Relatives of some of the nine men who lost their lives in a wartime trawler disaster gathered in Broughty Ferry for the unveiling of a memorial plaque.
Dundee vessel Ben Attow was sunk on February 27 1940 after a German mine exploded off the Firth of Forth, killing the whole crew.
The deaths left 26 children fatherless, including 87-year-old Peter Schiavetta, who has campaigned for years for a memorial for his dad Luigi and the others onboard.
Gail Forbes, whose grandfather George Anderson died, joined the push and the two families managed to pull together enough money alongside donations to have one installed.
The plaque is at the new seawall near Broughty Ferry’s lifeboat station on Fisher Street with the ceremony held on the 83rd anniversary on Monday.
Most of the men were from Broughty Ferry but two lived in Tayport and one in Monifieth.
Families delighted at permanent memorial
Gail said: “We’re absolutely delighted this has finally happened.
“I’m most pleased for Peter who has wanted this for a long time. He has never really let it go.
“I love the way he just didn’t give up, it clearly means a lot to him, particularly at the age he is as well.
“He knew my mum as we all lived in The Ferry; he’d lost his dad and my mother lost her dad so they were always friends.”
Just before the tragedy, the Ben Attow’s lights had been seen in the darkness by another trawler in the same fleet.
Shortly after a “terrific explosion” was seen, then the lights of the Ben Attow disappeared.
The vessel was only identified when debris began washing up on shore two days after the explosion.
The incident has often been considered a forgotten Second World War tragedy.
But it is now being permanently etched into the community with street names in the nearby Balgillo Heights development also honouring the victims with Ben Attow Drive, Lane, and Terrace
Piper Glenn Kelly performed at the ceremony while Sailors Society port chaplin for Dundee and Montrose, Peter Donald, and local historian Charlie Webster spoke.
Ben Attow plaque fundraising continues
The families have not yet raised all of the £3000 needed to cover the cost of the installation but a JustGiving page is still live and taking donations.
“The Ferry was such a tight-knit community at that time (when it was a small fishing village) so the deaths really hit hard,” she added.
“But in the old days they didn’t overly discuss things like this and they just coped.
“I had hoped to get some more relatives along to the unveiling but it was hard to reach people; Facebook only gets you so far.
“But it’s there forever now and relatives can come up and see it any time.
“I want to thank everyone who helped make it happen, I’m so pleased it has all come together in the end.”
The Broughty Ferry men who died were Luigi Schiavetta, 47, David Lorimer, 31, George Anderson, 50, Norman Ross, 29, John Robertson, 20, and Alexander M. Gall, 26.
The other three men killed were Arthur Lawrence, 30, from Monifieth and Robert Mayes, 42, and W. J. Briggs, 48, both from Tayport.
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