If I had known the strength of Fort George's defences, I would not have tried to capture it. The only chance of success would have been to bypass Fort George completely and ally with dissatisfied factions in Northern England in the hope of raising a general revolt against the crown. However, unless the various garrisons could be contained, that would have left Scotland extremely vulnerable, and ultimate success would have depended on London and the south joining the uprising against Hanoverian rule in a French style revolution. So much planning would have been involved that any such plot would inevitably have been discovered. In short, my plans would most likely never have progressed beyond daydreams.
your channel is great. You could do with a view mor aerial shots however which would help to grasp the magnitude of these forts/castles etc even better. Keep up the great work!
Was stationed at Fort George with the Gordon Highlanders in 1989. Best posting ever. Guard duty was magic. Got to wander about the whole place for hours without getting bored. The Barracks were immaculate too.
Was stationed there in 2000 with the Black Watch the barracks weren’t quite as immaculate hahaha. Fantastic fort though, an the N.A.AF.I was always busy hahaha.
The importance of being able to build a fort on that peninsular cannot be understated. 1) Only the landward side (1/4) of the fort has to be heavily defended, and the poor natural terrain already does half the work. 2) Direct access to the sea means with a decent navy, it's virtually impossible to starve the fort out. 3) That particular peninsular can control the access Inverness has to the sea.
@@johnpollock7952 There was a Fort at Inverness, John, but was there a fort on Ardesier? It only made sense in the context of the technology of the time. Cannon with a range of a mile plus, and a Royal Navy able to resupply the garrison.
So its on a peninsular? That explaines quite a bit. For me as somebody who never heard about the place before, this whould have been one interesting fact to mention in this 10 minute video.
Brings back memories of my childhood. I remember walking from our home in Ardersier to Fort George and being blown away by the fort and the views of the Firth.
I was there in 1982, the barrack rooms were a bit soul destroying back then, but the fort itself and the surrounding views are a thing of beauty. Like the Spitfire and the P51 Mustang, you have to wonder how something so pleasing to look at and to be around can be an instrument of war.
Hey Rob, bad timing for you buddy. I got posted to Fort George in “89 and the barracks had just been totally refurbished the year before. The place was immaculate. The facilities were first class 👍
@@gardengnome2409 Probably way better now, I've seen videos of some barracks in the UK and they're being renovated and stuff, looks better than many homes.
And like the Romans, the forts where connected via high quality roads so they could be supported quickly. The road from Stirling to Fort William being the most impressive.
"Had you seen the land, Ere the roads were laid, You'd cast up your hands, And bless general Wade" (Wade was the officer in charge of surveying, logistics, and the actual road building. The military roads were an economic blessing in an area that was hitherto almost impassable.)
I was there afew days ago, first week of November in northern Scotland but it was a beautiful day. It’s an Amazing feat of engineering and a fascinating place, I even saw porpoises swimming in the Firth!
It recently occurred to me, having walked the ramparts many times, that Fort George wasn’t designed to defeat the Jacobite’s. No, instead it was engineered to ward off the French. FG is massive overkill for defeating, defending against, locally raised Jacobite armies, without sophisticated engineering and artillery support. I assume the concern, at the time, was a French invasion, notionally in support of the Jacobites, with Inverness being a principle invasion and supply point.
Stayed there, nothing else occurred to me. It's a bit of an effort to get to even now, rebellious locals could just ignore it & do there rebelling elsewhere.
The Jacobite armies were fairly well equipped, with a well equipped amount of artillery (which dominated British artillery in the early stages of Culloden before being pushed). People tend to play down how professional the army was, it had just as many men from the Lowlands as it did the Clannish levy style areas, and it had multiple companies of Irish and French veterans. Obviously yes, the Fort was probably designed with a French invasion in mind, but the Jacobite Army had more potential than you make it seem.
Took my dad there in 2003 as he did part of his National Service there from 1947 to 1949. He was in the Catering Corps, an 18 year old Derbyshire lad in the Black Watch, his post 'abroad' he used to say! The only fighting he was involved in was when he was posted to Glasgow Military Hospitals!
went to the fort three years ago and was most impressed with how it was all put together, and to see it last well over 250 years. it is worth a full day out, to look around it. just make sure that you go in the summer time.
I Live just across the water from Ft George. We go every year without fail. My kids love it. Best time ever was standing where you were watching a Spitfire fly past up the firth, just awesome!
I love this channel! I’ve watched at least 20 videos this morning alone. Wonderful presentation! Keep up the great work! And I love the setting in this video! Beautiful with the rainbow in the background!
I visited Fort George a couple of years ago in September. It was amazing weather for one day, you can take a nice stroll at the beach there. The people who worked there were very kind and are very knowledgable.
