Fort William is a town in Lochaber in the Scottish Highlands, located on the eastern shore of Loch Linnhe. As of the 2011 Census, Fort William had a population of 10,459, making it the second largest settlement in the Highland council area, the second largest settlement in the whole of the Scottish Highlands — only the city of Inverness has a larger population. Fort William is a major tourist centre, with Glen Coe just to the south, Ben Nevis and Aonach Mòr to the east and Glenfinnan to the west, on the Road to the Isles, it is a centre for hillwalking and climbing due to its proximity to Ben Nevis and many other Munro mountains. It is known for its nearby downhill mountain bike track, it is the start/end of both the Great Glen Way. Around 726 people can speak Gaelic; the earliest recorded settlement on the site is a Cromwellian wooden fort built in 1654 as a base for English troops to "pacify" Clan Cameron after the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. The post-Glorious Revolution fort was named Fort William after William of Orange, who ordered that it be built to control the Highland clans.
The settlement that grew around it was called Maryburgh, after his wife Mary II of England. This settlement was renamed Gordonsburgh, Duncansburgh before being renamed Fort William, this time after Prince William, Duke of Cumberland. Given these origins, there have been various suggestions over the years to rename the town; the origin of the Gaelic name for Fort William, An Gearasdan, is not recorded but could be a loanword from the English garrison, having entered common usage some time after the royal garrison was established, during the reign of William of Orange or after the earlier Cromwellian fort, or from the French-derived word "garrison", as at the earlier garrison at Inverlochy by the Scoto-Norman Clan Comyn. This area of Lochaber was Clan Cameron country, there were a number of Cameron settlements in the area. Before the building of the fort, Inverlochy was the main settlement in the area and was where two battles took place—the first Battle of Inverlochy in 1431 and the second Battle of Inverlochy in 1645.
The town grew in size as a settlement when the fort was constructed to control the population after Oliver Cromwell's invasion during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, to suppress the Jacobite uprisings of the 18th century. In the Jacobite rising of 1745 known as the Forty-Five, Fort William was besieged for two weeks by the Jacobites, from 20 March to 3 April 1746. However, although the Jacobites had captured both of the other forts in the chain of three Great Glen fortifications, they failed to take Fort William. During the Second World War, Fort William was the home of HMS St Christopher, a training base for Royal Navy Coastal Forces. More on the history of the town and the region can be found in the West Highland Museum on the High Street. Fort William is the northern end of the West Highland Way, a long distance route which runs 95 miles through the Scottish Highlands to Milngavie, on the outskirts of Glasgow, the start/end point of the Great Glen Way, which runs between Fort William and Inverness.
On 2 June 2006, a fire destroyed McTavish's Restaurant in Fort William High Street along with the two shops which were part of the building. The restaurant had been open since the 1970s and prior to that the building had been Fraser's Cafe since the 1920s. Development work began in 2012 on new hotel accommodation and street-level shops, these opened in 2014. A "Waterfront" development was proposed by the Council, but there was no overwhelming support for this in the town; the development would have included a hotel, some shops and some housing, but it was stated early in 2008 that it was unlikely to be completed before 2020. It was announced in April 2010. Based on the still-extant village of Inverlochy, the town lies at the southern end of the Great Glen, Fort William lies near the head of Loch Linnhe, one of Scotland's longest sea lochs, beside the mouth of the rivers Nevis and Lochy, they join in the intertidal zone and become one river before discharging to the sea. The town and its suburbs are surrounded by picturesque mountains.
