There would be aircraft taking off and landing all the time

About this recording

Drew Guttridge was four years old when his family moved to Caithness and he was still a child when he began collecting World War Two memorabilia. His interest in the war years had been sparked by family visits to the old RAF station at Thurdistoft, just outside Castletown.

Drew lives in Dunnet, close to the former airfield and to the wartime radar facilities that were built on Dunnet Head. Reflecting on the impact made by the RAF station and the many personnel associated with it, Drew says: “It was a colossal influx of people, and there would be aircraft taking off and landing all the time… The skies around Castletown and in this part of Caithness would have been full of the sound of aircraft: Hurricanes to begin with, Spitfires a bit later.”

Drew also talks about his role in the steering group for the Caithness At War heritage trail project, which has begun in Wick and Sinclair’s Bay and hopefully will be expanded to cover the rest of the county in years to come. He has published a booklet about his research into World War Two defensive sites in Caithness and has given talks to local groups.

Drew explains how nowadays he tends to collect knowledge and information rather than artefacts.

The gallery photo shows Drew beside a small dsplay of his wartime memorabilia during the Caithness At War launch event held at Wick John O'Groats Airport in April 2024.