Love star forts. Grew up near Fort Monroe in Virginia. Would visit there a lot. It's a National Monument now but they had a museum there starting in the 50's. Grandparents lived on the water right across from it and the 4th on July Fireworks was great. Grandfather would set off a few fireworks after the fort started telling us kids that we had to fire back at them or they might stop.
Did my APWT 3years in a row up there, stayed at Cameron Barracks home of the QOH at the the time, think the the Gordon's were at George, happy days many good memories, loved Scotland..👍
Dan is so very good at these history video's. Absolutely brilliant architecture and the planning must have been second to none. Thanks so much for this wonderful view of a bit, admittedly a huge bit, of British history.
Thanks for the tour. That is a huge fortress. I visit St. Augustine from time to time. It has the Castile de St.Marcos and is a Spanish star-design fort. Many years later they also built a star-design fort in Zamboanga City in the Philippines. That must have been an effective design. Happy Trails... History Hit is a Hit!
Visited this many years ago and you can sometimes at certain times of the year see Dolphins. As you leave Fort George and drive back down the Road on the left hand side is a Old Pub which also does B+B,it’s nothing special to look at on the outside but inside the Pub it is absolutely beautiful with Red carpets and wooden panelling plus a Bar stocked with Whiskey galore,which the Landlord would give you small snifters of until you found out the perfect whiskey for you. The Restaurant there was absolutely amazing and served Scottish dishes as well as fusion dishes of English and Scottish foods and all locally sourced and it tasted out of this world. Accommodation was extremely comfortable and reasonably priced. The Staff were friendly and the locals were even friendlier. We did a west coast of Scotland drive round in the week and stopped at a different hotel every night but by Far Fort George was my favourite place.
@@sharenerobertson5574 I have had the opportunity of seeing a bit of Scotland through my old Job and visits/short breaks and I fell in love with Loch Lomond when I was there, I have never experienced such a calming effect as much as when standing on the banks,it felt like I was Home and safe and beautiful. I spoke to my Father and apparently we have roots to the Older Clans :- The McCauleys? I don’t know if that’s the correct spelling and after my Dad passed away last year I did a small piece of heritage checking and I have ancestry back to a clan chief ?? William Moffat 1700’s.
The dolphins seem to like the waters up and around Inverness. Every time I've been up there I've stopped by a lighthouse or bridge and spied for them for about an hour. Surprisingly common around Summer/ Autumn.
I was stationed there, back end of 1969.Main battalion was the RHF. Amazing building. CO had a Black Lab which would shit on the parade ground during parades.
when we lived in Moray i often took the kids to Fort George , during the summer there was something on almost every weekend & even if there wasn't they still loved exploring it .. & if you were really lucky you could see dolphins from the ramparts
You should do a full circle of Portsmouth where the forts surrounding the Dockyard, go from the earliest (Roman Fort), all the way through the ages to the Palmerston Follies to the north (e.g. Fort Nelson)
Some feedback. The video spends a lot of time talking about shapes of areas, constructed landscapes, how they are laid out, and how that would impact attackers etc. However, the camera stays stuck on the presenter, and barely, if at all, showing us anything of what hes talking about. Some better camera angles, or better yet, cuts that show the particular object, or the landscape hes talking about, would add a lot. Right now you could make this audio only, and you wouldn't really loose all that much.
@@markw4613 It is do with imperialism though. The echos from the schism in the Christian church can still be seen and heard today unfortunately. I just found out the other day Basque and Catalans fought at Culloden. Mental. Modern day independence is about moving away from these things despite the Tories/Orange Order seeming to be quite happy whipping up sectarian tensions. We've seen a 150 per cent rise in orange marches since the referendum. A lot of them bussed in from Ulster. Someone is paying for that. I'd love to live in a modern international outward looking country. Staying in the UK means being the plaything of the little Englander(see Brexit) unfortunately.
@@MickeyMichaels348 Which as a natural unionist and now seperatist was hardly a cause of triumph. With all of the states power combined they barely scraped a win mainly due to the older generation and bare faced lies. Whats happened since then has turned a lot of folk like me towards indy.
Nice one Dan, that's my neck of the woods. It'd have been good to get an overall aerial shot to show folk the full star design of the fort, it's pretty impressive from the air.
Used to run about the moats/ditches here as a kid, getting chased by security staff. Also used to go fishing down at the point, and round the back of it. An active, large firing range adjacent to it too.. Used to go down and scrounge used shells.
@@why3011 Yeah there's loads of ways/sets of steps up and down them. We would just split up as Historic Scotland only has a couple of staff and the place is huge
Independence doesn't mean become a Republic, if Scotland did become independent, then far more likely than not it would it would still have the same monarchy, but have its own Prime Minister
Was it impregnable because Hanoverians had largely killed or exiled Jacobites from the highlands? Who was there left to attack this white elephant? A monument to war pigs.
