Here are some examples of documents from all across the Highlands. Clicking on the images will allow you to see them in more detail. The images supplied are for educational purposes so please don’t use them for other reasons or share them online – thank you!
Home Front
The documents in our collections show the many ways life changed for people at home during the war. Buildings (including castles and hotels) were taken over by troops, many women went to work for the first time making weapons or driving ambulances, and people struggled to come to terms with evacuating their children and missing their husbands in the forces.
You can read a bit about the outbreak of the war and the start of evacuation below. There is also a letter that talks about a family’s air raid preparations and the evacuation of their children. You can read the full letter by clicking on the transcript underneath. The photo shows Duncraig Castle near Plockton, which was used as a Royal Naval Hospital during the war.
Read a transcript of the letter from Betsy here.
You can also read about the bombing of Bank Row in Wick.
War Front
Soldiers from many countries fought on the front lines of the war all over the world. You can read the letter below, which is written by a woman in the French Resistance. She was writing to her friend, who lived in Scotland, about her experiences in France during the war. The map is also from France, from a place called Brest. It has markings on it which show the Nazi occupied areas.
Read a transcript of the letter from Huguette here.