It is on the shore of Loch Eil. It is close to Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles, Glen Nevis and the town of Achnaphubuil, is on the opposite shore of the loch; when the railway opened to Fort William on 7 August 1894, the station was given prime position at the south end of the town. The consequence was that the town was separated from the lochside by railway tracks until the 1970s, when the present by-pass was built, the station was re-located to the north end; the town is centred on the High Street, pedestrianised in the 1990s. Off this, there are several squares: Monzie Square. There is Fraser Square, not so square-like, since it now opens out into Middle Street, but it still houses the Imperial Hotel; the main residential areas of the town are unseen from the A82 main road. Upper Achintore and the Plantation spread steeply uphill from
The 315th Fighter Squadron is an active squadron of the United States Air Force. It is an active associate fighter squadron assigned to the 495th Fighter Group and integrated into the 158th Fighter Wing, Vermont Air National Guard, it was activated in 2016 in Vermont. Prior to that it was last active at Camp Shanks, New York, in November 1945; the unit was activated in July 1942 as one of the three squadrons of the 324th Fighter Group. After training in the United States, it moved to Egypt in July 1942 and engaged in combat in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, moving to France following the invasion of southern France, it received two Distinguished Unit Citations and the French Croix de Guerre with Palm for its combat actions. Following the surrender of Germany, the 315th remained in Germany as part of the occupation forces until the fall of 1945, when it returned to the United States and was inactivated; the 315th Fighter Squadron was constituted in 1942 and activated on 6 July at Mitchel Field, New York as one of the three original squadrons of the 324th Fighter Group.
The squadron moved to Philadelphia Municipal Airport, where it trained with Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighters until October. The squadron moved to Grenier Field when its parent group moved to the Middle East between October and December 1942 for operations with Ninth Air Force, the 315th joined the group in Egypt January 1943; the unit trained for several weeks with P-40 aircraft. While group headquarters remained in Egypt, the squadron began operating with other organizations against the enemy in Tunisia. Reunited in June 1943, the squadron and group engaged in escort and patrol missions between Tunisia and Sicily until July 1943, it received a Distinguished Unit Citation for action against the enemy from March 1943 to the Allied invasion of Sicily. The unit trained from July to October 1943 for operations with the Twelfth Air Force, it resumed combat on 30 October 1943 and directed most of its attacks against roads, motor transport, supply areas, rolling stock, gun positions, troop concentrations, rail facilities in Italy until August 1944.
During the assault on Anzio in January 1944, it protected convoys. It aided the Allied offensive in Italy during May 1944, receiving another DUC during the Battle of Monte Cassino for action from 12 to 14 May when the group bombed an enemy position on Monastery Hill, attacked troops massing on the hill for counterattack, hit a nearby stronghold to force the surrender of an enemy garrison; the 315th continued to give close support to ground forces until the fall of Rome in June 1944. The group converted to Republic P-47 Thunderbolts in July and supported the assault on southern France in August by dive-bombing gun positions and radar facilities, by patrolling the combat zone; the unit attacked such targets as motor transport, rolling stock, rail lines, bridges, gun emplacements, supply depots after the invasion, giving tactical support to Allied forces advancing through France. The unit aided the reduction of the Colmar Pocket in January and February 1945, supported Seventh Army's drive through the Siegfried defenses in March.
It received the French Croix de Guerre with Palm for supporting French forces during the campaigns for Italy and France in 1944 and 1945. The 315th Fighter Squadron returned to the United States between October and November 1945 and was inactivated 7 November 1945 with its parent group at Camp Shanks, New York. In July 2005, the Air Force established a small group of regular maintenance personnel with the Vermont Air National Guard at Burlington International Airport under a program known as the Community Basing initiative; these personnel were assigned to Detachment 134 of the 495th Fighter Group at Shaw Air Force Base. In January 2016 the detachment was expanded into the reactivated 315th Squadron. Although assigned to the 495th Group, the squadron is an active associate of the 158th Fighter Wing of the Vermont Air National Guard and maintaining the same aircraft. Constituted as the 315th Fighter Squadron on 24 June 1942Activated on 6 July 1942 Inactivated on 7 November 1945 Activated on 9 January 2016 324th Fighter Group, 6 July 1942 – 7 November 1945 495th Fighter Group, 9 January 2016 – present Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, 1942–1944 Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, 1944–1945 General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, 2016–2019 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, Future Replacement for F-16 General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon operators List of United States Air Force fighter squadrons This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.
