The base you remembered was Royal Air Force Alness and I was stationed there in 1955. It had formerly been a base for Sunderland airplanes, but during my tenure was Air Sea Rescue there were two/three launches which spent most of the time in Invergordon at an RAF dock there, they also towed targets out to sea for gunnery practise for the Navy. Altogether I suppose there were about 50 or 60 personnel with most living at RAF Alness amd some in married quarters in Evanton.I was there for about a year before moving on .

Bernie H.

Hi Bernie:
That's terrific - When I knew the base it was overgrown with weeds. There were a couple of ruined towers which we climbed, and an old building full of mouldy bibles. My dad was with Air Sea Rescue in Grimsby (PT boats) and he might well have been with them in Alness. By any chance do you have a map of it? Or know the names of any streets that bordered it? I'm trying to find our old neighbourhood and school - we found a school that was across the street from the cultural center, which my sister insists was our old school, but I remember it as being much larger...
Pete E

Hi Pete

The base was actually in two parts, the part you probably played in was east of the river and was abandoned. The main base was west of the river and where the RAF personnel lived and ate. I went back to Alness about 8 years ago (going down memory lane) and found only the gate house left of the base. The rest had been razed, including the hangars and is the site of an "old folks" home.

The town of Alness was much changed, probably due to all the oil rigs there, but a lot of it was recongnizable. Sorry I don't have any maps etc but you can view on Google Earth.

Best Wishes.. Bernie

Hi Bernie:
Thanks for the info. I did look via Google Earth but didn't see anything that resembled my memories. I suppose it was a forlorn hope after 45 years; everything has changed so much.
Thanks for your help.
Pete

Sorry I could not be of more help Pete.

Bernie

Hi pete douglas here i was born and raised in alness the school was bridgend school and the srteet the school was on was perins road that was the only school in alness then but now they have 4 you can get a map maybe from alness heritage center the surouding area from the airforce grounds was dalmore ware the dalmore whiskey is made the distilary still there also not far from you was teaninich street that was the old distilary name b4 it became dalmore ther were houses there and still standing and ocupied

Hi Douglas:
Thanks for the info. I Google-mapped Perins Rd but couldn't find the old school. I did find the Bridgend Primary and the Bridgend Education Centre, but they are both too new to be the school I remember from the fifties. Do you know if it's still standing?
Also I looked all around Teaninich street but couldn't see the old airforce base. Guess that is gone for good.
Thanks for contacting me.
All the best,
Pete E

Hi Douglas:
Mystery solved.
The Heritage Center sent me a picture of the school. It was at the junction of Obsdale Rd and the B817 - tucked into the corner where the B817 becomes the High Street. Opposite the Perrins Centre.
It was demolished in '62 or thereabouts. The playground to the East became Market Square.
All the best,
Pete E