For George is in the most beautiful place quite close to where I live, it is worth going to have a look around the shore area for dolphins and seals especially on the other side of the estuary at Chanonry point, you get the dolphins swimming very close to the shore swimming through a whirlpool it is absolutely amazing to see
This place absolutely dominates Moray Firth … defending Inverness and the heart of the Highlands … was there last week … found it by accident… could spend all day there…. Great museum
Was stationed there 75/76 prior to N I Op Banner posting it was deemed a home posting which was handy as most of the Battalion were from the N E of Scotland.
Excellent presentation. As I watched I was initially thinking this was in Halifax, Nova Scotia where a smaller scale star fort of identical architecture still sits atop the hill overlooking the harbour. Currently we refer to it as the "Citadel" but it was also once referred to as Fort George. The citadel was was once the centrepiece of the defence controlling the entrance to the harbour dating back to the mid-1700's when Nova Scotia was split into English and French zones. In more recent years this defence complex was expanded and modified to include submarine nets to protect ships being grouped into convoys supplying the Allied forces during WW1 and WW2. Cheers.
Many old Scottish Division soldiers will remember theo local pubs in Ardersiar, the Alma for other ranks and the Gun Lodge frequented by young officers. In the early to mid 70s the local Bobby was in the habit of locking the door at closing time so we were forced to drink beer all night. Sometimes it was a relief to deploy overseas for a test.
I lived in Ardesier in 85/86 . Was an army brat with the 1'st Battalion Queen's Own Highlanders . I can still smell the armoury after all these years . ❤
I like how he called it the unruly north . Admittedly it was a bit but being called unruly by a warmongering government burning people out their homes is a bit hypocritical.
It doesn't take a genius to work out that he frames that wording within the context of what officials might have been thinking back then. Ya know... 300 years ago. Lots of precious people here getting upset and using this bit of HISTORY to further their political ideals.
@@doug6500 so he’s taking a viewpoint from someone who is apart of you’re mighty empire well then that would make sense for using the word unruly to describe the people of a land you’re trying to conquer
Yeah Bonnie prince Charlie was a real heroe wasn't he not , the scots got what they deserved at Culloden ,the pacification of the Highlands well read into what you may , never again will the house of stuart lay claim to the English throne they have dared and they have lost , ENGLAND FOREVER .
I was once called out to Fort George because they opened up an old armoury and found a No. 69 (giggidy) grenade under some floorboards. probably the windiest place in the world, certainly wouldn't want a posting there.
since it was never attacked, we don't really know if it could breached. you don't say why it was never attacked. if it prevented war, then it had a purpose, but if it was never a strategic position and thus never attacked, then it was just a huge waste of money.
Can You guys imagine the 2 guys at the sterling bridge scene in Braveheart before the speech, seeing this fort, and then saying "alright lads, let's go home!"
"The Highlands will never agin be lost by the British Monarch" he says at the end. Interestingly at some point in the next 10 years Scotland is likely to shut out the Windsors (read Hanoverians) and move into a future with close connections to France and the rest of Europe.
Scotland is extremely unlikely to declare independence in the next 10 years. And even if it were to, it would be even less likely not to retain ER as ceremonial head Of state.
@@0BN02 Bingo. If Scotland joined the EU, they would be the most eurosceptic country in the union and why would the EU want another greedy teat-sucker? They need net contributors more than ever, not takers.
My grandfather, James douglas, was RSM of the Cameron’s then latterly commandant of fort George. I still remember going to stay in ardersier as a young child.
First time viewer who has a slight love affair with Castles 😕, and what hooked me to subscribe, was when he said at the end so casually "You should probably subscribe..." Made me laugh out loud - good style. I subscribed 😄
*I* *knew* I recognised his presentational style and voice! Curiosity got the better of me - and now I really *am* glad I subscribed! So much gold, I don't know where to turn to next! 😄
ww1 wasnt the war that only used trenches, trenches been used for a very long time, since the beginning of firearms, like in late 14th century to 16th century they started using earthworks.
It is indeed a remarkable fort but why are we ignoring the imperial and colonial reason it was built and the sustained ethnic cleansing and atrocities it allowed the British to commit on the native Gaelic people?
@@keighlancoe5933 now u wouldn't say that if, it where a different country outside UK. Well use did the crime, we suffered the consequences u choose to make us the victim at ur evil hands
@@thesnoopmeistersnoops5167 the Scoti came from Northern Ireland just after the fall of Roman Britian... By your logic the Anglos and Saxions should be fought and kicked out of England by the native Britons Calling the Scottish natives by the 1700 is perfectly fair and reasonable.
