X-craft memorial plaque at Kylesku bridge refurbished in time for annual commemoration
Refurbishment work has been completed on a memorial cairn at Kylesku Bridge, erected in honour of the brave crews of a midget submarine flotilla involved in a daring World War II raid on a German battleship.
The worn bronze plaque on the 4ft by 2ft stone cairn on the north side of the bridge has been replaced and two information boards installed. Further repairs have been made to the cairn and the surrounding area has been landscaped.
An annual ceremony will be held at the memorial on Sunday, September 22, with a short service and the unveiling of the new bronze and site information.
It was in 1943 that a training base for the X11th Submarine Flotilla was established in the waters around Kylesku - the submariners of the flotilla were trained in the use of X-craft or midget submarines, 52 feet long, weighing only 35 tonnes and armed with explosive charges.
And it was from Kylesku that a raid was launched in September 1943, widely regarded as one of the bravest and most daring of all time, to blow up the German battleship Tirpitz.
Called Operation Source, it involved towing six midget submarines some 1000 miles to the north of Norway. Two of these X-craft got under the 45,000 ton-battleship and were able to detonate their charges, severely damaging the ship.
Of the other midget submarines involved in the raid, one was lost in transit, one was driven off and presumed sunk and the other two suffered various problems in the final approaches and were unable to attack.
Of the 42 officers and men who undertook the dangerous mission, 33 survived. Three were lost during the passage and six by enemy action.
The stone cairn was erected in 1993, the 50th anniversary of the formation of the flotilla, to honour the submariners who lost their lives during the arduous training and operations. The memorial also pays tribute to the local people who protected the security of these top- secret operations - “they knew so much but talked so little”.
Last year, however, it became apparent that the weather had eroded much of the inscription on the bronze and that visitors had no information about the story behind the cairn.
A small working group, led by Commander Tim Honnor, was set up and £15,000 was raised to carry out improvements. Commander Honnor said the intention was to make the site a “special place to stop” on the NC500 tourist route.
The new bronze plaque was cast by Black Isle Bronze and has been mounted on the cairn, while the two information boards were produced by Border Signs & Graphics of Dumfries.
One of the panels gives specific information about the operation to sink the Tirpitz, and the other gives more general information about XII Submarine Flotilla, which carried out worldwide operations in these tiny craft. Repairs to the cairn itself and landscaping around it were undertaken by Reay Forest Estate, who own the land.
The ceremony on September 2 2 - 81 years to the day of the attack - is open to the public and will begin at 11.30am It is being organised by Major General Partrick Marriott, Lord-Lieutenant of Sutherland.
The event will be followed by a lunch for invited guests at Inchnadamph Lodge when Paul Magennis will give a talk about his father, Leading Seaman James ‘Mick’ Magennis and VC recipient, a diver on one of the midget submarines.
