A mystery solved

Anecdote by Aenea Reid, 15 July 2020

Colin's photo of the cross, overlooking Aberdeen Bay

It started with Colin's ramble up to Nigg Bay, during which he took a photo of this cross, adding the following description -

On arriving at the Torry Battery and before entering the castellated gateway, I was intrigued by a large black metal cross and a low semi-circular wall of light grey granite and white Skye marble gravel before it, just off to the right. A plaque set into the wall revealed that this was a memorial to a worthy Torry gentleman who had served the community well.

Interesting, I thought. I must look out for that the next time I go to Nigg Bay.

Maree's photo of a cross, apparently in the countryside

Then I received some photos from Maree Shaw which included a photo (see left) of a metal cross. That looks rather like Colin's photo, I thought, but there's no sign of the white marble gravel bed on which Colin's cross is sitting; perhaps it's a similar cross in a different location.

I turned online to Google (as I always do), to search for metal crosses in and around Aberdeen and, lo and behold, I found this picture (see below).

Torry Battery Point Seafarers Memorial Aberdeen
(c) DanoAberdeen
https://www.flickr.com/photos/-danophotography/35122847545/in/photostream/

Hmm, I mused, no sign of any marble gravel there and it's white in colour, not black. It looks more like Maree's cross than Colin's but the location is the Torry Battery, where Colin took his photo. There surely can't be two crosses at the Battery. And I was further confused by the inscription, dedicating the memorial to the lives and families of seafarers lost at sea. But Colin spoke of an inscription to a 'worthy Torry gentleman'.

An email to Maree confirmed that her photo was indeed taken at the Torry Battery.

Baffled, I decided I would have to make a trip to the Torry Battery to see for myself.

Here, below, are the photos I took today at the Torry Battery.

Memorial Inscription
(c)DanoAberdeen

Torry Battery Cross - the full installation

Inscription on the cross

Inscription on the wall

The inscription mystery is solved - one is on the cross and the other is on the wall. But why does the picture I found on the web not show the wall or the marble gravel? And why is that cross white? A closer look at the web page, points me to the answer. That photo was taken in 2017. The wall, the marble base and the black paint must be more recent additions. Another search on Google confirms my theory. The granite wall, which is actually a bench, was erected in 2018 in memory of John Main, a founding member of the Torry Heritage Group and instigator of the erection of the steel cross in memory of Torry folk who lost their lives at sea.

Extract from the Press & Journal, 22 September 2018. (c) Aberdeen Journals

Extract from the Winter 2018 edition of the Sanctuary Scotland Magazine, Voice.

The building work was funded by Sanctuary Scotland who built the affordable housing development on the site of Craiginches Prison.

My mystery was a mystery no more. In its place, I have acquired an interesting snippet of local history.

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