I was stationed there in the early 2000’s with the 1st battalion Black Watch RHR fantastic countryside but cold and wet, more than usual for Scotland hahaha.
Imagine being so hated by the people, that you would have to pile such crushing oppression upon them in order to keep posession of their land. Extraordinary.
Beautifull fort, I also liked the kazemates, they were also present in the Ypres fortifications and were used exactly as you mentioned during each siege and the WO1.
Today's presentation has been brought to you by beans... Beans,... beans, the food of my heart. The more you eat, the more you... Well,.. You know. I bet if you told that to the little girl in the ads, she wouldn't be so jacked up about beans anymore ! Unless she's a Scott. The scottish have a warped sense of humor that I like.
1,600 infantry soldiers plus staff plus artillerymen. But I dunno how many guns that fortress would have had. The mentioned Fortress Neuf-Brisach had 5,500 men and 180 guns *. . .*
If you were a general in the 18th century, how would you plan to capture Fort George? 🤔
If I had known the strength of Fort George's defences, I would not have tried to capture it. The only chance of success would have been to bypass Fort George completely and ally with dissatisfied factions in Northern England in the hope of raising a general revolt against the crown. However, unless the various garrisons could be contained, that would have left Scotland extremely vulnerable, and ultimate success would have depended on London and the south joining the uprising against Hanoverian rule in a French style revolution. So much planning would have been involved that any such plot would inevitably have been discovered. In short, my plans would most likely never have progressed beyond daydreams.
And, of course, a similar approach, relying on English and French support, had already failed in the '45.
your channel is great. You could do with a view mor aerial shots however which would help to grasp the magnitude of these forts/castles etc even better. Keep up the great work!
@@markusz4447 thanks Markus! We've just invested in a brand new drone so watch this space!
I would build a giant wooden rabbit and offer it as a gift, while me and my attackers wait outside.
+1 if you get the reference
I lived in Fort George for four years during my army service. It was never attacked!
You did well Frank 👍🏻🏴
"Job well done lads!"
I served at fort George with the black watch 96
Breached by many a fair maiden I bet
Has any British army base on Britain been attacked in the last century? (By land )
Was stationed at Fort George with the Gordon Highlanders in 1989. Best posting ever. Guard duty was magic. Got to wander about the whole place for hours without getting bored. The Barracks were immaculate too.
Was stationed there in 2000 with the Black Watch the barracks weren’t quite as immaculate hahaha. Fantastic fort though, an the N.A.AF.I was always busy hahaha.
@@crackedoutclown Some great nights out in Inverness though👌
I visited last year , and as an ex sapper I immediately went to find the NAAFI .....no bloody NAAFI ?.....what has happened to the modern army ?
@@peterscotney1 Boris Johnson was in town and having a private covid party with the females. The dirty perv
Tunes of glory .
The importance of being able to build a fort on that peninsular cannot be understated.
1) Only the landward side (1/4) of the fort has to be heavily defended, and the poor natural terrain already does half the work.
2) Direct access to the sea means with a decent navy, it's virtually impossible to starve the fort out.
3) That particular peninsular can control the access Inverness has to the sea.
It would be great if it was their bright idea, but there was already a Fort there, and there had been forts there for the past 2000 years at least
@@johnpollock7952 for a good reason (and I never said it was their idea).
@@johnpollock7952 There was a Fort at Inverness, John, but was there a fort on Ardesier? It only made sense in the context of the technology of the time. Cannon with a range of a mile plus, and a Royal Navy able to resupply the garrison.
So its on a peninsular? That explaines quite a bit. For me as somebody who never heard about the place before, this whould have been one interesting fact to mention in this 10 minute video.
Brings back memories of my childhood. I remember walking from our home in Ardersier to Fort George and being blown away by the fort and the views of the Firth.
Is at far i Invisible woman stays
I was there in 1982, the barrack rooms were a bit soul destroying back then, but the fort itself and the surrounding views are a thing of beauty. Like the Spitfire and the P51 Mustang, you have to wonder how something so pleasing to look at and to be around can be an instrument of war.
Hey Rob, bad timing for you buddy. I got posted to Fort George in “89 and the barracks had just been totally refurbished the year before. The place was immaculate. The facilities were first class 👍
@@gardengnome2409 Probably way better now, I've seen videos of some barracks in the UK and they're being renovated and stuff, looks better than many homes.
And like the Romans, the forts where connected via high quality roads so they could be supported quickly. The road from Stirling to Fort William being the most impressive.
"Had you seen the land,
Ere the roads were laid,
You'd cast up your hands,
And bless general Wade"
(Wade was the officer in charge of surveying, logistics, and the actual road building. The military roads were an economic blessing in an area that was hitherto almost impassable.)
