Spotlight on Black Isle's secret wartime manoeuvres
SECRET operations on the Black Isle to prepare troops for the historic D-Day landings are being thrust into the spotlight at a fascinating showcase on the peninsula.
The exhibition at Fortrose Community Library, which has already attracted a great deal of interest, runs until the middle of next month.
Commemorating activity in the area 75 years ago, the display sets out the part played by the Black Isle in the preparations for D-Day.
Kept secret at the time were a series of exercises designed to prepare troops for the D-Day landings in Normandy.
It had been found that the coastline, beaches and road structure from Nairn to Burghead were similar to those at Ouistreham in Normandy, sometimes also referred to as Sword beach.
The exercises involved driving tanks across the Black Isle to Fortrose where they were loaded onto amphibious craft moored to buoys on the Ness of Fortrose before sailing across the Moray Firth.
A series of display boards leads visitors through the reasons for practising in Scotland and the memories of those who were there at the time.
The research was undertaken by some members of last year's project funded by Groam House and led by ARCH (Archaeology for Communities in the Highlands).
The display is currently at Fortrose Community Library, which is behind Fortrose Academy.
