Memorial details

Memorial type
Board / Plaque / Tablet
District
East Lothian
Town
North Berwick
County
Lothian
Country
Scotland
Commemoration
Second World War (1939-1945)
Ceremony
  • Unveiled
    Date: 4 May 2007
    Attended by: John Cruickshank VC
Lost
Not lost
WM Reference
69562

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Current location

Scottish Seabird Centre
Harbour Terrace
North Berwick
East Lothian
Lothian
EH39 4SS
Scotland

OS Grid Ref: NT 55417 85583
Denomination: Undefined

View location on Google Maps
Description
Two rectangular cast bronze plaques set on a block of pink Scottish granite. The left one gives the dedication, and the right a map of the 27 Scottish Maritime bases in use during the Second World war.
Inscription
TRIBUTE TO ROYAL AIR FORCE/ COASTAL COMMAND IN SCOTLAND/ During the Second World War, aircraft of Royal Air Force Coastal/ Command operated from the 27 Scottish Bases depicted on this map/ display under control from a headquarters at Pitreavie Castle in Fife. The/ British Isles presented a physical barrier to the submarines and ships of/ the German Navy, around which they had to navigate before they could/ operate against Britain’s vital shipping lifelines across the Atlantic/ Ocean. The first task of the maritime and photo reconnaissance/ squadrons, operating from these bases, was therefore to search for and/ attack enemy submarines and warships attempting to sail around the/ north of Scotland or through the Faeroes-Iceland gap./ Patrols from bases on the East Coast also swept out across the North Sea/ towards the coasts of Norway and Denmark on reconnaissance and anti-/ shipping strikes in the face of fierce opposition against German convoys/ sailing down the Norwegian coast. Others took off from the West Coast/ and flew far out into the Atlantic constantly searching for U-boats and/ raiders deployed to attack our convoys carrying food, war materials and/ men to Britain from Canada and the United States./ German naval units were also based in Norway, following the occupation/ of that country, making the tasks of Coastal Command yet more difficult/ with its aircraft operating over the inhospitable waters of the far north,/ to stop the U-boats reaching the Atlantic and also to support our convoys/ sailing to Russia around the north of Norway. Among other roles, the/ meteorological squadrons, operating at long range over the Atlantic in all/ weathers, were pivotal to the success of Bomber Command and in/ preparing for the Allied landings in Normandy in 1944. While the Air Sea/ Rescue launches, deployed around the Scottish coastline, played their/ crucial part in the rescue from the sea of airmen and seamen, both friend/ and foe./ In their long and demanding patrols across the featureless expanse of the/ ocean searching for the enemy, the crews of Coastal Command faced/ danger not only from enemy attack, but also from extreme weather. In/ contributing to the Command’s overall task, and its magnificent record/ of 189 submarines sunk and a million tons of enemy shipping sunk or/ disabled, many made the supreme sacrifice. But by their courage and/ perseverance - as for those of a later Cold War age - they helped/ preserve the freedoms we now enjoy.
Inscription legible?
yes
Commemorations
  • Second World War (1939-1945)
    Total names on memorial: 0
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 0
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: Undefined
    Order of information: Undefined
Components
  • Plaques
    Measurements: height c600mm, width c500mm
    Materials: Bronze
  • Stone of remembrance
    Measurements: depth c900mm, height c1500mm, width c1400mm
    Materials: Granite - Pink
Condition
Trust fund/Scholarship
No
Purpose: Unknown or N/A
Reference

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-69562

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