Today’s celebrations are themed around the ‘Forth Bridge Raid’, an air battle that took place on October 16 1939, a few months before the bridge’s 50th anniversary. A Spitfire and Typhoon will be flying over the bridge to mark the events.
Six weeks into World War II, the Forth Bridge Raid was the first air attack over Britain. Nine German planes took part in the attack, which was aimed at the Royal Navy fleet and base at Rosyth. The bridge itself was not the target, but many passengers on a train crossing it at the time thought that it must be. British air-defence was taken completely by surprise. Local anti-air-raid gunners were engaged in a training exercise and switched their dummy ammunition for live. Spitfires were quickly scrambled and shot down three planes - the first of the war to be brought down over Britain.
"A huge amount of information has been written and recorded about the construction of the bridge prior to 1890 but we'd love to do more during the bridge's 125th year to remember the contribution made to maintaining the bridge in the intervening years,” said David Dickson, route managing director, Network Rail. “The story of the Forth Bridge Raid is a dramatic example of that.”
Local children will hear from Ed Thomson, who witnessed the air battle from a train, Mark Taylor, who curates an exhibition about the raid in Queensferry Museum, and Dr Miles Oglethorpe from Historic Scotland.
The anniversary for Scotland’s famous bridge comes during work to upgrade the signalling on the rail line between Edinburgh and Fife, which crosses the bridge.
