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836 squadron transfers to Macrihanish for Deck Landing and other Training on March 16 |
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John Taylor's History of 836 squadron dismisses the 16-27 March at Macrihanish with: "On
13th March we left the chastening events of our last week at |
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Deck Landing Training was carried out on HMS Argus (above) which had been built in 1916 and deployed for Home training in 1943. |
| HMS Argus:Aircraft Carrier built by Beardmore, Glasgow after purchase by Admiralty in August 1916. She was to have been completed as Liner CONTE ROSSO for Lloyd Subuado of Italy but work had been suspended on out break of war in August 1914. Launched on 2nd December 1917 as the 11th RN warship to carry the name which was first used for a captured French privateer in 1792 and last borne by a Coastguard Vessel built in 1904. The conversion was completed on 16th September 1913 at a cost of £1.3M and she was extensively deployed with the Fleet until 1936 when modified for operating QUEEN BEE aircraft served in various convoys: ATLANTIC 1941-42 - ARCTIC 1941 - MALTA CONVOYS 1942 - NORTH AFRICA 1942 |
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The
BALURE Bombing range
was managed and used by the Fleet Air Arm at HMS Landrail (Macrahanish)
and that land (coast!) targets were set up on Balure Marches on
the west side of Kintyre, just north of Tayinloan within the
boundaries of Balure farm. The bombing target was a structure built
on top of Sgor Cainnteach, a rock immediately out offshore. In
1943, a wrecked cargo steamer was placed off Gigha as a target
ship. Wrens, who came up daily from HMS Landrail at Machnhanish,
staffed the observation posts. |
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SKIPNESS
Bombing Range
- On the south side of the cemetery, a
concrete arrow,
now part overgrown but still well visible, points southwards to the
start of what was the bombing range on the east side of Kintyre.
Sunley's, an English company contracted to build all the new facilities
out at Machrihanish for the RN Fleet Air Arm, were also assigned to build
the area's observation posts. All these constructions were built in
a highly recognisable type of red brick, an unfamiliar building material
in Kintyre. |
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At the end of the month, the squadron transfers to Ballykelly, Northern Ireland. |
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