Johnson, 1st Lt. David C.. U. S. Army Air Forces Continental Airfields D-Day to V-E Day. Maxwell AFB, AL: Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Maurer, Maurer, ed.. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. LCCN 61060979. Maurer, Maurer, ed.. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556. No byline. "495th Fighter Group". 9th Air Force Public Affairs. Retrieved 22 February 2019
Lo Fi Hi Fives... A Kind of Best Of... is a 2012 compilation by American multi-instrumentalist R. Stevie Moore, it was released in the UK on the O Genesis label. The songs on this album are taken from 37 years of material; the album was compiled by R. Stevie along with Tim Burgess on Tim's label O Genesis Recordings - O Genesis released a split single of him and the Vaccines and soon released a single of "Pop Music"; the album features cameos by Irwin Chusid, Ariel Pink, Terry Burrows, Lane Steinberg, friends/fellow Ethos bandmates Billy Anderson and Roger Ferguson. Track sources are provided by Moore. Official album page
Sheila and B. Devotion was a disco group fronted by French singer Sheila between 1977 and 1980; this formation reached popularity in Europe and to a lesser extent in the US club circuit during the disco era. The group recorded two albums before dissolving in 1980. Before the group's formation, Sheila scored numerous hits in her homeland during the 1960s and the 1970s. Among her chart toppers were "L'école est finie", "Vous les copains", "'Petite Fille de Français Moyens" and "Les Rois Mages", her success helped her producer Claude Carrere to launch his label Carrere Records. The Yé-yé artist was presented as a girl next door. In 1977, she changed her public image when Sheila & B Devotion was formed, she attempted to convey a more mature style in her music. Three American back-up singers/dancers known as B. Devotion were hired to accompany her, she updated her bubblegum repertoire by performing disco tracks sung in English. As Sheila had been a major success as a bubblegum yé-yé singer, the record company Polydor did not want to shock Sheila's public and the French media "Love Me Baby" was released anonymously in May 1977 in France.
The first pressings of the record mentioned the obscure name of S. B Devotion; when the song became a radio and club hit in France, the identity of the group was revealed and the song was attributed to the quartet as Sheila B. Devotion, it was promoted in the States as by Sheila and B. Devotion. For public appearances, Sheila was backed by three American singers/dancers known as B. Devotion. "Love Me Baby" became a mainstream Top 10 hit in Europe with high chart success in German Singles Chart reaching number 9 and the Italian Singles Chart where it reached number 3. It was a hit in the Netherlands making it to number 24 on the Dutch Top 40; the follow-up single was a disco version of "Singin' in the Rain" and was more successful. In early 1978, it was licensed to Casablanca Records to be released in the United States where it became a club hit; the group name was altered in some markets to "Sheila & B. Devotion", while in others the name Sheila B. Devotion was maintained; the US market knew the act as "Sheila & B.
Devotion", while Canada, the UK, Ireland and the European markets stuck with the name Sheila B. Devotion. In 1979, the name was changed to Sheila & B. Devotion across all markets internationally. In the meantime, the Love Me Baby album came out; the group promoted their records on the major European TV shows. Sheila & B. Devotion scored other songs on the charts including "I Don't Need A Doctor", "Hôtel De La Plage", "You Light My Fire" and "Seven Lonely Days." In 1979, Sheila collaborated with Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic on the King of the World album, which featured "Spacer". Shortly after the release of the "King Of The World" single, Sheila & B. Devotion disbanded. Due to the disco backlash, Sheila chose a pop-rock style and recorded in 1981 an album, Little Darlin', produced by Keith Olsen, it was her last international project. Singin' in the Rain or Love Me Baby King of the World Disque d'or The Disco Singles "Love Me Baby" "Singin' in the Rain" "I Don't Need a Doctor" "Hôtel De La Plage" "You Light My Fire" "Seven Lonely Days" "No No No No" "Spacer" "King of the World" "Your Love Is Good" The Disco Singles was released in one-disc and two-disc editions.