The same roads enabled the storming of Edinburgh within 2 months of the uprising beginning. Brilliant tools, so long as they are in competent hands.
I was there afew days ago, first week of November in northern Scotland but it was a beautiful day. It’s an Amazing feat of engineering and a fascinating place, I even saw porpoises swimming in the Firth!
It recently occurred to me, having walked the ramparts many times, that Fort George wasn’t designed to defeat the Jacobite’s. No, instead it was engineered to ward off the French. FG is massive overkill for defeating, defending against, locally raised Jacobite armies, without sophisticated engineering and artillery support. I assume the concern, at the time, was a French invasion, notionally in support of the Jacobites, with Inverness being a principle invasion and supply point.
Stayed there, nothing else occurred to me. It's a bit of an effort to get to even now, rebellious locals could just ignore it & do there rebelling elsewhere.
The local clansmen were never more than pawns in the struggle between the houses of Hanover and Stewart.
The Jacobite armies were fairly well equipped, with a well equipped amount of artillery (which dominated British artillery in the early stages of Culloden before being pushed). People tend to play down how professional the army was, it had just as many men from the Lowlands as it did the Clannish levy style areas, and it had multiple companies of Irish and French veterans. Obviously yes, the Fort was probably designed with a French invasion in mind, but the Jacobite Army had more potential than you make it seem.
Maybe best place to start here is understanding who the Jocobites were and that they weren't just Scottish. There were French, English...
More a place to suppress the Highlands, rather than ward of the French who were not as much of a threat with the navy
This was actually really cool to listen to! I like star forts and the reasons behind their design.
Took my dad there in 2003 as he did part of his National Service there from 1947 to 1949. He was in the Catering Corps, an 18 year old Derbyshire lad in the Black Watch, his post 'abroad' he used to say! The only fighting he was involved in was when he was posted to Glasgow Military Hospitals!
He did well to keep Scotland safe.
went to the fort three years ago and was most impressed with how it was all put together, and to see it last well over 250 years. it is worth a full day out, to look around it. just make sure that you go in the summer time.
And in what week is the summer time?
I Live just across the water from Ft George. We go every year without fail. My kids love it. Best time ever was standing where you were watching a Spitfire fly past up the firth, just awesome!
I love this channel! I’ve watched at least 20 videos this morning alone. Wonderful presentation! Keep up the great work!
And I love the setting in this video! Beautiful with the rainbow in the background!
Thanks so much!
I visited Fort George a couple of years ago in September. It was amazing weather for one day, you can take a nice stroll at the beach there. The people who worked there were very kind and are very knowledgable.
Love star forts. Grew up near Fort Monroe in Virginia. Would visit there a lot. It's a National Monument now but they had a museum there starting in the 50's. Grandparents lived on the water right across from it and the 4th on July Fireworks was great. Grandfather would set off a few fireworks after the fort started telling us kids that we had to fire back at them or they might stop.
Did my APWT 3years in a row up there, stayed at Cameron Barracks home of the QOH at the the time, think the the Gordon's were at George, happy days many good memories, loved Scotland..👍
Amazing! That fortress looks so incredibly well-preserved,it's absolutely beautiful!
When I was a boy my father took me to Fort George. I took my children and later on, my grandchildren.
Wonderfull place.
Dan is so very good at these history video's.
Absolutely brilliant architecture and the planning must have been second to none. Thanks so much for this wonderful view of a bit, admittedly a huge bit, of British history.
Thanks for the tour. That is a huge fortress. I visit St. Augustine from time to time. It has the Castile de St.Marcos and is a Spanish star-design fort. Many years later they also built a star-design fort in Zamboanga City in the Philippines. That must have been an effective design. Happy Trails... History Hit is a Hit!
Visited this many years ago and you can sometimes at certain times of the year see Dolphins.
As you leave Fort George and drive back down the Road on the left hand side is a Old Pub which also does B+B,it’s nothing special to look at on the outside but inside the Pub it is absolutely beautiful with Red carpets and wooden panelling plus a Bar stocked with Whiskey galore,which the Landlord would give you small snifters of until you found out the perfect whiskey for you.
The Restaurant there was absolutely amazing and served Scottish dishes as well as fusion dishes of English and Scottish foods and all locally sourced and it tasted out of this world.
Accommodation was extremely comfortable and reasonably priced.
The Staff were friendly and the locals were even friendlier.
We did a west coast of Scotland drive round in the week and stopped at a different hotel every night but by Far Fort George was my favourite place.
