5 Random Pages

Recent Changes (All)

Related Pages


Don't Click


Special Operations Executive

⚠ (:tracetrails:)

The Special Operations Executive (SOE), was set up by Winston Churchill and Hugh Dalton during World War II, with the remit to engage the enemy by means other than direct confrontation. In Churchill's words, "Set Europe ablaze". Operational from June, 1940, SOE employed some 13,000 agents by way of direct control, with up to 1 million being directly or indirectly supported worldwide.

Initial training took place at Wanborough Manor, Guildford, after which agents would disperse to various specialised training centres around the country, generally located in country houses which the War Office had requisitioned. Agents would receive a further four to five weeks of specialist training at one of these centres. With the benefit of isolated locations, a number of Scottish country houses were requisitioned for SOE traning, and the known ones are listed below. Arisaig House is probably the best known, as all agents destined to serve in the field were sent there for Commando training. The Land, Sea and Islands Centre at Arisaig features an SOE exhibition amongst its displays.

SOE was also referred to as The Baker Street Irregulars, the name given to a group of street urchins utilised by Sherlock Holmes, able to gather information from sources he could not approach directly. The connection resulted from the location of SOE headquarters at 64 Baker Bakers Street, after Holmes' fictional address of 221b Baker Street.

Scottish beginnings

Lochaber, in the Highlands of Scotland, is home to the Road to the Isles. The A830, which is actually only a part of that historic route, connects the town of Fort William to the port of Mallaig. During World War II, it became a No-Go area after being requisitioned and then closed for security when SOE established its first training base in Inverailort Castle. After SOE transferred its activities to Arisaig House, Inverailort became a Commando training school. Many other country houses in the area were requisitioned to provide accommodation and training facilities for the men and women who were to serve in the Special Operations Executive.

The use of the terms House and Lodge is fairly well mixed in some accounts, therefore, to maintain consistency, we have adopted the descriptions shown on the relevant Ordnance Survey map.

List of Scottish SOE Special Training Schools

  1. STS21 - Arisaig House, Arisaig, Inverness-shire - Finishing School
  2. STS22 - Rhubana Lodge, Morar, Inverness-shire
  3. STS22a - Glasnacardoch Lodge, Morar, Inverness-shire - Foreign Weapons Training
  4. STS23 - Meoble Lodge, Morar, Inverness-shire
  5. STS23b - Swordland Lodge, Tarbet Bay, Morar, Inverness-shire
  6. STS24a - Inverie House, Knoydart, Mallaig, Inverness-shire
  7. STS24b - Glaschoille House, Knoydart, Mallaig, Inverness-shire
  8. STS25a - Garramor House, Morar, Inverness-shire
  9. STS25b - Camusdarach Lodge, Morar, Inverness-shire
  10. STS25c - Traigh House, Morar, Inverness-shire
  11. STS26 - Aviemore - Norwegian Agent Training - used three lodges: Drumintoul, Glenmore and Forest
  12. STS54b - Belhaven School, Dunbar - Signals Section - Wireless Operators
  13. ISRB Workshops or No.6 Special Workshop School. Inverlair Lodge, Inverlair, Inverness-shire. Also known as The Cooler.

ISRB was the Inter Services Research Bureau, which specialised in the development of equipment for use by agenst in clandestine operations. ISRB is generally described as having been located in the former Frythe hotel, Welwyn, and was known as Station IX. As well as radios, weapons, explosive devices, and booby traps, more specialised equipment was developed, and generally identified by the prefix Wel. For example, Welrod, Welbike, Welman, Welfreighter, and Welgun. Applying the ISRB designation to Inverlair Lodge served as a ruse to hide its true purpose.

Inverlair Lodge merits special mention, as George Markstein based one of his books, The Cooler, on knowledge gained while reporting during World War II, and this is said to be the basis for his contribution to the 1960s TV series, The Prisoner, whose lead character was known as No.6.

External links

Map

  • ⚠ (:gma-point lat=56.8974204 lon=-5.7923724 link='Arisaig House' :)
  • ⚠ (:gma-point lat=56.0010180 lon=-2.5358781 link='Belhaven School' :)
  • ⚠ (:gma-point lat=56.9559785 lon=-5.8468396 link='Camusdarach Lodge' :)
  • ⚠ (:gma-point lat=57.1798990 lon=-3.7880569 link='Drumintoul Lodge' :)
  • ⚠ (:gma-point lat=57.2255212 lon=-3.6235277 link='Forest Lodge' :)
  • ⚠ (:gma-point lat=56.9548572 lon=-5.8394503 link='Garramor House' :)
  • ⚠ (:gma-point lat=57.0372810 lon=-5.7301397 link='Glaschoille House' :)
  • ⚠ (:gma-point lat=56.9940881 lon=-5.8282735 link='Glasnacardoch Lodge' :)
  • ⚠ (:gma-point lat=57.1645298 lon=-3.6765159 link='Glenmore Lodge' :)
  • ⚠ (:gma-point lat=57.0326039 lon=-5.6707906 link='Inverie house' :)
  • ⚠ (:gma-point lat=56.8804509 lon=-4.7281144 link='Inverlair Lodge' :)
  • ⚠ (:gma-point lat=56.9282982 lon=-5.6243006 link='Meoble Lodge' :)
  • ⚠ (:gma-point lat=56.9645349 lon=-5.8082180 link='Rhubana Lodge' :)
  • ⚠ (:gma-point lat=56.9611397 lon=-5.6385681 link='Swordland Lodge' :)
  • ⚠ (:gma-point lat=56.9470659 lon=-5.8521560 link='Traigh House' :)

⚠ (:gma-map :)

⚠ [[!World War II]] ⚠ [[!Training Area]] ⚠ (:WPCategoriesList:)

Comments

You may add a comment or offer further details which may be included in the page above.

Commenting has been disabled thanks to the attention of scum known as spam commenters


⚠ (:tracetrails:)