It was reported that a 3-CD edition would be released with additional remixes, but it never appeared. Discogs webpage about Sheila & B. Devotion
The Walther PPS is a semi-automatic pistol developed by the German company Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen of Ulm for concealed carry for civilians and plainclothes law enforcement personnel. It is available in.40 S&W chamberings. It was first shown in 2007 at the IWA & OutdoorClassics and is a slim polymer framed weapon of similar size to the Walther PPK pistol; the PPS is however technically much more based on the Walther P99 pistol. PPS pistols manufactured by Walther in Ulm, Germany are imported to the United States through Walther Arms; the PPS pistols are made under license in Poland by Fabryka Broni Radom. The Walther PPS is a short recoil-operated locked breech semi-automatic pistol that uses a modified Browning cam-lock system adapted from the Hi-Power pistol; the PPS has a glassfiber-reinforced polymer steel slide assembly. It can be broken down into its main parts or field stripped with a take down catch without the help of tools; the pre-loaded internal striker is a variant of the cocked striker system of the Walther P99 Quick Action model.
When the trigger is pulled, the partially cocked striker is cocked and released, firing the pistol. An indicator on the back of the slide shows if the striker is cocked. The'QuickSafe' trigger variant main difference with the Walther P99 Quick Action trigger is that removing the PPS pistol's backstrap will disable the gun for safe storage by decocking and blocking the striker until the backstrap is reinstalled; the PPS has a trigger travel of 6 mm and a trigger pull of 27 N. Unlike many other trigger systems preset internal strikers have a let-off point and trigger pull that remains unchanged from the first shot to the last and requires no decocker. Ergonomics were a key focus in the design of the firearm, as a result, three interchangeable grip backstraps are included to accommodate various hand shapes and sizes; the polymer grip has a non-slip surface on the sides and both the front and rear straps and a funneled magazine well to aid magazine insertion. Under the dust cover the grip frame has an integrated mounting MIL-STD-1913 rail for attaching accessories, such as a tactical light or laser pointer.
The slide and other metal parts of the pistol are Tenifer treated. The Tenifer finish is between 0.04 mm and 0.05 mm in thickness, is characterized by extreme resistance to wear and corrosion. The Tenifer process produces a matte gray-colored, non-glare surface with a 64 Rockwell C hardness rating and a 99% resistance to salt water corrosion, making the PPS suitable for individuals carrying the pistol concealed as the chloride-resistant finish allows the pistol to better endure the effects of perspiration. PPS pistols are delivered in a polymer pistol case containing. I. P. Accredited Beschussamt Ulm; the PPS M1 pistol has a traditional barrel with conventional rifling, PPS M2 has polygonal rifling. The PPS features three safeties of which the external integrated trigger safety inner lever mechanism contained within the trigger serves as an additional passive drop safety; the pistol has a loaded chamber indicator in the form of a witness opening at the top of the slide/ejection port. By looking into this opening the user can see.
The PPS feeds from single stack magazines of varying capacity. The various magazine capacities are achieved by small, medium or large magazine floorplates; the small magazine is flush with grip bottom. The extended +1 and +2 floorplates integrate with the gripframe adding finger rest space for better grip; the magazines are made of steel for Walther by the Italian subcontractor MEC-GAR and have an anti friction coating for easy loading and anti-corrosion and witness holes to view how many rounds are in the magazine. A steel spring drives a plastic follower; the standard PPS magazines weigh 59 g and 67 g. After the last cartridge has been fired, the magazine follower exerts upward pressure on the slide stop causing it to engage the slide stop notch thereby holding it in the "open" position; the slide stop release lever is located on the left side of the frame directly beneath the slide and can be manipulated by the thumb of the shooting hand for right handed shooters. When a cartridge is present in the chamber the pistol can be fired without the need of having a magazine inserted in the weapon.
Walther does however offer a magazine disconnect as an optional safety on some PPS pistols that will prevent discharging the pistol without a magazine present in the pistol. Empty magazines are released by depressing ambidextrous magazine
The Australian Commonwealth Horse was a mounted infantry unit of the Australian Army formed for service during the Second Boer War in South Africa in 1902 and was the first expeditionary military unit established by the newly formed Commonwealth of Australia following Federation in 1901. Over 4,400 men enlisted in the ACH in three contingents, with troops and squadrons raised in each state and combined to form battalions. Eight battalions were raised, with the first arriving in Durban in March 1902; the 1st and 2nd battalions saw limited active service, conducting patrols against the Boers during the last great drives that ended the war. The war ended before the remaining battalions arrived to see action, by the time peace came on 31 May 1902, the majority of the third contingent, consisting of the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Battalions, still remained at sea bound for South Africa; the ACH suffered no fatal casualties in action. Following the federation of the Australian colonies into the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901, the new Federal government alone had the power to raise military forces and dispatch them overseas.