So sad use missed out on sooo much off Scotland an all she has to offer maybe next time
@@sharenerobertson5574 I have had the opportunity of seeing a bit of Scotland through my old Job and visits/short breaks and I fell in love with Loch Lomond when I was there, I have never experienced such a calming effect as much as when standing on the banks,it felt like I was Home and safe and beautiful.
I spoke to my Father and apparently we have roots to the Older Clans :- The McCauleys? I don’t know if that’s the correct spelling and after my Dad passed away last year I did a small piece of heritage checking and I have ancestry back to a clan chief ?? William Moffat 1700’s.
The dolphins seem to like the waters up and around Inverness. Every time I've been up there I've stopped by a lighthouse or bridge and spied for them for about an hour. Surprisingly common around Summer/ Autumn.
I was stationed there, back end of 1969.Main battalion was the RHF.
Amazing building. CO had a Black Lab which would shit on the parade ground during parades.
A monument to fear and to the genocide of Gaelic culture
Fantastic, always wanted to visit Fort George!
when we lived in Moray i often took the kids to Fort George , during the summer there was something on almost every weekend & even if there wasn't they still loved exploring it .. & if you were really lucky you could see dolphins from the ramparts
I was there about 8 years ago - a great place; really glad I went that far north
You should do a full circle of Portsmouth where the forts surrounding the Dockyard, go from the earliest (Roman Fort), all the way through the ages to the Palmerston Follies to the north (e.g. Fort Nelson)
That'll be in southern britain, oh probably not, that'll be in southern england. 🙄
I possess so many treasured memories of running around the ramparts there as a child.
Some feedback. The video spends a lot of time talking about shapes of areas, constructed landscapes, how they are laid out, and how that would impact attackers etc. However, the camera stays stuck on the presenter, and barely, if at all, showing us anything of what hes talking about. Some better camera angles, or better yet, cuts that show the particular object, or the landscape hes talking about, would add a lot. Right now you could make this audio only, and you wouldn't really loose all that much.
Regardless what you believe about independence, this is awesome 🏴
Absolutely. 🇬🇧🇬🇧
in fairness this fort has very little to do with independence. The Jacobites weren't fighting for independence.
@@markw4613 It is do with imperialism though. The echos from the schism in the Christian church can still be seen and heard today unfortunately. I just found out the other day Basque and Catalans fought at Culloden. Mental. Modern day independence is about moving away from these things despite the Tories/Orange Order seeming to be quite happy whipping up sectarian tensions. We've seen a 150 per cent rise in orange marches since the referendum. A lot of them bussed in from Ulster. Someone is paying for that. I'd love to live in a modern international outward looking country. Staying in the UK means being the plaything of the little Englander(see Brexit) unfortunately.
@@blairrobert3438 A referendum that voted to remain in the UK lets not forget.
@@MickeyMichaels348 Which as a natural unionist and now seperatist was hardly a cause of triumph. With all of the states power combined they barely scraped a win mainly due to the older generation and bare faced lies. Whats happened since then has turned a lot of folk like me towards indy.
Nice one Dan, that's my neck of the woods. It'd have been good to get an overall aerial shot to show folk the full star design of the fort, it's pretty impressive from the air.
Used to run about the moats/ditches here as a kid, getting chased by security staff. Also used to go fishing down at the point, and round the back of it. An active, large firing range adjacent to it too.. Used to go down and scrounge used shells.
Was escape possible once you were spotted?
@@why3011 Yeah there's loads of ways/sets of steps up and down them. We would just split up as Historic Scotland only has a couple of staff and the place is huge
@@jukeboxjunkie1000 sick
Thank you dan great presentation as per usual. Fascinating castle..absolutely impregnable
give Bron 10 good men....
If Scotland gets it's independence back,i'm afraid the highlands will be lost to the British Crown forever, a day i cant wait to see.
Gee wiz..that's mean.
Doesnt the snp want to retain the monarchy if independence is achieved?
Independence doesn't mean become a Republic, if Scotland did become independent, then far more likely than not it would it would still have the same monarchy, but have its own Prime Minister
ha ha ha tell us another
Was it impregnable because Hanoverians had largely killed or exiled Jacobites from the highlands?
Who was there left to attack this white elephant? A monument to war pigs.
Just love to see enthusiastic historians! Makes listening to them all the more enjoyable!
For George is in the most beautiful place quite close to where I live, it is worth going to have a look around the shore area for dolphins and seals especially on the other side of the estuary at Chanonry point, you get the dolphins swimming very close to the shore swimming through a whirlpool it is absolutely amazing to see
This is absolutely amazing. The sheer size is staggering!
This place absolutely dominates Moray Firth … defending Inverness and the heart of the Highlands … was there last week … found it by accident… could spend all day there…. Great museum
It’s a piece of engineering that in its day must have been an amazing and threatening show of strength. I don’t think it could be taken .
