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Memorial details

Memorial type
Board / Plaque / Tablet
District
Caithness
Town
Killimster
County
Highland
Country
Scotland
Commemoration
Second World War (1939-1945)
Ceremony
  • Unveiled
    Date: 5 September 1992
    Attended by: Anderson Murray, Wick District and Regional Councillor of President of Wick branch of the Royal British Legion
  • Dedicated
    Date: 5 September 1992
    Attended by: Rev. Alistair Roy of Wick Bridge Street Kirk and Rev. Stewart Frizzell of Wick Old Parish Kirk
  • Show More (1)
Lost
Not lost
WM Reference
5932

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Current location

On the roadside of the former airfield at Skitten North of Wick.
Skitten Airfield (Former)
Roadside on B876 alongside former site of Skitten Airfield
Killimster
Caithness
Highland
KW1 4RX
Scotland

OS Grid Ref: ND 32028 56356
Denomination: Undefined

View location on Google Maps
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
Components
  • Plaques
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Bronze
  • Cairn
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Granite
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
  • Aberdeen Press and Journal - Wednesday 12 August 1992 Page 29 Memorial marks sacrifice of hush-hush heroes.
  • 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)
  • MHG19457 - Skitten Airfield her.highland.gov.uk/monument/MHG19457
  • MHG54931 - War memorial, Skitten Airfield her.highland.gov.uk/monument/MHG54931
  • Scottish War Memorials Project-warmemscot.s4.bizhat.com/viewtopic.php?t=4658&mforum=warmemscot
  • 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.
  • Aberdeen Press and Journal - Monday 07 September 1992 Page 23 Wartime gallantry remembered.
  • Daily Record - Monday 07 September 1992 Page 7 War heroes honoured after 50 years
  • Aberdeen Press and Journal - Wednesday 12 August 1992 Page 29 Memorial marks sacrifice of hush-hush heroes.

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].