_522 WHM100: Military "The museum is located in Fort William. The town is named for the fort built here in 1690 and the area has historically been of great strategic and political importance to the control of the Highlands. Much of the area's military stories revolve around the 1745 Jacobite Rising, but the museum also holds a fascinating collection of clothing, guns, medals, and other objects associated with Highland regiments, from the Boer War to the Second World War. One highlight of the gallery is a 360-degree tour of the Governor\u2019s room from the old fort; this is where the order for the Massacre of Glencoe was signed in 1692. Don\u2019t miss the opportunity to find out about the history of our Victorian pistols used in India in the 19th century, or examine the 1st Marquis of Montrose\u2019s helmet close up." museums@eu-lac.org English Collection text/plain Alias/WaveFront Object 3D "The museum is located in Fort William. The town is named for the fort built here in 1690 and the area has historically been of great strategic and political importance to the control of the Highlands. Much of the area's military stories revolve around the 1745 Jacobite Rising, but the museum also holds a fascinating collection of clothing, guns, medals, and other objects associated with Highland regiments, from the Boer War to the Second World War. One highlight of the gallery is a 360-degree tour of the Governor\u2019s room from the old fort; this is where the order for the Massacre of Glencoe was signed in 1692. Don\u2019t miss the opportunity to find out about the history of our Victorian pistols used in India in the 19th century, or examine the 1st Marquis of Montrose\u2019s helmet close up." text/plain Alias/WaveFront Object 3D Object "This trooping helmet belonged to James Graham, 1st Marquis of Montrose (1612-1650). Montrose was a Scottish nobleman, poet and soldier. He initially joined the Covenanters in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, but subsequently supported King Charles I as the English Civil War developed. He has a close association with Lochaber as the second battle of Inverlochy in February 1645 was one of his greatest victories. Marching his men across the frozen foothills around Ben Nevis, Montrose surprised and defeated his enemy." Physical Object "This basket hilted broadsword dates from either the late 17th or early 18th century. Basket-hilts were swords with a basket-shaped guard to protect the hand, and were common throughout Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. The most famous of this type in Scotland was the Scottish Claymore. Although this sword is in fairly decayed condition it has been included in the gallery because it has fascinating story behind it. It was found by chance in a cave at the head of Loch Treig called Craig-guanach in 1880 and given to Sir Alfred MacAulay, who gifted it to the museum in 1938. When it was found the bones of a man's arm and hand were found holding the sword. Tradition has it that there was a big clan battle near Craig-guanach and it is possible that a clansman injured in the battle crawled into the cave and died there." Physical Object "" image/jpeg Alex Gillespie Still Image "This powder horn has been showcased in the gallery because it is so beautifully decorative. The horn has been carved in a deeply incised rose design displaying the rose, the date 1698, and initials R.F. The stopper is made from wood carved to the shape of a thistle. Powder horns were containers used for storing gunpowder They were usually made from cattle horns, and were most commonly used with eighteenth century muskets. The use of nonferrous metal parts and naturally hollow animal horns ensured that the powder would not be detonated by sparks during storage and loading. Even though they were rendered obsolete by the development of breech-loading fire arms, these powder horns went back into production briefly during Victorian times as a fashionable accessory to 'traditional' Highland dress." Physical Object "" Fin Macrae Still Image "" 3D Object "" 3D Object "" Physical Object "These are two silver Spanish pieces of eight found in Tobermory Bay off the Isle of Mull. The coins made an unusual journey to arrive in the West Highlands. In July 1588 the Spanish launched their armada of 130 ships with the intention of invading England. After the failure of the attack storms forced the remaining ships from the Armada north and some tried to return to Spain navigating the north coast of Scotland. One of the galleons, the Florencia, sheltered in Tobermory Bay in October 1588. According to documents