Fearnan Village Association

For many years, the Tigh-an-Loan Hotel was an important part of the social and economic life of Fearnan. It was mentioned in this blog a few months ago, in an article on the hotel bus, and here we explore its history in more detail.

The Earl of Breadalbane funded the building of the Tigh-an-Loan Hotel in 1887.

John Stewart took over the tenancy 1902 and he and his descendants continued run it for just over 100 years. His granddaughter, Shenac Kelloe, and her husband David recently shared their memories of the hotel and of Fearnan in the second half of the 20^th century.

Two years after taking over the hotel, John married Isabella Menzies and they had 4 daughters of whom two, Dolly and Mia (Shenac’s Mum), survived to adulthood. Around this time, Fearnan had 25 households and a population of 91.

In 1922, the Breadalbane Estate came on the market following the death of the third Marquis of Breadalbane, and John (seen below on the right) was able to purchase the Tigh-an-Loan Hotel outright. At the same time, many other tenants in Fearnan were able to purchase their own crofts.

In those days, Tigh-an-Loan was not just a hotel; it provided a taxi service, a bus, a grocery shop, a post office, and also sold petrol, and coal. It even had its own ghillie way back, boats for the salmon fishing, and a small farm with 2 cows, a pig and a number of hens. The hotel was the nearest thing to a bank that Fearnan ever had – villagers who were owed money could arrange for a cheque to be made out to John Stewart and he would exchange it for cash.

It was a source of full and part time employment for people in the village, some of whom are seen in these photos carrying out some of the cleaning and washing tasks necessary to keep things running smoothly. It must have been hard work, but they seem to have been having fun when the photographer was around!

Few people had cars in those days so local services were important and the taxis and bus were a vital link to the wider area. Ben Lawers Dam was built after the WW2, and during the construction period the taxis were kept busy ferrying people to and from the Dam.

On a Friday, the hotel bus would be loaded with groceries and set off for Glen Lyon to deliver orders and to sell goods off the back of the bus. Several readers of this blog recall accompanying Dolly in the bus to Glen Lyon. (Dolly Stewart (front row, right) is seen here with friends at the 1938 Empire Exhibition).

At that time, people cooked fresh every day and Fearnan residents purchased their food supplies from the 2 butchers’ vans, the grocery van and from other mobile shops that called regularly in the village.

Mrs Stewart is remembered as a hard worker who kept things running smoothly, but also as someone who quietly looked out for people who were experiencing difficulties. For example, she might slip wartime evacuees a half-pound of butter from the dairy. Alastair Barnett, a regular contributor to this blog, remembers her kindness:

“If she happened to catch sight of me as I traipsed wearily home from the school alone, she’d knock on the dining-room window and beckon me round to the back door of the hotel. Once I got inside the kitchen she’d press a finger to her lips indicating I must be silent. 

Momentarily disappearing into the parlour she would return and quickly stuff a handful of  “sweeties” into my pocket with the whispered warning: “Off you go now and don’t tell Dolly.”  The gift always had to be our secret.

Mrs. Stewart dressed in black from her neck to her shoes. She had pure white hair pulled back into a bun at the back and — to my young eyes — a skin like white marble. I adored her.

If anyone deserves to be remembered for her contribution to the halcyon days at Tigh-an-Loan Hotel, it is Mrs. Stewart.”

Shenac’s own family lived in Aberfeldy where her parents, Mia and Tommy ran a guesthouse, and Tommy was a bus driver. Being well known to the staff of the bus company, McKercher’s of Aberfeldy, young Shenac would be popped on the bus (unaccompanied, in those far off, safer times) to be dropped off at her grandparents’ in Fearnan.

On one occasion, she had been entrusted to the care of her grandfather, as Mrs Stewart was feeling unwell and had taken to her bed. Perhaps Grandfather was not as attentive as he should have been, and Shenac fell into the burn at the back of the hotel. While her clothes were drying by the fire, she was wrapped up and put into bed with her grandmother to keep warm. At this point, Dr Swanson from Aberfeldy arrived and did a double take on finding old Mrs Stewart tucked up in bed cradling a very young child. “Och, Mrs Stewart, you didn’t tell me THIS was the problem!” he quipped.

More of Dr Swanson later!

Shenac’s grandparents both died in 1953, and Dolly continued to run the hotel and all the additional services herself, but it proved too much for one person. In 1956, Shenac’s parents moved from Aberfeldy to Fearnan to help Dolly.

Shenac was enrolled in the village school, but she was to find out that living so close to the school had its disadvantages in the winter. When the snow fell deeply, she could find herself the only pupil in the school. In fact Miss Maynard, the teacher, had been known to phone the hotel to check that Shenac would be attending – as she only needed one pupil to keep the school open!

The photo on the left above shows how deep the snow was in 1963, and in the other Shenac is seen making her way to school through the snow covered fields with fellow school pupils Alex and Billy McEwan, and their father John.

After they married, Shenac and David took over the running of the hotel in 1974.

