History recent additions

We will display new items of interest here whilst also placing them in their permanent location.

April 2020 - We have received the following request from David Mackay; “I wonder if you could assist me with my research? I am writing a book about the United States military presence in Scotland during the Cold War. RAF Evanton played a notable part in this history. One hundred reconnaissance balloons were launched by the USAF from the site in 1955. The matter caused a great international controversy and President Eisenhower personally cancelled the project a few weeks later. However, it has proved almost impossible to obtain any local memories of the event. The balloons were huge, the same height as a ten-storey building. They carried a large container which housed various cameras. Many of them fell into the Cromarty Firth and the local area. However, it has proved almost impossible to obtain any local memories of the event. If anyone has any information about this event I would be delighted to hear from them. My email: d.g.mackay@btinternet.com.

Whilst we were unable to supply David with specific information, as none had surfaced during our researches we have provided him with a list of possible sources of information. But this is now where our readers come in. There must still be significant numbers of folk around who were of an age in 1955 that they would have remembered either seeing the balloons or hearing stories related to them. After all a ten-storey building sized balloon isn’t easily missed. The History Group history@culbokiect.org is more than happy to forward your memories to David or contact him direct d.g.mackay@btinternet.com

Further details can be found here in an article submitted by David to the Press and Journal. https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/highlands/1902471/unearthing-the-cold-war-experiment-where-spy-balloons-were-sent-from-evanton-to-the-eastern-bloc/

February 2020 - We would appreciate you having a look at this page to identify people on the photograph and suggest answers to this recent enquiry for family history.

Most of the items in the Gallery were made available by Elspeth Weir, former teacher in the Primary School, who gave a talk to the Culbokie Church Centre Senior Citizens' Friendship Group, 2/3/2020. During the talk members of the audience shared their reminiscences, one of which resulted in this extra paragraph being added to the story of the Findon Hall. "The entrance porch of the old hall was on the left hand side and the kitchen at the far right. There was no heating in the hall and it was always cold. There was a badminton court set out inside and between games members of the club used to sit on the stage at the far right of the hall huddled around a paraffin heater to keep warm. Jock Watt, who later became Director of Leisure for Highland Council, used to take the schoolchildren for PE lessons in the hall and the school parties used to be held there. Scottish country dancing, drama groups and Raymond Bethune's pop band also used the Hall."

NOTE: it is sometimes useful to right-click on an image and select "View image" as this might provide an enlarged image.