Duff House in Banffshire set open its doors and reveal its secrets

By GEORGE MAIR
Published on 21/07/2012 00:54

ONE OF Scotland’s most famous 18th-century houses is to reveal its wartime secrets to the public.

Duff House in Banffshire, a masterpiece of the Scots architect William Adam in 1743, is considered one of the most important buildings in the north of Scotland.

During the Second World War it performed a number of roles including a base for Allied troops and a prisoner-of-war camp for German seamen and Luftwaffe pilots.

The house was targeted by enemy planes many times and in July 1940 it was bombed with several prisoners and two guards killed.

Historic Scotland, which now owns the house, will open its doors for a special event next weekend.

The north-east coast of Scotland, due to its location, played a strategic role in the planning of offensives against the wartime enemy and the house performed a number of important roles.

Rachel Kennedy, general manager at Duff House, said: “Most people who visit the house today to admire its Georgian architecture or enjoy an exhibition or event are unaware of its dramatic past.

“From 1939 to 1946, Duff House served a number of military purposes, firstly as an internment camp, followed by a brief period as a prisoner-of-war camp and latterly as an Allied headquarters for various English and Scots regiments.

“In 1941 it also became the HQ for the Norwegian Brigade in Scotland and, after the war, as a base for Polish soldiers waiting for resettlement in Scotland.”

Duff House was commissioned by William Duff, Lord Braco, later first Earl Fife, as a family home to replace a smaller more modest residence nearby, on the present site of Airlie Gardens in Banff.

When it was bombed by a Heinkel III bomber on 22 July, 1940 prisoners exercising in the area outside the front of the house had no time to seek shelter and several were killed along with two guards.

Two incendiary bombs failed to explode when they fell through the roof but a wing of the house was so badly damaged it had to be demolished.

A fragment of shrapnel found embedded in a tree outside the house is on display.