Monument record MHG56915 - WWI army camp - Cromlet, Invergordon

An army camp was built during WWI on the area known as 'Cromlet' to the immediate northeast of Invergordon.

The site was visited in 2015 as part of the ARCH project 'Invergordon in World War I'. To the northeast of the town was a large army camp, capable of accommodating 2,000 troops. <1> The longest use was by the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders – 3rd Reserve Battalion which was raised in Inverness in August 1914 as a depot/training unit, moved on mobilisation (August 1914) to Cromarty and then to Invergordon. They moved to Birr (Ireland) in November 1917. The Cameron Highlanders were followed by The Royal Munster Fusiliers – 5th (Extra Reserve) Battalion who were transferred to Invergordon in November 1917 and moved to Fort George in April 1918. The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) – 3rd (Reserve) Battalion – was raised in Hamilton in August 1914 as a training unit, moved on mobilisation (August 1914) to Nigg and then to Invergordon in 1918 as part of the Cromarty Garrison. The troops trained in the area prior to their deployment to the western front. Some of the wooden huts are depicted on a naval WWI plan in private collection (though not shaded, showing that they were not naval huts), but photographs of the time show that the camp was much more extensive, with at least 45 barrack huts and c. 17 other buildings of various sizes to the east of the barracks. After the war the huts disappear. They are not shown on the 1930 aerial photograph, and had probably been sold off much earlier. <2>

Note: source is aerial photograph in collection of Invergordon Museum, so grid references of buildings may be distorted.