Family's Faslane visit retraces steps to childhood home

Today, Belmore House is the nerve-centre of the Faslane Flotilla, the organisation which ensures that the ships, submarines and crews at HM Naval Base Clyde are ready for their duties as part of the Royal Navy fleet.

However, more than 50 years ago the north end of the naval base was a ship breaker's yard, and Belmore House was split into three residential properties. Eventually, with the expansion of the base, the site grew to encompass Belmore and the location occupied by the breaker's yard, roughly where the base's Shiplift facility is today.

Siblings Joan McLaren, Andrew Jardine, and Patricia Middleton grew up in one of the houses with Joan being born at the spot where the flotilla’s secure registry occupies.

The family recently revisited their childhood home, accompanied by Dr Andrew Middleton, husband to Patricia, and Veronica Jardine, Andrew's wife.

The visitors were given a tour of the modern-day Belmore House by Commander Dunx McClement and Coxswain Paddy Sheekey.

“It was fascinating to hear Joan and her siblings talk about Belmore House as it was then,” said Coxswain Sheekey.

“Their dad was charge hand for the breakers’ yard and the family lived in the house until 1974.

“It was a real history lesson. The family brought along some of their old picture albums and it was fascinating to see our headquarters when it was a family home.”

The family, who had travelled from Kirkintilloch, initially approached the office of Rear Admiral John Weale, the Navy's flag officer for Scotland and Northern Ireland and its assistant chief of naval staff for submarines, to ask if a visit would be possible.

They put them in touch with the Faslane Flotilla who were happy to arrange it.

The original ship breaker's yard at Faslane was opened shortly after the end of the Second World War. Over the years it disposed of such iconic warships as King George V, Anson, Duke of York and even German battleship Derflinger.