 

Not long after his arrival at the Tigh-an-Loan Hotel, David noticed a Saturday morning ritual in which a silver salver with a large glass of whisky and a soda syphon would disappear in the direction of the Smoke Room. The reason for this, he discovered, was that on Saturday morning Dr Swanson came from Aberfeldy and would call in at the hotel. It was known in the village that elderly patients, who were unable to get to Aberfeldy during the week, could come to the Smoke Room for a quick consultation with the doctor. This was an arrangement that suited all concerned but the number of whiskies required would be proportionate to the number of patients to be seen. The local policeman, recognizing the social importance of this unofficial Saturday surgery, confided to David that he did occasionally have a job ensuring he wasn’t in the vicinity when Dr Swanson drove home to Aberfeldy after the consultations!

David and Shenac recall a thriving village with social events and club meetings taking place in the Hall on a daily basis. There was also a good and regular bus service – on a Saturday night a bus would leave Killin at 6 pm, picking up people all along the loch-side and making its way to the cinema in Aberfeldy. When they left the cinema later that evening, there could be 3 buses waiting in Aberfeldy Square to take people home.

During the 1970s, the visitor market started to change significantly. Up to that point, people would book to stay full board for a week or more. Trade tended to be made up of regulars who came every year, rather than passing trade. Mr. and Mrs. McDonald of McDonald P&O Shipping lines were regular summer visitors for many years, and before WW2 the Queen of the Lake (seen below on the right) sailed the loch. (It looks like the fishing was pretty good, too!)

The steamer  stopped calling at Fearnan Pier in the early ‘30s, due to the pier being in a state of disrepair. This prompted a petition of protest to the steamer company by the people of Fearnan, Fortingall and Glen Lyon as the loss of the ferry service had affected holiday lets in the area.

Foreign and timeshare holidays started to become more popular in the ’70s and ’80s although the Hotel retained many regular guests who also  became personal friends, and the hotel’s business started to switch to meals, the bar and functions. The hotel continued to sell petrol until the late ‘70s, when the oil crisis of 1979 changed the petrol market forever, pushing up prices and making it extremely difficult for small businesses to compete with the big companies. When it finally became economically unviable, Shenac and David took the decision to have the tanks and pumps removed and used the space to build an extension to the lounge bar.

A regular visitor to the village in the 1970’s was Peter Fraser, then the Conservative Member of Parliament for Angus South and subsequently Solicitor-General for Scotland. He became Lord Advocate in 1989, and had ultimate responsibility for the Pan Am 103 Lockerbie investigation. In Fearnan, he was the owner of Katie Howie’s Cottage.

One weekend, he decided to tackle the task of sweeping the chimney and had borrowed a (somewhat unusual) protective outfit in advance. During the sweeping process he took a break – but caused considerable consternation in the village when a man dressed in a surgeon’s gown, mask and rubber gloves was spotted enjoying a cigarette in the front garden of Katie Howie’s Cottage!

History has a habit of repeating itself, and in the mid-70’s David was involved in the formation of the first village association, established to counter plans to develop the field between the hotel and the school. David was also on the Hall Committee and was elected Chair of the Committee from 1987-90, while Shenac was the Fearnan President of the WRI in 1988.

The shop, along with the post office, moved to a new site in 1961 after new hygiene laws were enacted, and was rebuilt in 1995. Shenac and David retired from the Hotel in 2003  – just over a hundred years after John Stewart first took it over. The hotel was sold and the site was subsequently re-developed.

The Tigh-an-Loan Hotel is fondly remembered by both villagers and former residents of Fearnan and over the years its role in the village changed as the village itself changed. It was, however, always a village landmark for those arriving by boat or by road, and always an important social meeting place. It was a popular venue for SWRI dinners, birthday parties, children’s Christmas parties (older Fearnan male residents sometimes finding themselves ‘volunteered’ for the post of Santa), for weddings and funeral teas.

 

David & Shenac, as proud grandparents, regularly visit Killin and enjoy visits from their Edinburgh family. They still retain their links with Fearnan.

If it’s summer time, it must be strawberry time!  In Perthshire, summer weather can be variable but Perthshire strawberries are always fantastic.  Last week, we had our annual Strawberry TeaZ in the Hall – and quite a celebration it was.

How many ways can you serve a strawberry?  Well, we counted about 25 this year, from savoury, to super sweet – and sometimes this made it difficult to choose.

We were delighted to welcome visitors from as far away as Australia, some former residents who now live elsewhere, as well as the many current residents who came along to help ensure that everything was eaten. And a good job they made of it –  there was very little left by the end. As ever, Doug and Hilary provided the excellent live music.

When it was all over, somebody had to clear up – thank you, Peter! (And many others!). Then it was time for the organisers to have a quick celebratory drink before going home.

 

Many thanks to all the others who helped to make it happen, and particularly those who baked or made a contribution to our fabulous strawberry feast.

Please note that the Hall Committee have advised us that, for a variety of reasons, the proposed Treasure Hunt and BBQ in the Hall on Saturday 13th August has been cancelled.

