There are a number of half-truths and myths about how the city of Perth fared during the Luftwaffe’s bombing campaign against the British Isles. A common account claims that Perth was bombed but once and the fragments of that bomb are to be found in Perth Museum & Art Gallery. A friend of the author has recounted how, during the Second World War, he and his wife were awoken one night by the sound of that very bomb exploding. They stayed in the Craigie area, a mile or so to the south of Perth city. It is also suggested that a local search took place the next morning to find where the bomb dropped. Another tale depicts the Germans as attempting to bomb the railway tunnel entrance at Craigend, by the Hilton Railway Junction, but were instead fooled by a decoy target further to the west.
Perth was defended during the Second World War. An anti-aircraft battery was stationed further along the Kirkton of Mailer to Aberdalgie Road, and it is suggested that the presence of the battery acted as a decoy. (Another battery operated from a position on Moncrieffe Hill, close to where the motorway at the Friarton Interchange is today.) A third story claims that 6 bombs landed on the Perth to Stanley Road. They seemingly caused no damage apart from craters that required filling. Then there is a version of the Moncrieffe Tunnel bombing involving an entire squadron of aircraft flying between the River Forth and Montrose attempting to hit a train before it entered the tunnel.
The truth is that there were 2 bombing incidents affecting the city of Perth, 3 if Whinniemuir Farm, which lies a few miles from the city centre, is included. Perth Museum & Art Gallery is in possession of bomb fragments from the Moncreiffe Tunnel bombings (as well as those from the 6 high explosive bombs dropped at Whinniemuir Farm, Scone) though none are on display. These include:
1977.6.1 Vane of an incendiary bomb collected from the crater near the centre airshaft of Moncreiffe Tunnel. Size 120 x 50 mm.
1977.6.2 Fragment of shrapnel collected as above. Size 200 x 80 x 15 mm. of shrapnel
As to the tales, well they can perhaps be put down to local legends, incorrect history telling, poor memories, or memories embroidered over the passing years. A factor in all this poor recall and disinformation may have been the wartime campaign, ‘Carless Talk Costs Lives’ – the discouragement of conversation about anything that might be said as intelligence to help the enemy and that of morale-sapping rumours.
All told, 56 aerial bombing incidents occurred in the county of Perthshire during the Second World War, 3 of which occurred before the start of the Battle of Britain of 10 July 1940 to 31 October 1940. These involved some 450 explosive devices – mostly high explosive bombs – and many incendiaries. (Fife experienced 300-400 high-explosive bombs.) In almost all the bombings across Perthshire, the likely rationale for the area’s targeting can be put down to ‘the jettisoning of payload before returning home’ from a ‘failure to find an intended target’, rather than the deliberate bombing of Perthshire.
In most cases, targets such as airfields and opportunistic targets, like ships and railways, were attacked by lone raiders. Most of the raids across Perthshire caused little or no damage and few casualties. Bombing incidents reduced considerably in and after 1941 due in part to the invasion of the Soviet Union and consequent transfer of Luftwaffe resources to the Eastern Front and in part to improvement in RAF defences and interception rates.
Perth itself was on the flight path of German bombers heading for Clydebank, Greenock, and Glasgow, who used the Tay Estuary and Strathearn to guide them. This would be particularly so on 13-16 March 1941 when Clydebank was devastated by over 200 bombers – 650 lives were lost in the raids, and some 11,350 people made homeless. The following year witnessed the ‘Clydebank Blitz’ in which 528 were killed.
Note: People who lived in Dunning during the war, recounted numerous Luftwaffe bombing raids flying over their village. The villagers of Fearnan (near Kenmore) witnessed the night sky and loch surface illuminated by reflections of fiery explosions from the Luftwaffe’s bombing of Clydebank, some 50 miles away. Waves amounting to around 200 bombers (predominantly Heinkel HE. 111s and Junkers Ju 88s) flew over Fearnan between 21:00 and 04:00 hours on the night of13-14 March 1941. The route was likely to have been chosen to evade detection by radar, barrage balloons and/or Observer Corps observation, and interception by fighters from Central Scotland RAF bases.
