities etc. However, this is no longer an option. For interest, this has been an issue for many years. In 2009, I received a call from the late Margaret Short, the then proprietor who many will remember fondly. Margaret informed me that, due to many factors out of her control, that the hotel was likely to be sold to an overseas investor, and that she was unsure of their intentions for the exhibition. Our initial response to this was to create a detailed inventory of the exhibition for obvious reasons, which Margaret willingly allowed us to do. We then discussed ideas such as relocating the exhibition to the Spean Bridge Railway Station or the Cameron Museum at Achnacarry, amongst others; none of these were feasible options. We did approach the West Highland Museum (WHM), with hopes to relocate there, however there was insufficient space for the whole exhibition. As part of this process however we did create the wonderful Commando Room, which many of you may have visited. The exhibition has therefore remained in-situ at the SBH, until now. Due to the obvious decline of the SBH and the uncertainty of its future (likely redevelopment or closure), action had to be taken now to secure the entire exhibition for the benefit of future generations. Fred Davies, and many others (including John White, Bill Harvey and Willie Hervo) who I cannot thank enough for their time and dedication on our behalf, have now arranged for the exhibition to be removed from the SBH, (during which a full inventory check was conducted and photographs of all items were taken) and secured temporarily until future plans firm up. Yes this is disappointing to those who have fond memories of visiting the exhibition at the SBH, and liked to frequent the warm Commando Bar post the annual (usually icy-cold/wet) Commando Service at the memorial, however it has been unavoidable. Although there should really be no need to ask, each and every item will be secured, stored and looked after appropriately until one day we can see it all back on display. I am aware that Fred Davies and many members of the Commando family and other interested parties from the local area (including the Lochiel, the Lochaber Council, and landowners), have some awesome long term plans afoot, and we have to trust in them that these will come to fruition over the coming years, however this will take time and patience. In the meantime, I would just like to reiterate how fortunate we are to have Fred and his team conducting these activities on our behalf, in order to ensure that the history of the Commandos will remain strong and prosperous in the area of ?Commando country?, and can be understood and enjoyed by future generations and for many years to come. We have trust in them, and I am certain there will be many others who will be keen to give them their support into the future. United We Conquer!

Best wishes Bill

Thank you Geoff Murray on behalf of the team who worked so hard and for all those who have thanked us. My history goes back far with SBH when the Central Ayrshire Branch used to stay there and my Mum (WW 2 No 4 Commando widow) used to take me up. We look forward to the future to remember the Commandos and other Special Forces of many nations. So often I encourage others to look forward using the wonderful words from the Memorial "United we Conquer". No buts we will. Thank you.

Bill

A reminder from Fred Davies, CA National Secretary, that the the Museum at this hotel is currently closed and the items have been removed for safe keeping.