On the grounds
of Achnacarry Castle, the ancestral home of Clan Cameron of Lochiel -- in the Highlands, on the banks of the River Arkaig in the shadow of Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Scotland – was the British Army Commando Training Center, officially named in 1942. There, British Soldiers and Marines trained in hazardous commando tactics.
The inaccessible rough territory of Highland mountains, lakes, and waterways also served as training grounds for commando forces from Allied countries, including France, Belgium, Greece, Holland, Norway, and Poland -- and for US Army Rangers.
It was a place of beach landing assault drills -- in lakes where live explosives were detonated and where crews were under fire from live ammunition. Live grenades were thrown in shrapnel-laden environments. Recruits woke to the sound of bagpipes. They were ordered on 20 mile speed marches, or on cliff climbing assaults under fire, or on perilous river crossings with barely adequate rope. On barbed wire obstacle courses, ambushes occurred unexpectedly.
In July 1942, Lieutenant Colonel William Orlando Darby arrived in the Highlands with 600 volunteers, From this group, 500 survived the hazards of the Achnacarry Commando Training Center ..
