Introduction

The reason why I have set up this modest site is because my father was an instructor and physiologist at the ski school at Cedars during 1943 and 1944. He left a diary and many letters home dating from this period and which are reproduced here. However I have been able to find out very little else about the centre. The Imperial War Museum Library in London has little about it. They only have a military report from the centre, a book (Dog in the Snow, by James Riddell), and a few photos. A search of the Internet has only yielded a couple of sites which briefly mention the centre – mainly in terms of how tough the training was.

The Mountain Warfare Training Centre now seems to be an almost forgotten part of WWII perhaps because in the end mountain troops played little part in the war. Nevertheless the centre was indelibly imprinted on the memories of those who participated in the enterprise and in my fathers case, it set him on a course that determined the rest of his career.

I would very much like to hear from anyone who has information about the centre, published material or perhaps diaries or letters from staff or students.