Capital effort to protect city in time of war

Published on Saturday 9 February 2008 10:06

FROM 1939 to 1945 Edinburgh had to adapt to the constant threat of attack

THERE were very few places left untouched by the carnage of the Second World War and Edinburgh was no exception.

This week there was a stark reminder of the dangers faced by residents when sharp-eyed Fred Collier found a Second World War bomb in his late father's flat.

It is perhaps no surprise that there are relics of the war in Leith as the port was a real target for bombing raids. Just some of the damage inflicted by Luftwaffe bombing was felt in Leith on July 18, 1940, when a German plane released its bombs on to the roof of 8 George Street, killing seven civilians.

Leith also saw the arrival of a German submarine on May 14, 1945, one week after Germany's unconditional surrender. Two months later, the U-boat went on display in the port.

With all the chaos, damage and tragic loss of life – in total 20 people died from wartime bombing in the Capital – it was vital to keep up morale.

Surely with this surely in mind, Winston Churchill visited Edinburgh in October 1942 to receive the freedom of the city. A crowd gathered on Princes Street to welcome the Prime Minister. Our picture shows him inspecting members of the Edinburgh Civil Defence Services on the Castle Esplanade.

Highly trained soldiers were also key to winning the war and our main picture, dating back to 1938, shows men in training on an ack ack gun designed to bring down planes. Air raids were just one of the many unfortunate aspects of war that the citizens of Edinburgh had to endure.

The very first German plane to be shot down over Edinburgh was a Heinkel III which crashed in the Lammermuir hills in October 1939 after being brought down by the Auxiliary Air Force.

Further protection was to be gained via the barrage balloons positioned around South Queensferry in order to try and prevent German planes dive-bombing. The balloons, tethered with metal cables, were used to protect industrial areas such as ports and harbours. They would force enemy planes to fly higher – into the range of concentrated anti-aircraft fire.

Edinburgh, like many other cities, adapted to combat the threat of attack. It is thanks to images like these that we can observe how our city dealt with such a terrible and costly war.