The
shooting down of the "Humbie Heinkel" HE111 by John Spencer-Churchill,
nephew of Sir Winston. Jonnie was visiting Lady Tweedale at Yester house in
Gifford when he witnessed 602 and 603 Squadrons attacking the German bomber
which came down five miles away in the foothills of the Lammermuirs. Illustration
reproduced here with kind permission from Simon Kelsey of Haddington.
Intro
The quiet Scottish farming district of East Lothian was a witness to the Second World War in Britain from the very beginning right until the end. Early reconnaissance missions were flown over the county and photos taken on 2 October 1939 still exist of the Forth Bridge and military installations around the Firth of Forth. The first air attack over Britain of the Second World War took place in the skies above Fife, Lothian and the Forth and another photo reconnaissance mission, on 28 October 1939, resulted in the first German aircraft to crash intact on British soil since the First World War, the bomber landing near Humbie.
Right from the start, East Lothian was in the front line and the county was to play an important part in the war effort throughout the war, as home to many units carrying out essential training, both airborne and ground, including troops from Poland. East Lothian also played an important part in the secret war, listening into the enemy radio messages, training members of the Special Operations Executive, and also being chosen as the location for deception operations which played a vital part in the success of the Normandy landings on D-Day, 6 June 1944.
The county continued to be in the front line right up until the end of the war in Europe. Late on the night of 7 May 1945, one hour before the German surrender officially began the Avondale Park and the Sneland 1 were sunk off the Isle of May by one of the newest types of German U-boat. Nine men were tragically killed on the two vessels, within sight of both land and victory.
East Lothian also played a very important part in the fighting of the food front, which is hardly surprising for such a predominantly agricultural area. Virtually every piece of open land in the county was put under the plough in an attempt to make Britain as self-sufficient as possible in the production of food. It was impossible to fight a war on an empty stomach and everyone from service personnel to factory girls to children benefited from the great increase in agricultural production in East Lothian.