Just a reminder that the FVA will be serving Strawberry TeaZ in the village hall on Saturday 23rd July between 3 and 5pm.  Join us for a feast of delicious strawberry – themed home baking.  Everyone is welcome, and it’s £5.00 for as much as you can eat.  (School age children are half price.)

 

I’m delighted to report that Sue is doing extremely well. She says she is convalescing gently and looking forward to seeing everyone at the Strawberry TeaZ event on Saturday.

 

There’s a Fiddle Concert at the Big Shed this Tuesday, 19th July, at 7.30 pm

The duo are American Galen Fraser and Orcadian Louise Bichan who met at  the prestigious annual summer school in California run by Scottish fiddler, Alasdair Fraser.

They will perform traditional and self-penned tunes from both sides of the Atlantic and will be joined by friends and special guests.

BYOB – tea coffee and soft drinks will be available. Tickets  £10 on the door.

The June Coffee Morning was very enjoyable and busy affair, with several new faces to welcome to the village and lots of familiar ones to welcome back.

 

 

The next event in the FVA calendar is the annual Strawberry TeaZ extravaganza, from 3 – 5pm in the Hall on Saturday 23rd July.  Join us for a feast of home baking, from scones with strawberry jam, to delicious strawberry-themed cakes and desserts, and chocolate-dipped strawberries.

As much as you can eat for £5.00 per head.

 

The Book Club continues to meet in the Hall every Wednesday night, and the book choice for July is ‘Death at La Fenice’ by Donna Leon, the first in her detective novel series set in Italy.

The next meeting of the club will be on Wednesday 13th JULY at 7.30pm.

 

 

Recently, we heard that the story we told earlier this year about The Fearnan Air Crash 1943 has been commemorated in verse by a Russian poet. The poem tells how, in response to ferocious fighting on the Russian Eastern Front, a group of Russian airmen came to Scotland to take command of a fleet of aircraft that the British Government had offered to assist their Russian allies fight the Nazi forces.  During the time they were in Scotland, 3 of their number were killed just outside Fearnan – an event recorded in the poem.  Many thanks to Nicolas Slater, who translated it into this dramatic literary ballad.

 

‘A Variation on the Russian Poem “Memory” by Nicolas Slater’

We’ve been at war a year and more,

And every airman is an ace;

When Jerry sees one in the sky

He needs to find a hiding-place.

 

But the war’s neither won nor lost;

We need to find more planes today!

Britain has offered us some help:

Their planes can soon be on their way.

 

Some test flights need to be set up,

In Bonnie Scotland – off we go!

It’s all top-secret, walls have ears –

The enemy must never know.

 

Captain, ‘Sparky’, Engineer

Have all set off: Good luck! Soon back!

Life’s quiet in Scotland – hurry up!

We must return to our attack.

 

Our men defending Stalingrad,

Their battle is a living hell.

The lads are dying, I can’t rest,

I want to be in there as well.

 

Out here – no letters, ne’er a word…

What’s happening to folk at home,

My wife, my mum, my little ones,

While I’m in Scotland on my own?

 

It’s summer nineteen forty-three:

The test flight’s ordered, and the plane

Stands on the runway. gleaming bright;

So up we go! Soon home again…

 

Fate can be cruel, and our aircraft’s

A cruel beast, and stubborn too.

Was something wrong with the design?

But we must fly it, me and you.

 

Captain, ‘Sparky’, Engineer,

On board and ready. Up we go!

As Scotland falls away behind us,

We scan the green fields down below.

 

All’s going well, until the aircraft

Starts losing altitude. What’s wrong?

Are the engines overloaded?

Listen to their angry song:

 

“We’re going to crash, and you can’t help it:

We won’t obey you! This is it!”

The nose is pointing down, they’re plunging,

Down there’s the earth they’re going to hit!

 

“But Fearnan village lies before us

And we must save it, though we die!”

The captain grabs the yoke and yanks it

To keep the aircraft in the sky.

 

And then they crash into the field.

Their bodies shattered. The flight is done.

The earth’s still shaking from the impact,

Smoke and flames rise to the sun.

 

The villagers saw what had happened,

And rushed to give what help they could.

They gathered round and saw the wreckage;

But could not do any good.

 

Captain, ‘Sparky’, Engineer,

Their bodies smashed, and lying there;

Men, women, children, standing sadly

And silently, all shed a tear.

 

The airmen willingly had given

Their lives to save the village here;

They could not save themselves. But Fearnan

Forever holds those airmen dear.

 

Children, grandchildren will honour

Those who gave their lives that day.

The other airmen dipped their wings

And home to Russia made their way.

 

Now there’s a corner, out in Scotland,

A quiet corner where Russia lives on:

With Russian birch-trees, Russian daisies,

A wreath of scarlet poppies, framing

The much-loved faces of those who are gone.

 

Scotland remembers our lost heroes.

In Moscow, on the ninth of May

A glorious fly-past celebrates them,

And in the skies of Scotland’s Errol,

A squadron of time-honoured warplanes

Commemorates that Victory Day.