Was stationed there 75/76 prior to N I Op Banner posting it was deemed a home posting which was handy as most of the Battalion were from the N E of Scotland.
Gordon’s?
@@rcr76 Yes
@@rcr76 Yes
Excellent presentation. As I watched I was initially thinking this was in Halifax, Nova Scotia where a smaller scale star fort of identical architecture still sits atop the hill overlooking the harbour. Currently we refer to it as the "Citadel" but it was also once referred to as Fort George. The citadel was was once the centrepiece of the defence controlling the entrance to the harbour dating back to the mid-1700's when Nova Scotia was split into English and French zones. In more recent years this defence complex was expanded and modified to include submarine nets to protect ships being grouped into convoys supplying the Allied forces during WW1 and WW2. Cheers.
Many old Scottish Division soldiers will remember theo local pubs in Ardersiar, the Alma for other ranks and the Gun Lodge frequented by young officers. In the early to mid 70s the local Bobby was in the habit of locking the door at closing time so we were forced to drink beer all night. Sometimes it was a relief to deploy overseas for a test.
The ship & the star, Ardersier was well equipped with pubs. Wonder if they are all still there.
Fantastic work, I'm loving this channel
One year later and I'm watching again 😁
I lived in Ardesier in 85/86 . Was an army brat with the 1'st Battalion Queen's Own Highlanders . I can still smell the armoury after all these years . ❤
I like how he called it the unruly north . Admittedly it was a bit but being called unruly by a warmongering government burning people out their homes is a bit hypocritical.
This
Burning people out their homes? Are you brainwashed
It doesn't take a genius to work out that he frames that wording within the context of what officials might have been thinking back then. Ya know... 300 years ago.
Lots of precious people here getting upset and using this bit of HISTORY to further their political ideals.
@@doug6500 so he’s taking a viewpoint from someone who is apart of you’re mighty empire well then that would make sense for using the word unruly to describe the people of a land you’re trying to conquer
Yeah Bonnie prince Charlie was a real heroe wasn't he not , the scots got what they deserved at Culloden ,the pacification of the Highlands well read into what you may , never again will the house of stuart lay claim to the English throne they have dared and they have lost , ENGLAND FOREVER .
I was once called out to Fort George because they opened up an old armoury and found a No. 69 (giggidy) grenade under some floorboards. probably the windiest place in the world, certainly wouldn't want a posting there.
Glad I watched this, I never heard of it until 10 mins ago. "AMAZING!" I would like to visit the place..
The point of the casements was that they just as safe as houses as you said, but a lot safer than houses.
It's a rather impressive feat of engineering.
the fact you got a rainbow in the first shot is a huge flex
I love Fort George and have spent many happy weekends there on the ranges when I was in the TA
My Great Great Grandfather served there in 1871. Would love to visit it one day.
Nice to see Dan in his element,top notch.
since it was never attacked, we don't really know if it could breached. you don't say why it was never attacked. if it prevented war, then it had a purpose, but if it was never a strategic position and thus never attacked, then it was just a huge waste of money.
I live nearby at Inverness Airport and the view from my house is amazing ❤
Wow did anyone else see the rainbow in the first shot, that’s really amazing they got that on camera, I don’t even thing they noticed
Always a lovely fort for reenactments. The walls really help reduce wind gusts
My first visit was in 1968 loved it then and my last was 2016 what a place and what a museum
It all looks really nice these days with the lovely painted moats and green grass ,but can imagine how sinister it looked back then.
The rainbow on the sky is just perfect addition!
It's pretty amazing to see how similar Fort George is to the Castillo de San Marcos in Florida and it's almost 150 years older!!!
I have been to fort George Scotland unique historical and history comes back to life walking around it fantastic from David trevena
Can You guys imagine the 2 guys at the sterling bridge scene in Braveheart before the speech, seeing this fort, and then saying "alright lads, let's go home!"
"The Highlands will never agin be lost by the British Monarch" he says at the end. Interestingly at some point in the next 10 years Scotland is likely to shut out the Windsors (read Hanoverians) and move into a future with close connections to France and the rest of Europe.
Scotland is extremely unlikely to declare independence in the next 10 years. And even if it were to, it would be even less likely not to retain ER as ceremonial head
Of state.
@@0BN02 Bingo. If Scotland joined the EU, they would be the most eurosceptic country in the union and why would the EU want another greedy teat-sucker? They need net contributors more than ever, not takers.
@@SCP01986 you don't understand the EU if that is your train of thought lol
@@SCP01986 biggest tit sucker in the world is england, still sucking of the empire, but it will eventually be pulled of that gaint pap 😂
Roll on independence!!
