Over the Western Front on Thursday 13 June 1918, during World War One, 2nd Lieutenant Alexander McKenzie, 16939 was flying as an Observer in Airco DH.4, A7466 of RAF 55 Squadron. His pilot was Lieutenant William Legge, and they were last seen under control during a bombing mission over their […]
Second Lieutenant David Ogilvie Duthie, 79334, Royal Air Force was reported killed age 25 years just 80 days before the end of the First World War on 23 August 1918. He was born on 12 August 1893 and was the son of William and Betsy Duthie, of 38, Causewayend, Coupar-Angus, […]
Lieutenant Alastair Donald Mackintosh “Sandy” Gunn from Auchterarder and was a top-notch elite Spitfire pilot who flew on highly dangerous missions, including photographing the German pocket battleship Tirpitz in a Norwegian Fjord, he took part in the ‘Great Escape’ and was subsequently cruelly murdered on the orders of Adolf Hitler. […]
Originally formed during the Great War, No. 35 Squadron RAF was an elite squadron within No. 8 (Pathfinder) Group RAF. Along with Nos 79, 98, 99, 234, and 264 Squadrons RAF, No. 35 Squadron RAF was known as ‘Madras Presidency’ as the funding for the squadrons came from the Madras […]
Lieutenant Commander John William Charlton Moffat as a RNFAA pilot is generally recognised as responsible for torpedoing the Kreigsmarine (Nazi Germany’s navy) battleship Bismarck. Flying a Fairey Swordfish biplane, on 26 May 1941, Moffat succeeded in crippling the battleship sufficiently that the Royal Navy could pursue and sink it. Moffat’s […]
Research by Ken Bruce Between Perth and Crieff, there was once a rich and historically important abbey. Nowadays, very few know of its existence, far less its history and how the Abbot Maurice played a seminal role in Scotland’s war with the English at Bannockburn. All that remains are some […]
Perhaps the most tragic event to befall the people of this area happened just one month after the end of World War Two. The rail crash in 1979 at Invergowrie was not the worst to affect the people of Perth and Perthshire. Bourne End was truly tragic, newlyweds, soldiers being […]
Victoria Drummond was also a second world war hero who bravely saved the lives of 49 of her ship mates. She sailed as a ship engineer on many dangerous convoys across the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. Victoria smelled the gunpowder in World War Two before most other woman and men. […]
The story of Jessie Jordan has been told many times, in books and newspaper articles, but few know of her Perth connections and that of her complicated life. What was the reason for doing what she did, turning traitor against the country of her birth? Perhaps the story of her […]
Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines, yes, they went up tiddly up and down tiddly down in would you believe in the Highlands of Perthshire. It may surprise you to learn that the War Office had to put out a statement in 1907 dismissing rumours that the Balloon Factory […]
