Dalyell gift of Forth Bridge picture was used as propaganda by the Nazis

Prior to the outbreak of the Second World War, as Reichsminister for Foreign Affairs, he played a key role in negotiating the infamous Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact – the Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact of 1939, agreeing to slice up Poland between the two empires.

The war did not end well for this senior Nazi aristocrat.

Some time between 1936 and 1937, as German Ambassador, Ribbentrop visited Edinburgh and was invited to a high society gathering at the home of the Dalyell family who lived in the House of the Binns in Linlithgow, an historic mansion overlooking the Firth of Forth.

In the impressive entrance hall of the mansion there was a series of high-quality photographs of the Forth Bridge taken around 1888 while the bridge was under construction.

Naturally, von Ribbentrop was greatly impressed with the structure and expressed his admiration for the extraordinary engineering achievement.

After the event Lady Eleanor Dalyell thought it would be a nice gesture to present the Ambassador with a fine framed copy of one of the historic photos. This picture was graciously offered and gratefully received.

A couple of years later, in 1939, only a few days after the declaration of war, the Luftwaffe planned its first attack against Britain. Their primary objective was to destroy Rosyth Dockyard and damage several of the capital ships at anchor in the Firth.

Unsurprisingly, the Forth Bridge – standing a short distance downstream – was identified as an attractive secondary target.

On the afternoon of October 16 a force of 10 Junkers Ju88 Schnellbombers crossed the North Sea to attack their targets.

RAF fighter aircraft of 603 Squadron were scrambled from their nearby base at Turnhouse to intercept the enemy.

The squadron had recently been equipped with new Spitfires and one of its pilots, Flight Lieutenant Patrick Gifford – in civilian life, a young solicitor from Castle Douglas – was credited with shooting down the first enemy aircraft over British airspace.

Flt Lt Gifford had joined 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron Auxilliary Air Force before the outbreak of war. He and his family were well known, respected and liked throughout the Stewartry of Kirkcudbrightshire.

For his part in the Firth of Forth action and for other acts of bravery, the young airman was awarded the DFC (Distinguished Flying Cross).

He was subsequently promoted to Squadron Leader but sadly, only a few months later, on May 16, 1940, he was shot down and killed somewhere in Flanders, Belgium.

The attack on Rosyth was unsuccessful, the Luftwaffe lost several aircraft and very little damage to the naval base was reported. The bridge remained untouched.

However, the following morning the front pages of all the Nazi newspapers printed the headline, Total Zersort!

Below it was a photograph of the bridge showing the extent of the damage, along with a triumphant report detailing the "total destruction” that was left following the Luftwaffe’s daring raid.

The Dalyell’s gift presented to Ribbentrop, the 1888 picture of the bridge, proved to be a very useful weapon for the Third Reich, with the construction image helping to sell the story that the mission had, in actual fact, been a success story rather than an abject failure.

For younger readers it may also serve to prove that fake news was around a long, long time before the 21st century’s politicians and internet users claimed it as their own – albeit some 84 years ago it would have been known as propaganda, rather than fakery.