The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Cannons spark lord’s blast over fort’s future
John Thurso reveals he has three guns at barracks
A formerHighland MP has revealed that he has a personal stake in the battle to save Fort George – because he owns three Napoleonic cannons at the barracks.
John Thurso added firepower to the Press and Journal’s campaign to fight against the closure of the 250-year-old garrison yesterday.
The former Liberal Democrat MP – who represented Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross for 14 years until last May – revealed that his maternal grandfather had served at the “iconic” base.
And the peer also recalled how his father Robin Sinclair, 2nd Viscount Thurso, had loaned three Napoleonic cannons to Fort George in the 1980s.
One of Lord Thurso’s ancestors had purchased the artillery and located them in front of Thurso Castle, but they were latterly “in danger of falling into the sea” and so a deal was reached to loan them to the fort in exchange for their upkeep.
Thehugecollection of armaments is just one of the many reasons the base continues to be one of the top tourist attractions in the north. But the future of Fort George has been thrown into doubt as the MinistryofDefence considers whether to pull the Army out of the barracks for the first time since it was built, after the Battle of Culloden.
Lord Thurso, who was recently appointed chairman of tourism agency Visit Scotland but was speaking in a personal capacity, said the base must not be shut down.
He said: “Speaking personally, Fort George is an iconic piece of Highland military history and an important visitor attraction.
“My maternal grandfather served there and my father’s cannons live there, and I hope everything can be done to save it.”
A total of 940 people have signed the Press and Journal’s Fight For Fort George petition, including film star Hugh Grant and politicians such as SNP Westminster leader Angus Robertson, local MP Drew Hendry and Labour MSP David Stewart.
The Ministry of Defence has said that “no final decision” has been taken on its future.
Lord Thurso held his Highland seat from 2001 to the 2015 general election, when he was ousted by PaulMonaghan in the SNP surge. His grandfather, Archibald Sinclair, was a former a Liberal Party leaderandalso represented Caithness and Sutherland.