A historic Moray fishing village is to create a lasting tribute to the locals who helped people flee from Nazi rule during World War II.
In 1942 and 1943 Burghead was used as a clandestine base to transport agents and supplies to Norway, and to help individuals escape from German occupation.
The project was part of the “Shetland Bus” series of operations held mainly between the northern islands and Norway.
Details of the secret missions remain unclear, however it is known that one ill-fated voyage in 1943 ended when a boat leaving Burghead was struck by enemy fire and eight Norwegian men were killed.
A propeller from the sunken vessel will be affixed to a memorial stone at the harbour as a poignant reminder of the men who died.
The memento is being donated by Shetland’s Scalloway’s Museum to the Burghead Headland Trust group, which is arranging a ceremony for later in the year.
The group’s secretary Cath Millar said: “The propeller will be on display to recognise the lives lost, and the efforts made in Burghead, during the war.
“To mark the occasion we decided to hold a weekend of events around the unveiling, and we will celebrate Burghead’s harbour area.
“We’re hoping the weekend will attract some Norwegian tourists to the area on the day.
“And in the longer term the monument will serve as a legacy to the accident which we hope will attract visitors for years to come.”
The commemoration weekend will begin on Saturday, August 22, with a celebration of the vessels native to both areas – the star attraction being a replica Viking longboat.
Small craft attending will include coastal rowing skiffs from the Moray coast, and the North 58 RIB from Findhorn.
On Sunday, August 23, the memorial to the men who died during the Shetland Bus operations will be unveiled.
Members of Aberdeen’s Norwegian church will join some of the descendants of those who were killed in the disaster.
The grand-daughter of Captain Hugh John Marks, who was Commandant of the Burghead base, and who also drowned in the 1943 accident, will travel to the village from the south of England for the unveiling.