 

A minute’s silence; a lifetime’s sorrow;

We never shall forget our war.

We love and honour those who fell;

Their names live on for evermore.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Grateful thanks to Nicolas for his work on this.  Is this the first time Fearnan has appeared in a poetic work, or can anyone come up with other examples?

 

 

There was a nice Spring-like feeling in the village on Tuesday morning, and those who were able to attend the Coffee Morning were able to enjoy a delicious spread of sweet and savoury treats, and a friendly chin-wag with friends and neighbours.

 

Fly Past for the Russian Airmen

Recently we featured an article on The Fearnan Air Crash which told the story of the Russian pilots who were based at Errol Airfield for training during WW2, and of the crash that killed three of their number just outside Fearnan.

The airfield at Errol now has an area known as ‘The Russian Corner’ where the men of the Moscow Special Assignment Airgroup, including those who died at Fearnan, are commemorated with a monument.

The 9th May was V Day in Russia (similar to our V-E Day on the 8th May) marking the end of the WW2, known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War. To mark the occasion, a simple ceremony and informal fly past over the Russian Corner took place  at Errol.  At exactly the same time in Russia, the airmen were being remembered in a parallel ceremony at Vnukovo, their base after they returned to Russia from Scotland. What’s more, the poet Alexandra Provatorskaya has told the story of the Moscow Special Assignment Airgroup in a poem that includes mention of Fearnan!

At Errol, a wreath was laid at the monument in the Russian Corner. Those attending included the Consul General of Russia in Edinburgh, Andrey Pritsepov, and the Provost of Perth and Kinross, Liz Grant. This was followed by the fly past of over the airfield with some dare devil aerobatics from the civilian aviators.

The pictures below show the wreath laying (picture courtesy of The Courier), the fly past, and the aviators with their aircraft.

  Those laying the wreaths are (from the left) Bradley Borland (Errol Aerodrome Historian), Provost Liz Grant, and Andrey Pritsepov, Consul General of Russia in Edinburgh

In Russia the 9th May is a public holiday, and in recent years, millions of ordinary Russian people have chosen to celebrated it by joining local celebrations and simply walking through the streets of their town with photographs of their family members who fought in the War. It is a very personal form of commemoration, as these photos from Vnukovo show:

A picture of Aleksander Guzdin, the pilot who died in the crash at Fearnan, is being held aloft on the right hand side of the large picture.

And the poem! Could this be the first time Fearnan has been commemorated in verse? The poem tells the story of the Russian Airmen and their time in Scotland.  It describes the crash and how the people of Fearnan rushed to the site in the vain hope that they might  be able to help. We shall work on a translation for a future post on the blog.

Broadband News!

If you’re fed up with SuperSlow Broadband, and bored watching that little circle buffering round in the middle of your screen when you’d rather be browsing the internet or downloading something interesting, then help may be nearer than you think!

AB Internet have announced that the date for the Loch Tay Superfast Broadband launch is to be 1st June 2016.  If you want to find out more, there is an opportunity to do so on the 24th May at the Kenmore Hotel between 2 and 9pm. You can also find out more and register your interest at abinternet.co.uk The poster for the event is below:

And finally………….. don’t forget the Coffee Morning in the village hall on Tuesday 14th June at 10.30am.  See you there!

The first Coffee Morning of the year kicked off last week with some excellent home baking, hot cross buns, warm pancakes fresh off the griddle and a selection of small savouries. With the sun shining outside, it began to feel like Spring was on its way.

Earlier in the month, the inaugural Fearnan Quiz Night took place in the village hall, and tested our brains to the limit. We started with the easy bit – eating! And many thanks to all the cooks who provided a delicious supper.

After that, Quiz Master Elaine (who had devised the Quiz) got into her stride.  Everybody divided up into teams of 4, and there were 10 rounds of questions covering General Knowledge (2 rounds); Sport; Media & Entertainment; Geography; Animal Magic; Music; The Royal Family; Food & Drink, and Local Knowledge & History.

This being Fearnan, there was no need to ban the use of smart phones to try to find the answers, as they don’t work on the slow signal we get! However, the photo display boards in the hall did provide help with at least one of the local knowledge questions. Sometimes the old methods are the best.

So how did we all get on? Well, with a Dundee lass in our team, Question 1 was easy-peasy: “Which Scottish city was recognized by the UN as the UK’s first UNESCO City of Design in 2014? “ After that? Some rounds good, some not so good.  If you weren’t there, here’s a chance to see how you would have got on with a small sample of the questions.  If you were there, try them again and see how many more you can get this time! (Answers at the end of the blog – no cheating now!)

Sport: What women’s athletics event takes place over 2 days?

Media & Entertainment : According to the Cole Porter song, who regrets she’s unable to lunch today?

Geography: Maputo is the capital of which country?

Animal Magic: Camelopard is an archaic name for which creature?

Royal Family: What are the Scottish titles of the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge?

Food & Drink:  The French recipe Hachis Parmentier is similar to what common, traditional English dish?

