Can anyone please give me the location of a Polish Army Officer Training School near North Berwick, Lothian, Scotland. Many thanks
Are you thinking of the Black Barony Hotel, Eddleston, about 40 miles from North Berwick? It was taken over as a staff college accommodating 50 Polish and Czech officers during 3q42 - CAB 66/30/29.
Hello Richlieu, That was my first thought! However, I heard that it was "just" outside North Berwick and a look around suggested several places but the most likely is Archerfield Hall which is now a luxury hotel but prior to that was boarded up and slipping into dereliction. Prior to that it was used as a college for military women, officer training and cadets. It was an army college but did fit in one or possibly two air force officer courses whilst the Air Force college was in the process of moving. The common factor was that this building hosted three courses simultaneously - exactly as did the (unknown) place I was looking for. East Lothian Council have also confirmed that Archerfield Hall was used for this purpose and it is just a couple of miles from North Berwick. If you ever hear anything to confirm or deny this, please let me know.
I haven’t found a reference to Archerfield Hall (now ‘House’ presumably) but CAB 66/33/34 says that "In November [1942] the Poles opened a Corps Battle School at Gullane to take 160 students on Special Assault Courses which lasted from eight to nine weeks" which may have been in the grounds of the Hall.
Sorry, Richlieu, It was Archerfield House. There was a college for the mechanised cavalry in the house and it did squeeze in one or two Officer training courses for the Air Force, willingly or otherwise. Neville
