The summer had been glorious but the winter was hard and bitter and many of the locals were down with the flu but that made no difference. Everyone had to leave. Those unfit to be billeted in Tain, Portmahomack Fearn or further afield were taken by ambulance to hospital. No allowance was made for weather, health or age. For some the heartache of leaving homes in which they had been born and lived in all their days was too much and it was with tears that they viewed the prospect of leaving all that they had worked for over the years. Old men are remembered unashamedly weeping at the sight of all their possessions being loaded onto a waiting wagon to be taken away and stored in what is now Tain locality office, the gallery of Tarbat Free Church or as far away as Carbisdale Castle. This didn't mean that they went unwillingly or refused to go. On the contrary again and again the spirit of the people is commended in the press and by those who remember "if they had to do their bit for the war" they would and "if in any small measure they could shorten the war and save some lives they were willing to do so." Though the question still lingered as to why a less populated area and less fertile area wasn't chosen for battle practise.

However, the question that was uppermost in the minds of the people was when would they be able to return and would there be anything left to return to. Live ammunition and heavy tanks were to be used and all householders were told to leave the keys in their doors. For at least three of the villagers that long awaited moment of return never came and they died without ever seeing their "ain wee corner" again. The situation was made worse with the men of the village being POWs and many of the elderly had to call back their families from the south to give a helping hand.

The Area To Be Evacuated

The map shows all the areas around Inver that people were prohibited to enter because the army was using live ammunition. The villages of Portmahomack and Rockfield and the farming areas on Tarbat were cut off completely from the rest of Easter Ross. The only way you could pass through was by travelling at the times laid down by the, military, which was at 8.30am and 4.30pm. Unfortunately these times were frequently changed to suit themselves which led to quite a few problems. It was almost impossible to get a doctor or a nurse to visit when they were needed and on a few occasions a teacher who taught at the school but lived in Hilton village had to stay overnight because the guards at the barriers wouldn't let her through.

Reproduced from the 1981 Ordinance Survey Map with the permission of the controller of her Majesty’s stationery Office. Crown Copyright

Notice warning that the Tarbatness area was closed

She couldn't get past because they were taking up the whole road so she had to pull up. The officer in charge gave her permission to carry on but only after some dispute, so she drove away to the cheering of the soldiers who must have enjoyed seeing this schoolteacher get the better of their officer. To get through the area you needed a special certificate -attached to your identity card and everyone had to have this and it didn't matter who you were!