part of their training, the volunteers were given advanced instruction in atomic, chemical and biological warfare. By 1956, the Corps had grown to 330,000 personnel. However, the Corps was eventually disbanded in 1968, after a change of thinking in how to deal with nuclear attacks. However, its role in national defence didn't end there. From 1968, it was also one of the designated locations for plan PYTHON, the plan for continuity of government in the event of nuclear war. The plan, which was classified as TOP SECRET, was that in the event of a nuclear attack, the government and other essential personnel could be dispersed around the country, to secret and protected locations. Taymouth Castle was chosen as one of these sites. It is not known when Taymouth Castle ceased to be considered as one of these secret locations, but the three associated CalMac support ships, which were capable of acting as floating nuclear bunkers, were sold by CalMac in the 1980s. These ships operated from day-to-day as normal commercial car ferries, but had been designed and built in such a way that if needed, they could be used as radiation resistant transport and decontamination chambers. Boarding School (1970 – 1974) After it ceased to be a Civil Defence Corps training centre in 1968, Taymouth Castle was turned into a boarding school for high-school aged students. It first opened in this guise in 1970, and followed a US (New York) curriculum—all the students being from the US. The castle was leased for this purpose by a Mr McCormick who also operated Herringswell Manor School in Suffolk. At its opening, Taymouth Castle School had only 17 students—some were the children of American workers on North Sea oil rigs, but most came from families resident in the continental US. For these students, there were 7 teaching staff. The original Headmaster was Mr Griggs who was replaced by the Texan, Miss Bomhoff, shortly after the school opened. Subjects taught at the school were English, US History, British History, Geography, Algebra, Geometry, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, General Science, French, and German—with two 'study halls' and a PE class every weekday. Activities via a number of 'clubs' were also offered, and at weekends, trips were arranged to various locations in the region. The boys' dormitory was on the second floor, east of the main entrance, with the girls' dormitory to the west. In some ways, rules