Locations of Bombs dropped in Perthshire during the Second World War
Key/Notes
HE – High Explosive Bomb.
OL – Oil Bomb.
IY – Incendiary Bomb.
UXM – Unexploded Mine.
MB – Mine Bomb.
Borlick (or Borelick) Farm lies about halfway between Dunkeld and Amulree.
Whinniemuir Farm lies between Perth and Scone.
Dirnanian Hill lies north of Kirkmichael, near Enochdhu.
Auchenglen Farm lies on the southern side of the River Earn, opposite Innerpeffray.
(Date Location Bomb Number/Type)
25 June 1940 Craigend, Moncreiffe 5 HE
26 June 1940 Craigend, Moncrieffe 30 IY
26 June 1940 Kirkmichael District 8 HE
13 July 1940 Kirkton Wood, Rossie Priory 4 HE
17 July 1940 Borelick Farm, Strathbraan 14 HE
4 August 1940 Three miles south of Grandtully 3 HE
4 August 1940 Whinniemuir Farm, Scone 6 HE
28 August 1940 Links Farm, just east of Meikleour 2 HE
28 August 1940 Grandtully Hill and Laidneskea Wood 6 HE/2 OL
28 August 1940 Loch Ericht, north of Loch Rannoch 2 HE
16 October 1940 Near Glen Quaich, Aberfeldy 6 HE/2 OL
24 October 1940 Whartlawhill Farm and Gelvan Farm, south of Carnbo, west of Tillyochie 1 HE/70 IY
24 October 1940 North Kilduff Farm, near the above 1 HE
24 October 1940 Mawmill Farm, southwest of Kinross 1 HE
24 October 1940 Coldon Farm, south of Kinross 1 HE
24 October 1940 Near Braco 1 HE
24 October 1940 Dirnanian Hill, north of Kirmichael 4 HE
1 November 1940 Kintillo, Bridge of Earn 1 HE
1 November 1940 Muir of Durdie Hill, Kilspindie (Pitroddie) 2 HE
1 November 1940 Tillywhally, Milnathort 2 HE
1 November 1940 Between Red House and Lochend, south of Scotlandwell, near Portmoak Airfield 2 HE
3 November 1940 Airleywright and Sunnybrae Farms, Bankfoot 13 HE
5 November 1940 Blamuick, just north of Comrie 8 HE
14 November 1940 Between Keilour Castle and the Sma’ Glen 6 HE
7 April 1941 Loch Tummel 1 HE
7 April 1941 Vicinity of Lethendy, Essendy House 9 HE
7 April 1941 Westown No. 1 Holding, north of Middlebank, on the A90 150 IY
7 April 1941 Between Moreland and Muckhart 1 HE
7 April 1941 Middlebank, on the A90 20 IY
7 April 1941 Newmill Road, Stanley 9 HE
7 April 1941 Lambhill, southwest of Powmill, near Pitfar 2 MB
7 April 1941 Rednock House, Port of Menteith 2 MB
7 April 1941 Ardonachie, north end of Five Mile Wood, near Bankfoot 13 HE
7 April 1941 East of Mains of Dounie Farm, Kirkmichael 1 HE
7 April 1941 Between Hatchbank (just south) and Kinross (unknown no.) IY
7 April 1941 West of Milnathort at Thormanean Farm 50-100 IY
7 April 1941 north side of Easter Coldrain Farm, south of Balado 1 HE
7 April 1941 West and East Bowhouse Farms, east of Scotlandwell 4 HE
7 April 1941 Cambusmichael and Loanfold Farms, west of Guildtown 3 HE
8 April 1941 Medownhead Farm, west of Cleish, south of Powmill 1 HE
8 April 1941 Torrie Moor, North of Thonhill, on road to Callander, near Braes of Greenock. 3 HE
8 April 1941 Balnabroich Hill, south of Kirkmichael 1 HE
16 April 1941 Boreland Farm, Cleish 1 HE
21 April 1941 North of Callander 1 HE
26 April 1941 Beinn Ghlas, Ben Lawers 2 HE
6 May 1941 South east of Earnyside Farm, nr. Dollar 2 HE
7 May 1941 Lintibert Farm, Muthill 2 HE
7 May 1941 West Part, Gartwhinzean, near Powmill 1 HE
8 May 1941 North of Auchenglen Farmhouse, Muthill 1 HE
10 May 1941 Dalreach Hill, Enochdhu, Kirkmichael 5 HE