Saor Alba
My grandfather, James douglas, was RSM of the Cameron’s then latterly commandant of fort George. I still remember going to stay in ardersier as a young child.
Great video. Absolutely loving this channel at the moment!
Legend!
First time viewer who has a slight love affair with Castles 😕, and what hooked me to subscribe, was when he said at the end so casually
"You should probably subscribe..."
Made me laugh out loud - good style. I subscribed 😄
*I* *knew* I recognised his presentational style and voice!
Curiosity got the better of me - and now I really *am* glad I subscribed!
So much gold, I don't know where to turn to next! 😄
@@j.johnson3520 glad you’re enjoying!
ww1 wasnt the war that only used trenches, trenches been used for a very long time, since the beginning of firearms, like in late 14th century to 16th century they started using earthworks.
Spent some time at Fort George and have to say, fabulous accommodation and very good ranges nearby.
It is indeed a remarkable fort but why are we ignoring the imperial and colonial reason it was built and the sustained ethnic cleansing and atrocities it allowed the British to commit on the native Gaelic people?
“Native”. Lol. The “natives” didn’t invade, they were invited eh
What utter Nationalist garbage you spout. Sounds like propaganda from the SNP!
Because we're not all a bunch of annoying sanctimonious eternal victim f*cks.
@@keighlancoe5933 now u wouldn't say that if, it where a different country outside UK.
Well use did the crime, we suffered the consequences u choose to make us the victim at ur evil hands
@@thesnoopmeistersnoops5167 the Scoti came from Northern Ireland just after the fall of Roman Britian...
By your logic the Anglos and Saxions should be fought and kicked out of England by the native Britons
Calling the Scottish natives by the 1700 is perfectly fair and reasonable.
Great video of fort George. Thanx for uploading…
Absolutely fantastic, some maps , birds eye views and graphics would have topped this vid off
my dad was posted there, spent a lot of time there, playing on the ramparts and stuff. my fave area was the pet cemetery
I wish you had used a drone to give us a birds eye view of this incredible piece of history.
You forgot chain shot. This was another devastating weapon; but, it was great when used against ships. It would cut sails and rigging.
Nicely done. Thank you.
Used to enjoy ging there when I was stationed at Lossiemouth, shame you didn't show the mortars.
DAMN! Sure wish I'd seen this video b4 I went to Nairn...
My Dad did his national service training here in 1950 he said it was cold and desolate place
I was stationed there in the early 2000’s with the 1st battalion Black Watch RHR fantastic countryside but cold and wet, more than usual for Scotland hahaha.
We will knock it down when we are independent 🏴🇪🇺
Ahh good old Fort George, I spent 5 years there. Great place to visit, but boring as hell for young soldiers stationed there at the time.
Should have a look at Henry IIV’s castle, Pendennis Castle. Some cool history behind it and it was actually tested many times during history.
Imagine being so hated by the people, that you would have to pile such crushing oppression upon them in order to keep posession of their land. Extraordinary.
Napoleon famously said soldiers in fortifications are all ready defeated.
We have a star fort in Halifax Nova Scotia, called the Citadel- its formal name was also Fort George, but its tiny in comparison
The only way to attack a fort like this is to cut off resupply.
That place is thick enough to withstand Godzilla; how many cannon balls were they expecting?
Just checked the place on Google maps. Very impressive indeed.
Its also must have felt like being at the end of the world if you were stationed there.
Beautifull fort, I also liked the kazemates, they were also present in the Ypres fortifications and were used exactly as you mentioned during each siege and the WO1.
Looks like Castillo San Marcos in St. Augustine only larger.
I like that the English were that afraid of the Highlanders!🍻
Not so much afraid as making a point , it was built to be defensible against a continental enemy , ei the French !
Abides feart o the hairy arsed Heillanders ye no haha!
most of the British army in Scotland were Scottish! and still are
Today's presentation has been brought to you by beans...
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I bet if you told that to the little girl in the ads, she wouldn't be so jacked up about beans anymore !
Unless she's a Scott. The scottish have a warped sense of humor that I like.
A perfect place to defend in case of a zombie invasion. I give you the amazing movie that should be done: "Zombie Invasion: The Fort George Stand"
Visited Fort George in 2019 awesome place
Wow, but I wonder how many troops were needed to fully garrison it?
1,600 infantry soldiers plus staff plus artillerymen. But I dunno how many guns that fortress would have had. The mentioned Fortress Neuf-Brisach had 5,500 men and 180 guns *. . .*
I have been to the range up at Fort George and done training up there. Got lots of gorse thorns in my knees
Most people I believe give Vauban the credit for this design so why "star shaped"?A magnificent building I never knew existed.
We have Sébastien le Prestre, Marquis de Vauban to thank for these amazing designs.