Local Knowledge & History: What was the name of the craft that replaced the ‘Lady of Lake on Loch Tay?

Congratulations to Nick, Ros, Karen and Steven’s team who won first prize with a score of over 60%. The wooden spoon prize was very hotly contested, with a play-off for last place.  (We shall spare their blushes and not name them.)

The evening closed with a Raffle of goodies that had been generously donated and, in all, the Quiz Night raised a fantastic £421.60, to be divided between the Hall Funds and Macmillan Cancer Care.

 

Other news: There is to be a road closure in the village during the w/c 11th April, while Scottish Water carry out repairs to the water main. It will affect the stretch of road in front of the village hall, and because of this, the date for the next Coffee Morning has been changed to Tuesday 19th April at 10.30am.

 

Answers to the Quiz Questions:

Sport:Heptathlon: Media & Entertainment: Miss Otis; Geography:Mozambique; Animal Magic:Giraffe; Royal Family:Earl and Countess of Strathearn; Food & Drink: Shepherd’s Pie; Local Knowledge & History:The Queen of the Lake.

 

 

 

 

Welcome

The Chair welcomed members to the Fearnan Village Association to the AGM.

Apologies: Peter McKenzie, Ros Grant

Adoption of Minutes of 2015 AGM and Business Meetings

The Minutes were published on the Blog after the last meeting. There were no comments and the Minutes were proposed by Julia Lane, and seconded by Elaine Melrose.

Chair’s Report

The Chair paid tribute to Laurie Lane who passed away on November 2^nd last year. Laurie was a member and enthusiastic and generous supporter of the FVA, and Treasurer as well.

This year, social events have continued to fulfil their aim of bringing people together. A Saturday “Soup ‘n Roll” was introduced, alongside regular events.

The Blog continues to increase in popularity and both Fearnan’s history and its Archive have attracted interest.

Work has continued towards: obtaining a better broadband signal; safety at the Fearnan Brae junction; improvements to the War Memorial; and monitoring the latest Main Issues Report for the next Local Development Plan, 2018-23.

The Chair expressed her thanks to Neil & Fiona Ballantyne, Julia Lane and Peter McKenzie for their commitment and hard work throughout the year. She also thanked Julia, who represents us on the Hall Committee and through whom we now have a very good working relationship with the new Hall Committee; Jim Fair for scrutinising the accounts; those members who stepped into the breach with help during Laurie’s illness; and all our members for their continued involvement and support.

Treasurer’s Report

Finances: A copy of the FVA’s Income and Expenditure Statement was circulated.

Membership currently stands at 74 individuals. The subscription year for everyone now runs from 1^st Feb and this, along with the fact that most people take a 3-year subscription, means the administration involved is significantly reduced.

Events: Ten events were held this year. Costs and income are consistent with the previous year.

Donations: The Remembrance Day event generated a donation of £41 for Help For Heroes, and we also gave a donation of £100 to the McLean Hall.

Amendment to Constitution

February is a busy month for the FVA and to reduce the work in that particular month, the Chair tabled the following amendment to the Constitution:

Change: “An Annual General Meeting shall be held in February ………”

To: “An Annual General Meeting shall be held within 60 days of the end of the FVA’s Financial Year…….”

(The FVA financial year ends on the 31^st January every year.)

The change was proposed by Fran Donovan and seconded by Nick Grant.

Committee Membership

The FVA Committee was reduced following the death of Laurie Lane. The Chair tabled the appointment of Fran Donovan to the FVA Committee. This was proposed by Joan Millar and seconded by Nick Grant.

AOCB

Nick Grant proposed a Vote of Thanks to the Chair and the Committee. Joan Millar thanked Fiona Ballantyne for her work on the Blog.

The Chair closed this part of the meeting.

Business Meeting

Local Development Plan (LDP): The 5 Year Local Development Plan is now under review. Developers had proposed some sites for Fearnan, but the Council accepted none of the proposals for inclusion in the Plan. The reason given was that a previous LDP Inquiry had determined that Fearnan is a fairly remote rural settlement with few employment opportunities and the developments would not be consistent with the Plan’s vision for sustainable economic growth.

This means that the village boundary will remain unchanged. This plan will run from 2018 to 2023.

Broadband: It hasn’t arrived yet! There are 2 plans that might deliver it. The Highland Perthshire Community Project plan, which would spread from the east, has got some pilots up and running but seems to have stalled. The other plan is a community one from the West (Ardeonaig) and they have planning permission for 3 additional masts, which could mean the service is capable of reaching Fearnan. Mast construction has been held up by the bad weather but the Chair is in contact with the manager of the initiative and will keep us informed.

Fearnan Brae Junction: A vehicle activated sign has been put up on the lochside road (A827) that alerts west-bound traffic if there is a vehicle approaching from Fearnan Brae and issues a ‘slow down’ warning.

War Memorial: There are two issues – getting the Memorial tidied up, and a safer arrangement for the steps. As far as the first is concerned, the Council has a schedule for tidying war memorials, and we are on the schedule.

