I was recently speaking to a gamekeeper in perthshire who related the following story. About 30 years ago, the keeper was staying in Barra, off the north coast of scotland where he was working on an estate. During a sea fishing trip, the fishing party saw an injured deer in distress on the shore. The owner of the boat, a local man in his 70s retrieved alee enfield 303 rifle from the wheelhouse and shot the animal. On seeing the rifle put away, he man saw a box of ammunition, wooden and sealed with foil and stamped with army markings. ON asking the old man where the rifle had come from. the old man told him this - during the war he and 5 other men from the island were chosen for a "special duty" if the germans invaded they were to take to the hills and fight. To this end they were supplied with arms,and trained. They were tasked with creating a secret store, and told to tell no one of its location. The old man went on to explain he was the last of the 6, and only he knew where the weapons were hidden, as he was sworn to secrecy. When asked what weapons there were, he replied 50 grenades 1000 rounds 303 10 rifles 1 sten 1 2 inch mortar explosives and about a tonne of tinned meats, fruits and vegetables.! My question is , is this likely to be a true story? I am aware of SOE and some of its operations, but have not been able to find references to weapons caches?
It is quite likely to be true, this would have been the guerrilla army that was being formed and set up in case of the German invasion of the UK. These men and women, and even their children, would act as a secret guerilla army gathering information, causing chaos as and where they could, until they were caught and shot. Fortunately they were never needed. To this end concrete bunkers that would shelter up to 6 men were built the length and breadth of the country, hidden away so well that nearly all of them are still unknown. it is quite likely that somewhere on Barra there is one of these bunkers still filled with many of the weapons and supplies, so well hidden that the chances of finding it are none. as far as I am aware there was no paper records kept of those recruited to this secret army, nor of where the bunkers are.
