A New England lumberjacks' 'invasion'
355 hard-working lumbermen from the United States (250 expert wood workers, besides engineers, sawmillers, carpenters, blacksmiths, clerks, timekeepers, cooks, waiters, other camp followers... and one pet grizzly bear!) arrived in Ardgay in July 1917 with a 12-month contract.
By Silvia Muras
Since the outbreak of World War I, German U‑boat blockades had been crippling British shipping lanes and cutting off overseas timber imports. As a result, Britain and the Allies faced an acute timber shortage. Wood was essential for shoring up the muddy trenches on the Western Front, building railway sleepers, constructing ships, and producing the pit props needed to keep coal mines operating.
To alleviate the crisis, the War Department turned to intensive felling of private forests in the Scottish Highlands. And because so many British men were away fighting, specialised lumberjacks and mill workers were brought in from the United States, Canada, and Newfoundland.
On 12th July 1917, the Northern Times reported:
