Memorial details

Memorial type
Board / Plaque / Tablet
District
Dunrossness
Town
Fair Isle
County
Shetland
Country
Scotland
Commemoration
Second World War (1939-1945), Second World War - civilians
Ceremony
  • Unveiled
    Date: March 1998
    Attended by:
Lost
Not lost
WM Reference
58006

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Current location

The boundary wall of the lighthouse station.
Fair Isle South Lighthouse
Fair Isle
Dunrossness
Shetland
ZE2 9JU
Scotland

OS Grid Ref: HZ 19758 69819
Denomination: Undefined

View location on Google Maps
Description
Rectangular plaque attached to the boundary wall of the lighthouse station.
Inscription
FAIR ISLE SOUTH LIGHTHOUSE/ BUILT: 1892/ ENGINEER: DAVID A STEVENSON/ AUTOMATED: 31st MARCH 1998/ During an air attack in December 1941 Mrs Catherine Sutherland/ aged 22 the wife of an assistant lighthouse keeper was killed/ and their infant daughter slightly hurt./ On the 21st January 1942 during a second attack a bomb hit the west/ end of the main block of houses. The building caught fire and/ was burnt out. The wife of the principal lighthouse keeper was/ Margaret Eileen Smith aged 60 and their daughter Margaret/ (Greta) Smith (aged 10) were killed. A soldier, gunner William Morris/ aged 27 manning an antiaircraft gun nearby was also killed./ Extensive damage was done by fuel, blast and flying debris./ Mr Roderick Macaulay, Assistant keeper at Fair Isle North, walked through snow drifts and gale force winds to help restore the/ south light. He received the B.E.M. for outstanding service./ IN MEMORY OF/ (Names)/ This plaque is raised/ by/ Scotland Lighthouse Museum, Kinnaird Head, Fraserburgh
Inscription legible?
yes
Names on memorial
Morris, William G
Smith, Margaret (greta)
Smith, Margaret (mrs)
Sutherland, Catherine (mrs)
See details for all 4 names
Commemorations
  • Second World War (1939-1945)
    Total names on memorial: 1
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 1
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: surname, rank, regiment, forename, manner of death, date of death, place of death
    Order of information: Undefined
  • Second World War - civilians
    Total names on memorial: 3
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 3
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: surname, forenames, date of death, place of death, manner of death
    Order of information: Undefined
Components
  • Plaque
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Metal
Condition
Costs

Comments: The memorial was erected by the Northern Lighthouse Board and Scotland's Light house Museum.

Trust fund/Scholarship
No
Purpose: Unknown or N/A
Sponsorship
Corporate
Reference
  • Scottish War Memorials Project warmemscot.s4.bizhat.com/warmemscot-ftopic6800.html (includes a photograph)
  • Shetland Times 17 Feb 1923 page 5b-c: In WW1 the Island was controlled by the Navy due to its strategic importance and the lighthouses were taken out of use.

This record comprises all information held by IWM’s War Memorials Register for this memorial. Where we hold a names list for the memorial, this information will be displayed on the memorial record. Please check back as we are adding more names to the database.

This information is made available under a Creative Commons BY-NC licence.

This means you may reuse it for non-commercial purposes only and must attribute it to us using the following statement:

© WMR-58006

For queries, please contact [email protected].