‘Little London’
Fraserburgh earned the nickname ‘Little London’ during WWII due to the heavy bombing and machine gun attacks it sustained by the German Luftwaffe. The town was a target due to its munitions and food supplies factories, its manufacture of parts for Bofors guns and the work which was carried out within the town to repair Rolls Royce aircraft engines. Also, the targeting of the merchant fleet which sailed close to the coast often resulted in the town being a target as did the fact that Fraserburgh was the last area of land the Luftwaffe passed over before returning to the Trondheim base in Norway. Because of this it was often the case that bombs would be unloaded on the town below following the air raids on the rest of the country.
Several areas in the town were hit during the bombing including Benzie and Miller Ltd. which became a target after a huge fire broke out in the department store which meant the town centre was illuminated for the enemy bombers.
