One of a Kind

Bertie, an Austin 8 NAAFI van, is the pride of the Russian Arctic Convoy Museum

Bertie visiting wartime sites around Loch Ewe
pictures Bruce Hudson, Nicky Ellakirk, Natasha Ellakirk
The cab interior and dashboard

Located in Aultbea on the northwest coast of Scotland, the Russian Arctic Convoy Museum is a unique facility with an interesting collection of World War Two related exhibits. The museum sits on the shores of Loch Ewe, which is apt as the loch was the mustering point for Allied merchant ships before they embarked on the perilous convoys to Murmansk and Archangel during World War Two.

Today the museum holds a large collection of artefacts relating to the Arctic convoys. The largest item saw action much closer to home where it played a crucial role in maintaining the morale of the Allied airmen. It is a wartime National Army and Air Forces Institutes (NAAFI) van once responsible for providing hot tea and refreshments.

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