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Memorial details
- Memorial type
- Board / Plaque / Tablet
- District
- Caithness
- Town
- about 1.5 miles north west of Reiss
- County
- Highland
- Country
- Scotland
- Commemoration
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Ceremony
- Unveiled
Date: 5 September 1992
Attended by: Local Clergy/Dignitaries - Dedicated
Date: 5 September 1992
Attended by: Local Clergy/Dignitaries - Show More (1)
- Unveiled
- Lost
- Not lost
- WM Reference
- 5932
Current location
On the roadside of the former airfield at Skitten North of Wick.
Skitten Airfield (Former)
Roadside on B876
about 1.5 miles north west of Reiss
Caithness
Highland
KW1 4RX
Scotland
OS Grid Ref: ND 32028 56356
Denomination: Undefined
- Description
- Bronze Plaque inset into the main RAF Skitten Memorial (our reference 5931)
- Inscription
- OPERATION FRESHMAN/ IN MEMORIAM/ THIS MEMORIAL IS TO HONOUR AND COMMEMORATE/ ALL RANKS OF THE ROYAL ENGINEER COMMANDOS/ ARMY AND ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE GLIDER/ PILOTS THE AIRCREW OF HALIFAX "B" BAKER/ No W7801, WHO PERISHED IN NORWAY/ TAKING PART IN OPERATION FRESHMAN./ THIS MISSION WAS TO DESTROY THE VITAL SOURCE OF/ HEAVY WATER PRODUCTION AT VERMORK NORWAY THUS/ TEMPORARILY PREVENTING GERMAN ATOMIC RESEARCH./ "OPERATION FRESHMAN" COMMENCED ON THE NIGHT/ OF 19TH NOVEMBER 1942 BY TWO "HORSA" GLIDERS/ TOWED BY HALIFAX BOMBERS FROM R.A.F. SKITTEN/ CAITHNESS. ONE HALIFAX ALONE RETURNED/" VIVIL HUSKE DEM/" THE PRICE THAT WAS PAID/ WE WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER/ EVERY DAY EVERY MONTH NOT JUST NOVEMBER./ (Names)
- Inscription legible?
- yes
- Names on memorial
- Allen, A C
Bailey, E W
Belfield, J T V
Bevan, H
Blackburn, J F
Bonner, F
Brae, F W
Buckton, A
Cairncross, J D
Campbell
See details for all 42 names - Commemorations
- Second World War (1939-1945)
Total names on memorial: 42
Served and returned: 0
Died: 42
Exact count: yes
Information shown: surname,rank,regiment, initials of forenames
Order of information: surname
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Components
- Plaques
Measurements: Undefined
Materials: Bronze - Cairn
Measurements: Undefined
Materials: Granite
- Plaques
- Condition
- History
- The name plaque on the memorial was added at a later date.
- Trust fund/Scholarship
- No
Purpose: Unknown or N/A - Responsibility
- Royal British Legion Scotland (Wick Branch).
- Reference
- Scottish War Memorials Project-warmemscot.s4.bizhat.com/viewtopic.php?t=4658&mforum=warmemscot
- MHG19457 - Skitten Airfield her.highland.gov.uk/monument/MHG19457
- MHG54931 - War memorial, Skitten Airfield her.highland.gov.uk/monument/MHG54931
- Don Mason, 'Operation Freshman 60th Anniversary Ceremony', 20 November 2002, www.caithness.org/wings/freshman/. (includes details of a video which was published in 2002)
- Iain Grant, 'Soldiers who tried to scupper Hitlers atomic plans honored', The Press and Journal Thursday November 21st 2002, 60th anniversary ceremony, Angus Edition, p.12.
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-5932
For queries, please contact [email protected]