As such it now took over the military establishments of the States and as a consequence, following an approach by the British government, the Australian Prime Minister Edmund Barton agreed to provide a contingent of 1,000 mounted infantry to the continuing conflict in South Africa. This commitment was endorsed in the House of Representatives on 14 January 1902 and the size of the contingent grew over the coming months as more volunteers rushed to join the new force, to be known as the Australian Commonwealth Horse; the formation of the ACH was overseen by the newly appointed General Officer Commanding, Australian Military Forces, Major General Edward Hutton, was Australia's first expeditionary force. More than 4,400 men enrolled, they were formed into troops and squadrons based on their state of origin, before being combined into battalions. Eight battalions were raised in three separate contingents, while a medical team from the Australian Army Medical Corps was raised. Artillery was not required.
Recruits had to pass tests of elementary riding and shooting, as well as medical tests, amid considerable competition for limited places. Most volunteers were young and worked with their hands. Motivations for joining varied, with many seeking to escape from a worsening drought, high unemployment and a heat wave, gripping Australia at the time. Men from the colonial contingents in South Africa were encouraged to join. Competition for commissions and battalion commands was fierce and the decision was made to appoint all officers in Australia in order to avoid some of the previous problems of'importing officers' to positions of command. Hutton was keen to reserve positions for senior permanent force officers so that they may get experience in leadership and staff work, five of the eight battalion commands were allocated to permanent force officers; this had its own draw backs with a number of appointments disputed, one—Wallack—was dismissed amid claims of inefficiency and ill discipline. Training commenced at a high tempo, with Hutton keen to instil professionalism and a high level of discipline in the new force.
The first contingent of 1,300 men sailed between 12–26 February 1902, with the second of 1,100 departing between 26 March – 8 April and the third contingent of 2,000 men leaving between 16 May – 2 June. Included among them were Brudenell White and Julius Bruche, both of whom would rise to become Chief of the General Staff, they were the first Australian troops to wear the Rising Sun badge, a design chosen for the unit by Hutton. The 1st and 2nd Battalions, Australian Commonwealth Horse arrived in Durban in March 1902 and together with the AAMC were formed into an Australian Brigade. From Durban the Australians were sent north by train via Ladysmith and Dundee to Newcastle. By 22 March over 1,000 Australians moved into camp with another 1,000 New Zealanders in the vicinity of Mount Majuba; the brigade subsequently took part in the great Eastern Drive which aimed to encircle de Wet and Louis Botha in northern Natal, however severe weather allowed the Boers to escape. At any rate the ACH played only a secondary role in the drive, consigned to holding the Drakensberg ranges.
During late March and early April the ACH were deployed to outposts to block the mountain passes, while a large column drove the Boers towards a line of blockhouses. Apart from minor skirmishes with unseen Boer snipers the Australians saw little action; the Australians were subsequently sent to western Transvaal, joining Colonel Thornycroft's Field Force at Klerksdorp. The column—which was predominantly Australian and included the Third New South Wales Bushmen, Haslee's Scouts, the AAMC, the Eighth New Zealand Brigade and Thornycroft's own regular mounted infantry—advanced as part of General Ian Hamilton's force numbering 20,000 men in the great Western Drive; the advance aimed to drive de la Rey back against a chain of blockhouses between Klerksdorp–Ventersdorp and proved to be the last of the war. The drive began on 19 April, but halted soon after, following news that peace negotiations were progressing. On 21 April the ACH moved out of camp and turned away from the blockhouse line towards the western railway, with orders to destroy crops and mealie fields and to push the Boers back towards the railway barrier.
On 7 May the Australians again advanced, driving forward over four successive days across dry and open country over a large front. The drive succeeded with few incidents diminished the Boer supplies in the area, leading to the capture of thousands