she carried pay chests for the Spanish army. On the point of departure from the bay, the ship was damaged by an explosion and sank 275 metres off what is now the New Pier. Attempts to salvage the treasure have been made over the years, though Sacheverell, Governor of the Isle of Man is reported to have recovered most of the lost bullion on the first salvage expedition in 1688." Physical Object "This 18th century banner contains the Coat of Arms of MacDonald of Moidart. By tradition this is Clanranald\u2019s Banner which was raised beside the Standard of Prince Charles Edward Stuart at Glenfinnan and was on the battlefield at Culloden. Although, its provenance has not been confirmed. Clan chief Donald MacDonald of Kinlochmoidart (born before 1705 \u2013 1746) fought in the 1745 Rising and was executed at Carlisle in 1746. The banner was originally lodged in the church at Mingarrry in Moidart in the 1920s. It has been restored by the Scottish Conservation Studio and is on long term loan to the museum from the Diocese of Argyll & the Isles." Physical Object "This an early modern shoulder-belt plate that was found in 2015 by metal detectorists in the deserted township of Alisary. It is very rare because it is engraved "Moidart Volunteers" and little evidence remains of their existence. By 1800 Inverness-Shire had raised 42 companies of infantry soldiers for the Napoleonic Wars whose contract meant they could only serve as part of a home defence force. One of those companies was the Moidart Volunteers. Their commanding officer was noted in 1797 as one Captain Alexander MacDonald who was probably a local landowner. It seems that the Moidart Company were incorporated into a battalion of Inverness-Shire Volunteers. The shoulder belt plate was worn to carry the sword and bayonet in the British Army from 1780s onwards. Two rivets and clip on the reverse attached the plate to the belt. The plate insignia would have been positioned in the chest area." Physical Object "The iconic Lochaber axe has been included in the gallery because it is still an important symbol of the area today, even appearing on the West Highland Museum\u2019s logo. The Lochaber axe is a long-handled battle-axe used by the Highland foot soldier. The design is a form of halberd. The first record of its use is around 1570 when Clan Cameron carried it during the Battle of Bun Garbhain between Clan Cameron and Clan Mackintosh. This pair of Lochaber axes originate from Taymouth Castle and were made for the visit of Queen Victoria to the castle in 1842. The Queen stayed at Taymouth for three days where she was treated to a lavish display of Highland culture." Physical Object "A good luck charm made for Colonel John Cameron of Fassiefern (1771 \u2013 1815). It is made from tartan silk and contains a pebble, pieces of stalk, speedwell seeds sewn in, with a tiny padlock and a letter. The letter reads "Col. Cameron, 92 Regt. Foot. Sir: I am all gratitude for your former kindness. When I heard the regt. was leaving town I was more troubled than I can express. I am ever bound to pray for your welfare, as a token of my gratitude I send a small bag, if you should chance to go to battle, or an (..) of honour, it will be no great trouble to put it round your neck. I trust it will save you from your enemy, which is the wish of - your humble servant, Unity Mathews". It was gifted by Unity Mathews to the Colonel. It didn't bring him much luck though. He was killed at Quatre Bras in June 1815 the day before the Battle of Waterloo." Physical Object "This is the largest object in the West Highland Museum collection and maybe one of the most intriguing. It came from the old fort (An Gearasdan) at Fort William and dates back to 1690. This was a strategic strong hold at the southern end of the Great Glen. Built in 1654 it was named Fort William, after King William III. The fort gained notoriety for its role in the infamous Glen Coe Massacre of 1692. It was unsuccessfully besieged by the Jacobites during the uprising of 1745, and served as a disembarkation point for those leaving Scotland during the Highland Clearances. When the old fort at Fort William was demolished, the wooden panelling from the Governor's house dining room was dismantled and re-erected inside the museum in 1937. Money for restoration was raised by a public appeal. When the layers of paper and colour wash had been scraped off the original eau de nil colour was revealed. The panelling was then restored to this original 17th century colouring. This room is very popular with Outlander fans because it featured in the first novel. Inside the room