PKC had agreed that they would inset some steps into the wall. However, they are now querying ownership, and say the Memorial does not belong to them. It is understood that a previous owner of the Tigh an Loan Hotel gifted the war memorial to the community. We need to follow this through and clarify where responsibility lies.

Blog Report

The Blog continues to attract regular readers, both in the village and beyond, with regular readers in America, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and, this year, Russia. People who are thinking of moving to the village also visit the site for information .

The Blog has prompted a number of contacts from people with family links to the village – links that often go back several generations.

Fearnan History

The Fearnan Archive has been used by researchers a couple of times in the last year, and copies of relevant articles from the Blog have been added to the Archive, including the Hall’s 60^th Anniversary, Fearnan Literary Society 1886, and the Fearnan Air Crash 1943.

Ian McGregor’s Book, Fearnan, The Story of a Highland Village has just been reprinted.

Social Events and Dates – FVA Events 2016-17

Coffee Mornings:

Tuesday 15^th March

Tuesday 12^th April

Tuesday 17^th May

Tuesday 14^th June

Tuesday 6^th September

Strawberry Teas: Saturday 23^rd July

Soup n’ Roll: Saturday 15^th October

Remembrance Sunday: Sunday 13^th November, followed by coffee or tea, and a tot.

Mulled Wine & Mince Pies: Saturday 3^rd December

Pudding Night: Saturday 18^th February 2017 (Provisional)

 

AOCB

Flooding: Flooding has been a significant problem for properties on the edge of the village on the Fortingall Road. Linda Milne reported on her dealings with the PKC Roads Department (RD), her last conversation having been only the previous day.

RD have discovered there is a collapsed drain close to the field drain that is adjacent to Arcady, therefore it is not working efficiently. They are proposing putting in a new system  which will drain the water that sits in the corner of the field, plus add 4 additional drains in front of the 4 cottages from Arcady to the Fearnan Gallery. They also have put in a drain beside the existing one at Rowan Cottage. The kerb will be extended from outside Arcady to the Gallery.

The new pipe that takes water from the road across the Hall car park to the burn, which was put in this year, will be redone in the new financial year as the bore of the pipe used by the contractors is too small. There will be a road closure.

Whilst the PKC Roads Department staff have been both responsive and helpful, the work done only alleviates an existing problem, and a successful solution will depend on the Council being able to co-ordinate different departments (Roads, Flood Team, etc).

Fraser MacLean also outlined the problems he had experienced due to flooding and problems with the drainage system.

Concern has been expressed about the next stage of tree felling as this has exacerbated the flooding problem. We have been advised that before next phase of felling, the landowners will be asked to produce a water management plan to show there is sufficient drainage to manage excess water.

 

Following the meeting, Fiona Ballantyne wrote to the Community Council on behalf of the FVA asking the Community Council to raise Fearnan’s flooding problems with the Roads Department and local Councillors, and to ask how we get this issue appropriately prioritised and resolved. The project also needs leadership so that we have a single contact within the council.

I am constantly amazed and delighted by the contacts that this little blog generates from all over the world. Recently, an email containing a fascinating link to Fearnan’s past landed in my inbox. It was from Anna Belorusova, writing to us from Russia.

Three years ago, Anna set out on a quest to unravel the mystery of her grandfather’s service during the Second World War. Her research uncovered the almost forgotten story of the Moscow Special Assignment Air Group, who were based at Errol near Dundee, and their reasons for being in Scotland as part of the war effort.

This investigation was to bring her to Scotland for a special ceremony in 2015 (more of which later), as well as inspiring her to research and write about one of her grandfather’s fellow officers, a Hero of the Soviet Union, who was also the pilot of the Russian plane that crashed in the Fearnan Cow Park on 29th May 1943.

As with many other Second World War incidents, very few people (other than the locals) knew anything about this tragic accident; and in this case, the involvement and speculation surrounding the Russian aircrew resulted in a ring of secrecy around the village, with only a very few knowing the actual details.

Anna has kindly provided information and photographs from her own research. She was also able to provide, all the way from Russia, a copy of a monograph about the air crash written by Phillip Hapka from Crieff, and which is based upon the eyewitness accounts of his mother Christine Hapka (nee McEwen) and his uncle John McEwen, both of whom lived in Lawers View at the time of the crash.

Phillip has given permission for extracts from his monograph to be reproduced on the blog, but we start with Anna’s story:

“At home, together with my pilot grandfather’s WWII awards, there was an old bunch of papers: a fragment of Britain’s coastal map, a 1943 Christmas dinner menu adorned with a thistle, and an Everyday English Course with the inscription on the front page: “Good luck and may you visit again under better conditions. Russia & (Britain) – V!”

My grandfather died soon after the end of the war aged 42, when my mother was still a child. All that was left were scraps of her childhood memories, and something vague about his trip to England for the airplanes presented by the King of England himself.

