Rest & Be Thankful

Rest & Be Thankful
Memorial stone

Rest & Be Thankful are the words which are located on a stone near the junction of the A83 and the B828, placed there by soldiers who built the original road in 1753, and the road has been known by the same name for centuries. The original stone fell into ruin and was replaced by a commemorative stone on the same site.

The inscription on the stone reads:

REST & BE THANKFUL
MILITARY ROAD REP^D
BY 93^D REG^T 1768
TRANSFERRED TO
COMMR^S FOR H.R & C.
IN THE YEAR 1814

World War II remains

Just below the car park at the top of the Rest & Be Thankful are two concrete bases thought to be remnants of pillboxes. To the side of the old road lie the foundations of a hut complete with fireplace. A short distance up the hill is a gulley, with the remnants of a Nissen hut, and a large concrete hut base. At both ends of the gulley the concrete bases of spigot mortars (Blacker Bombard) can be found, together with evidence of their defilades, or crew defences, and trenches leading to the gulley. There also appears to have been a trench defence on the edge of the hill.

These remains are generally facing to the west, indicating they were directed towards a perceived threat approaching up the hill, and from the general direction of the village of Arrochar, implying defence of the area to the east, which is primarily open land.

As we are not aware of any particular threat, or resource in need of defence in the area, was there any particular strategic reason for this position, or was it simply a training area, placed in a remote location? We would be interested to receive any further information about the site.