12 May 1941 Fathan Glen, Balquhidder (south of Loch Voil) 3 HE
20 August 1941 Cleish Hill 1 HE
20 August 1941 Loch Nan Eun, about 5 miles north of the Spittal of Glenshee 1 HE
October 1941 Loch Nan Eun, about 5 miles north of the Spittal of Glenshee 1 HE
10 September 1942 Laighwood, Clunie 1 HE
25 March 1943 Pitlochry (unknown no.)
6 May 1943 East of Milton of Edradour 1 UXM
Note: Mine Bombs were fitted with impact fuses and had a high charge ratio of 60-70 per cent explosive. They had a slow parachute retarded descent, and they created considerable blast damage in built-up areas. Oil Bombs comprised a combination of a high-explosive charge and an oil admixture. Due to their frequent failure to detonate, they were withdrawn at the start of 1941.
Looking for bomb fragments at Moncrieffe 1942
© IWM LBY LUFT 994
© IWM LBY LUFT 994
© IWM LBY LUFT 994 – WW2 German Luftwaffe Komando 2 published, details of RAF Perth and surrounding area.
The above image is hard to read, there are a few things I think it states:
Zivilflugplatz – civil airport
Rollfeld = Runway, details of runway lengths, funkestation = radio station, lubhaus = club house, several (mehrere) accommodation – possibly at the S. edge of the place?, feste tankstllen = fixed gas station, reparaturwerkstatt – repair station
Fliegerhorstflieg Leuchars = Air Base Leuchars 26 km
at 23 km possibly übungsplatz see = training ground lake.?,
nearest falk-garrison Dundee 23km
Uterlauf = underflow Kinfauns 6.5km (possibly bend in river)
Sidlaw Hills 2km
Gas Attack Expected
The Perthshire Advertiser of 14 April 1943, a few weeks after Pitlochry was bombed, reported that a Home Guard and Civil Defence exercise scenario was to take place the following Sunday:
The enemy have accused the defenders of Pitlochry of using gas, and it is expected that this is a preliminary to their using it and that will probably come in the form of gas bombs dropped from aeroplanes. The enemy however are neither German, Italian nor Japanese. They are Home Guardsmen wearing Balmorals or forage caps who are expected to invade Pitlochry during the latter stage of a Home Guard and Civil Defence exercise to be help on Sunday first from 2.5pm, and the gas will be quite harmless.
After the gas attack, an enemy plane will machine gun Pitlochry and district, and the public, although their full cooperation is requested, are advised to make no attempt to deal with causalities when infantry action is taking place in the streets.
Ways in which they can help are by wearing gas masks during the exercise or staying indoors if they do not wish to take part: withholding food, information, or any other help to the enemy, and helping to make the exercise as realistic as possible. The defenders, it should be added, will wear steel helmets.
The exercise seems to have gone well, the PA reported on 25 April 1943; the operations as being of a thoroughly realistic character. Boys and girls who were entrusted with the role of messengers between the various groups entered cheerfully into the spirit of the occasion. A rest centre was located at the High School for “blitzed” families, communal feeding was provided by Fisher’s Hotel and housewives in several sectors dealt with casualties.
Research by Ken Bruce