 The puzzle had been bothering me for a long time, and then a couple of years ago, at the National Archives in London, in the Operations Record Book of Errol RAF air station I saw the name of my grandfather Pyotr Kolesnikov:

 “1.01.43. No 305 Special Ferry Training Unit formed to convert and ferry train Russian crews on Albemarle Special Transport Aircraft for ferrying 100 aircraft to Russia“.

“24.04.43 Russian pilots have been practicing circuits, landings and single engine flying. Flying times: St.Lt. Kolesnikov: dual – 3.45 hrs., solo – 3.35 hrs.”

This was how, from the reports and orders of Errol RAF air station in Scotland, the reconstruction of the history of the Moscow Special Assignment Air Group began.”

In brief, ‘305 Ferry Training Unit’ was established at RAF Errol, 10 miles west of Dundee, on 1^st January 1943, following the decision of the British Government to supply 200 Albermarle planes to the Soviet Union. The planes were to assist in the transport of troops on the vast Russian Eastern Front, where they were engaged in fierce warfare against invading German forces. The role of the unit at Errol was to convert Russian aircrew (the Moscow Special Assignment Air Group) to the then new twin-engine Albermarle special transport and glider tug. The ‘Ferry Training’ designation was a convenient cover for this top-secret exercise and a means of allaying local suspicion of the foreign aircrew. The first intake of 10 (three pilots, three flight engineers, three radio operators and one navigator) arrived on 11^th January 1943.

Training began on 25^th January, and consisted of 2 day and 2 night flights with an instructor, followed by a minimum of four flights without an instructor.

 

Just a few months later, the village of Fearnan came close to a catastrophic disaster when one of the Albermarles crashed just inside the Cow Park, close to Cromrar Cottage.

It was the skill and courage of the crew that saved the village, at the expense of their own lives.

 

We will return to Anna’s story later, but thanks to Phillip Hapka’s monograph “Fall of a Red Star”, we are able to relate an account of the crash, from the perspective of the Fearnan villagers in 1943.

Extract from Fall of a Red Star by Phillip Hapka (© 2006)

 “The small crofting village of Fearnan, on the northern shore of Loch Tay in Perthshire, was a relatively peaceful place during the early years of the Second World War.

 Nonetheless, the community had seen the occasional Luftwaffe bomber drone up and down Loch Tay on moonlit sorties, attempting to locate the well-camouflaged hydroelectric dam and power station at Tummel Bridge, some 10 miles to the north, in a parallel valley.

 Villagers had witnessed, albeit from afar, the night sky and loch surface illuminated by reflections of fiery explosions from the Luftwaffe’s bombing of Clydebank, over 50 miles away, when waves of over 200 enemy bombers over-flew western Perthshire, from 21.00 hours on 13^th March 1941 to around 04.00 hours on 14^th March 1941, to evade detection by personnel of the Observer Corps and interception by RAF fighters.

 However, the cost of war was graphically bought home to the community, just before mid-day on Sat 29^th May 1943, when an Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle, from 305 Ferry Training Unit, crashed just north of the village.

During the forenoon, Albermarle ST1, P1503 had taken off from RAF Errol in good weather, on what was ostensibly a training flight. At the controls was thirty nine year old flight operator Major Aleksander Gruzdin who held the highest honorary title Hero of the Soviet Union,  having flown over 200 missions behind enemy lines and with 4,800 hours in his log book. He was accompanied by Russian colleagues: thirty four year old flight engineer Aleksandr Aleksejev and thirty year old flight navigator Vasily Drjamin, who wished to do a little aerial sight seeing before returning to Russia. Also on board was S/Sgt Frantisek Drahovzal, a Czechoslovakian cook and interpreter for the Russians.

 The aircraft’s route initially took it in a westerly direction from its base, later turning northwards and climbing above the southern Grampian Mountains to reach the southern shore of Loch Tay near the village of Ardeonaig. Having cleared the higher ground, the aircraft was put into a gentle decent over the loch but a sizeable nose-down attitude developed, from which level flight could not be regained.

 From the garden of Lawer’s View in Fearnan, 18-year-old John McEwen and his friend Ian Anderson spotted the aircraft flying over the loch towards them. Not being able to identify the twin-finned type, they thought it might be a Luftwaffe aircraft about to bomb or strafe the village. Therefore, after instinctively shouting a warning, they took cover under a nearby hedge.

The aircraft flew very low over the village, still in a nose-down attitude, before impacting the ground just inside the Cow Park, to the east of Clach an Tuirc, where it exploded.

 The shock waves from the explosion cracked windows and blew open a number of house doors in the village.

 McEwen and Anderson jumped the garden wall and ran across the crofts towards the crash site, pursued by John’s 20-year-old sister, Christine, who was still wearing a silk flower in her hair, having returned from a local dance in the early hours of the morning.

 The sudden explosion unnerved horses and cattle in the intervening fields, causing them to stampede. Although the men were able to pass the animals, albeit with some difficulty, Christine was forced onto the public road adjacent to a row of cottages at Dalchiaran. Here she joined up with a number of bewildered inhabitants, including Mrs McLaren carrying her infant daughter Isobel, making their way towards the column of black smoke rising high above the village. The scene that greeted the would-be rescuers was one of utter devastation, with debris scattered over a wide area to the north of the crash site. The aircraft was a raging inferno.