is a round mahogany Cromwellian wine table. It is reputed to have belonged to Colonel Hill, who was Governor of Fort William during the Massacre of Glencoe. There are other objects on display in the room relating to the old fort including the iron door key to the Governor's house and the lock to the gate of the old fort. " Physical Object "Two pairs of pistols that belonged to Lochaber man Major James MacFarlane (1774 - 1849) who worked in India with the Honourable East India Company. \r\n<\/br\/>\r\nThe first pair are percussion pistols with octagonal barrels, a ramrod, and a belt hook, and were made by gunsmith W. Powell. They date from the 1830s or early 1840s. There is a pistol and a spare. They would probably have been sold together in a presentation box, usually with gunpowder and a bullet making kit. \r\n\r\n<\/br\/>\r\nThe second pair are percussion mechanism pistols made by Hewson of London, a fairly big gun manufacturer of the era. These pistols have been dated to the first decade of the 19th century. They are a last defence weapon and a person would conceal the weapon on their person and use it to either end their own life, or the life of their attacker." Physical Object "The iconic Lochaber axe has been included in the gallery because it is still an important symbol of the area today, even appearing on the West Highland Museum\u2019s logo. The Lochaber axe is a long-handled battle-axe used by the Highland foot soldier. The design is a form of halberd. The first record of its use is around 1570 when Clan Cameron carried it during the Battle of Bun Garbhain between Clan Cameron and Clan Mackintosh. This pair of Lochaber axes originate from Taymouth Castle and were made for the visit of Queen Victoria to the castle in 1842. The Queen stayed at Taymouth for three days where she was treated to a lavish display of Highland culture." Physical Object "This iconic 1st pattern F-S Fighting Knife was designed by William Fairbairn and Eric Sykes in 1940. The duo trained special forces including the SOE and commandos here in Lochaber during the Second World War. Wilkinson Sword manufactured the fighting knives that were used for close combat by the British Commandos and Allied special forces. The techniques of effective use for this weapon were taught to various special forces at Highland training centres such as Lochailort Special Training Centre and Achnacarry, which was the Commando Basic Training Centre from 1942-1945. This dagger had been handed in to a police station in the south of Scotland as part of a knife amnesty and was scheduled for destruction. By chance a serving police officer, with an interest in Commando history, spotted the knife, recognised its historic importance and gifted to the museum." Physical Object "" Physical Object "" Physical Object "These postcards are part of a much larger collection sent by John McCallum to his wife Mary from France during the Great War. They married in Ballachulish in April 1916, but six months later John was shipped off to fight on the Western Front. He served as a Sergeant in the 13th Battalion of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Between October 1916 and February 1919 John sent Mary numerous postcards detailing his life in France. Embroidered cards like these were popular with the troops. They were made by local French women as a way of supplementing their income and sold to soldiers as gifts to send home. The postcards were gifted to the West Highland Museum in 2019 by John and Mary\u2019s granddaughter." Physical Object "Small cannonball from Fort William. Located in the West Highland Museum in Fort William." text/plain Alias/WaveFront Object 3D Object "Small cannonball from Fort William. Located in the West Highland Museum in Fort William." text/plain Alias/WaveFront Object 3D Object "When land around the old fort was excavated to make way for the first rail line into Fort William in the 1890s, knives, cannon, and bullet moulds were found in the old fort. This cannon ball was found in the old Fort and is marked with a Government arrow." Physical Object "Small wooden bowl possibly for soup of porridge. It was found in the Governor's House at Fort William when the fort was demolished in 1938. " Physical Object "wooden bowl from Governor's House." text/plain Alias/WaveFront Object 3D Object "wooden bowl from Governor's House." text/plain Alias/WaveFront Object 3D Object "" image/jpeg Still Image "Large metal lock from Fort William. " Physical Object "" text/plain Alias/WaveFront Object 3D Object "" text/plain Alias/WaveFront Object 3D Object 56.81762005887159 -5.111020356416703