Mike Low - Moray Sea School, Burghead Scotland, 1955

I attended The Moray Sea School in February 1955,while I was a pupil at Hyndland senior Secondary School Glasgow. We arrived just before a terrible blizzard which hit the headlines when the local RAF had to drop fodder to animals in the fields that were starving . The operation was called operation "Snowdrop" Burghead was cut off at one stage the only road in was via Hopeman The expeditions etc were curtailed due to the poor weather but we had to walk from Elgin back to burghead after a visit to Elgin museum The athletics etc took place in the localfootball grounds where an obsticale course was set up . Seamanship continued from the harbour and we marched down there dressed in oilskins We had to scrape the frost from the oars of the cutters (no gloves allowed) row out into the bay and hoist the lug sail . In the evenings some of us would walk round the village peering into windows where we would see blazing fires and wished we could get a heat from them . Our sleeping arrangements were in wooden huts containing approx. 30 beds enough for a watch . When the wind blew and that was every night if the door was opened the roof would rise and fall back on closing. .When during the night we were caught short we just opened the door and peeded down the steps In the morning the steps were covered in ice . I was the youngest boy there and the only name I can remember in my watch was a guy from Dundee Dennis Gilfeather who I think did some amateur boxing. in later life There are lots of stories some printable others not ,but things that happened round the harbour are remembered with fondness. I have been to the harbour on a few occasions and it has changed considerably since 1955 .