 Burning debris had fallen on and around Cromrar Cottage and the traumatised occupants, Archie and Kate Robertson, emerged from their home to find it, and the outbuildings, covered in pieces of smouldering wreckage. The main wheels were alight to the south and west of the cottage, and the nose wheel lay near the access gate to the Cow Park, immediately to the north of Clach an Tuirc.

 The aircraft had come down in the hanging valley to the west of Drummond Hill, on sloping grassland which may have looked suitable for a forced landing from the air, but which in reality had only an extremely thin covering of soil over solid rocks. Major Gruzdin and his crew were killed instantly in the impact and in their heroic and successful endeavour to clear the village.

Shortly after the crash, Special Constable Duncan McGregor and District Nurse Kennedy arrived from Fortingall. Others, who could see the column of smoke, came from Fortingall and Lawers, to see if they could render assistance. One man, who had been employed on casual labour in the garden of Balnearn 2.5 miles away, ran the whole way to the site. The nearest Fire Brigade unit stationed in Aberfeldy turned out, but when they arrived on the scene there was nothing they could do.

 A police guard was mounted on the crash site by Special Constables Duncan McGregor and Alexander McEwen, to prevent the wreckage from being disturbed further by inquisitive villagers, until a military presence arrived many hours later.

 A number of pairs of tattered overalls were found, one containing a wage packet, and it was feared that the owners might also have been aboard the Albemarle. However it was later discovered that, having been given weekend leave while servicing the Albemarle, mechanics had rolled up their overalls and left them in the aircraft the previous evening to await their return to complete the task.

 Over the following week, a salvage team arrived in Fearnan. They conducted a painstaking search of the site and then cleared the ground of aircraft debris to make it suitable for cattle to graze off once again.

Another recovered item, which local residents quickly capitalised upon was a parachute pack, which had been blown clear of the wreckage on impact, with some young women becoming the fortuitous recipients of underskirts fashioned from parachute silk.

A Board of Inquiry was later convened at RAF Errol and to which John McEwen was invited as chief civilian witness.

 Albermarles had been designed to utilise non—strategic materials and their Bristol Hercules engines were known to occasionally overheat. It was, therefore, initially suspected that either of these features may have been a contributory factor to the crash.

 However, the findings of the Board of Inquiry revealed that the accident had been caused by insecure ballast weights.

 The aircraft was fitted with the then unconventional tricycle undercarriage and lead ballast weights were installed aboard the airframe which could be slid forward on a shaft in order to maintain the centre of gravity when the aircraft was loaded with paratroops or freight. The investigation found that the aircraft had been undergoing servicing on the Friday prior to the crash and that the weights had not been locked in place. Therefore, when the aircraft began to descend over Loch Tay, the weights slid forward and could not be repositioned to regain the correct trim, thus making the aircraft virtually un-flyable.”

 (End of the monograph)

The men who died in the crash were:

The fourth man on board who died was Francis Drahovzal, a Czechoslovakian national. He is buried in Murie Cemetry, Errol.

Following his cremation in the UK, Major Gruzdin’s ashes were buried with in Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow with full military honours. He is buried with his wife, who was also a pilot.

 

 Over time, back in Fearnan, the crash site healed and the details surrounding the accident, in as much as they were known by residents of the time, faded within the village’s collective memory.

An excavation of the site was carried out by the Dumfries and Galloway Aviation Museum in 2006, and some wreckage and engine parts were recovered which are now on display at the museum.

 More than 70 years after the Russian airmen came to Errol, Anna started to piece together the story of the Moscow Special Assignment Air Group and the background to their top secret mission in the UK began to re-emerge.

On 15 May 2015, through her efforts and with support from the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Edinburgh, an exhibition opened at Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre. The Russians In Scotland Exhibition is now part of the permanent display at the Centre, and is dedicated to those Soviet pilots who came to Scotland in 1943.

On 16 May 2015, a commemorative plaque was unveiled at the Errol airfield and is dedicated to the Soviet pilots of the Moscow Special Assignment Air Group. (Later, in November 1944, the Group was awarded the honorary name ‘10th Guards Air Transport Division’ for its deeds during the war – ‘Guards’ being the highest honorary title.)

These two events were attended by a delegation from Vnukovo, near Moscow – where the Air Group was based from the early days of the war. The delegation included the Head of Vnukovo Air Museum and pilots of the post-war generation, who had followed in their father or grandfather’s footsteps.

Anna herself commented at the time:“The RAF airman E Fielding who, in 1943, left an inscription on the front page of my grandfather’s English phrasebook: ‘ Good luck and may you visit again under better conditions. Russia and Britain–V!’ has proved to be right. The Russian pilots were indeed back under better circumstances. Their memory will be in good hands here.”

 We hope to welcome Anna to Fearnan for the first time later this year, when she makes a return visit to Scotland.