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Dunain House


Kingsmills

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Known as Dunbar's Hospital but originally from the 1660s until the 1790s accommodated the Grammar School, the predecessor of the Royal Academy. One of the Grammar School's more famous pupils, in 1746, was a certan Major Wolfe who was on the Duke of Cumberland's staff. 13 years later as a General he lost his life commanding the successful capture of Quebec from the French.

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Charles--you stunned me with your  comment about General Wolfe.
Both the Battle of Culloden (Cumberland) and the battle of the Heights of Abraham ( I believe that was the name of it) in Eastern Canada were both short affairs. I do believe that the Brits had countless warships and superior forces plus the element of surprise.

 

www.bing.com/search?q=Where+was+general+Wolfe+killed%3F&src=IE-TopResult&FORM=IETR02&conversationid=hips

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Charles--you stunned me with your  comment about General Wolfe.

Both the Battle of Culloden (Cumberland) and the battle of the Heights of Abraham ( I believe that was the name of it) in Eastern Canada were both short affairs. I do believe that the Brits had countless warships and superior forces plus the element of surprise.

 

www.bing.com/search?q=Where+was+general+Wolfe+killed%3F&src=IE-TopResult&FORM=IETR02&conversationid=hips

Scarlet... a brief check of Wikipedia suggests that Wolfe did have lots of ships but was a bit short in the soldiery department and did have the element of surprise when he sent some of his chaps up the Heights of Abraham. The battle does also appear to be called The Battle of the Plains of Abraham.

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You are right about the name but just between you and me  the plains were a long way away and the redoubt was on the top of a hill with good sight-lines etc., all of which would make sense 'cos you sure want to see the enemy coming before they arrive. But the ships bombarded the fort prior to the attack anyway ....

 

My whole point though in posting anything was my surprise that this lad was at the Grammar school in Inverness at all. In fact , based on his history ( he was the aide de camp of one of the generals who served Cumberland at Culloden), after the skirmish was over, he would certainly have accompanied the other officers and most of the army who descended to bivouac in the town. He must have been quite young though and if he attended the school to learn  it could have been a University-type course I would have imagined.

Isn't it much more likely, though,  Charles, that he was simply staying there between shifts. I will bet that the available accommodation for all the army would have been very scarce and the school probably offered more space for the upper crust types not to mention tables and chairs for conferences  etc.

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My whole point though in posting anything was my surprise that this lad was at the Grammar school in Inverness at all. In fact , based on his history ( he was the aide de camp of one of the generals who served Cumberland at Culloden), after the skirmish was over, he would certainly have accompanied the other officers and most of the army who descended to bivouac in the town. He must have been quite young though and if he attended the school to learn  it could have been a University-type course I would have imagined.

 

 Scarlet... I have done a bit of research and have discovered that Wolfe did indeed take Maths classes at the Grammar School after Culloden, but not immediately after. He returned to Inverness on a posting over the winter of 1751/52 and it was during that period. That squares better because at Culloden and having been born in 1727, he was only a 19 year old junior officer and he is siad to have been a major at the time. That notwithstanding, he was still at the Battle of Dettingen, as a mere 16 year old in 1743. That was actually the last time a British monarch (George II - Cumberland's father) commanded in the field and it was there that Wolfe first made his mark.

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More likely by Cumberbatch the film star 'cos it looks just like wear and tear and neglect to me. The said Cumberbatch also does Canadian documentary roles speaking the commentaries that are embedded in the videos. He has fine speaking voice with the ability to speak very clearly with voice modulations appropriate to the scene. Very professional.

 

I worked out the same timelines and ages for Wolfie myself and figured he must have been  about 19 at the time and had me squaring that with the date of the battle. Seems like a rather distinguished gentleman from the photo and no doubt courageous to boot and very smart to rise so quickly. Mind you,  being the son of an aristocrat he was probably heading for a high position anyway and was lucky not to put a foot wrong. Being a good assistant to the General no doubt also helped greatly. :smile:

 

Your research always seems to be very good too, Chas, so I am really looking forward to your response with reference to my post 187 re the entries in the Courier about the girl who married a minesweeper sailor boy.

 I wrote to the Courier after we chatted about that on here but they did not even send me a reply. That's the 2nd time I have written to them on another subject and the first contact was also ignored. Was it too much to expect even the simple courtesy of an acknowledgment? "Yep! The times they are a-changing.." :sad:

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I just don't remember that house in the middle of the shot certainly as far back as the mid 60s but next time I'm up there I must check to see if the bits of rubble I seem to recollect along there somewhere are actually on that spot. Back then, a track left the A82 just after the Loch Ness House Hotel, went through what are now holes 10-18 of the golf course and, after a bit of a climb, there was a left turn which took you past where the house is in the pic. The path through the centre of the photo, also from the A82 and still there, then joined it as it continued towards a farm and a third access from the main road.

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The road went right down to the canal - not shure how long ago that piccy was but I traversed that road.

Yes, the dirt road which runs horizontally across the middle of the pic extended past the T junction with the track up from the hotel, which is at Mile End and continued along to where Kinmylies Church is now at the bottom of Piggery Hill. A branch there took you round the end of what is now Charleston Acadenmy, down to the canal banks and along to the Torvean Bridge.

In my Dalneigh days I did a great deal of running in that area and remember it fondly.

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