Dalgety Heritage Trail

18/05/2026

Forty six years ago today (18 May 1980), just south of Moray Way South, the Barratt Homes helicopter came into view and settled onto the green space southwest of Donibristle Chapel, with the Forth Rail Bridge captured in the background of Eric Simpson’s photograph.

Weather records show it was a day of broken cloud and sunshine, with temperatures between a pleasant 12–14°C. But for the town, it was a day with a difference, the Barratt Homes helicopter, G-BUSA, had arrived on a promotional visit.

The aircraft, a white liveried Bell 206B Jet Ranger, manufactured by Bell Helicopter Textron in the late 1970s, approached Dalgety Bay from the west, most likely following the coastline from Inverkeithing before making its descent onto the open ground near the chapel.

As the photograph shows, it had carried the Alexander Brothers, who were in town to help launch Barratt’s latest development. They can be seen ducking beneath the rotors as they disembarked.

This was a fully publicised promotional event, typical of Barratt’s marketing style at the time, and it drew a sizeable crowd. Residents gathered in and around Etive Place, where a new show home was being opened, and they were entertained by the kilted Alexander Brothers, Tom and Jack, as part of the festivities.

Do you recognise anyone?

Contributor - Heritage Trail Brian
Picture Credits - Eric Simpson

28/04/2026

Stop and Go lights
Contributor – Heritage Trail Brian

During the Second World War, airfields up and down the country relied on simple but effective stop/go lights to control the movement of aircraft on the ground. At busy Fleet Air Arm stations like Donibristle (HMS Merlin), these lights were essential for keeping pilots, ground crews, and vehicles safe during periods of intense activity.

Donibristle handled thousands of aircraft for repair, overhaul, and training. With aircraft constantly taxiing between hangars, dispersal bays, and the runways, ground control needed a clear way to manage movement, especially at night or during blackout conditions when radio use was limited.

The solution was a set of manually operated signal lamps placed at key holding points.
• Red meant stop and hold position.
• Green meant clear to taxi.

These lights were hooded to prevent upward glare and were operated from small control huts or mobile caravans positioned beside the taxiways. Though simple, they played a crucial role in preventing collisions and ensuring that Donibristle’s wartime operations ran smoothly.

This surviving light was pictured on the Donibristle Airfield site in 1965 by Eric Simpson … The Heritage Treasures we had lying around back then!

16/04/2026

Another shout out for identification assistance please.
This time the Bryant Homes Showhouse taken in 1994 by Eric Simpson.

Does anyone have the sales brochure for scanning onto the library?

09/04/2026

A Dalgety Bay Challenge

Yes, I am still scanning and filing — at this point I’m fairly sure I’ve inhaled enough dust to qualify as a heritage artifact myself. But in the process, I’ve unearthed this intriguing image, which I think dates from February 1993. The trouble is… I don’t recognise the street. And with the price of fuel these days, I thought I’d spare myself a mystery tour and instead call upon the collective wisdom of Dalgety Bay.

It’s a Taylor Woodrow Homes showhouse called “The Solway”. Does the street look familiar to anyone? And does the February ’93 date feel about right, or am I wildly off and about to be gently mocked by the locals?

While I’m at it — does anyone have photos of other showhouses or brochures from back in the day? I’d love to scan them and add them to the Digital Library

09/04/2026

Sally Payne from our Heritage team has shared an update on the Spitfire 90 Tour. The cloud cover is expected to be lighter at 14:10 than it is at the moment.

08/04/2026

Message from Matt Jones CEO Spitfires.com

“We are really keen to include as many locations as possible on the Spitfire 90 trip. We know what this aircraft means to people and really appreciate the support. Some of the 9 flights (one each for the 90 years) are right at the limit of the Spitfire’s fuel capability. We had originally wanted to fly to the Forth Bridge but doing so meant entering Edinburgh’s air traffic control zone. Whilst the controllers were very welcoming of the idea entering the zone would have meant accepting any restrictions they might have ahead to allow passenger aircraft to proceed safely. With planned fuel so tight we decided, for safety reasons, not to accept that risk, instead proceeding straight to Leuchars. This proved to be the right decision from a fuel perspective as despite this direct routing we still landed at exactly minimum fuel. We are posting the best efforts route on our website and social media each night before the flight the next day to try to avoid these issues. Clearly this hasn’t worked on this occasion and to all those who wasted their time today we are very sorry indeed.”

So to continue…

“Having read the reviews and feedback today it has become even more obvious how important this aircraft is to people locally. We understand that it a rare opportunity to see a Spitfire in Scotland, and that the region has exceptional war time connections to the aircraft. We remain apologetic that due to operational safety reasons we were not able to fly past the Forth Bridge today.

However we would like to try to make amends! We have looked at the flight length for tomorrow’s Leg 3 of the Spitfire 90 commemoration and believe we could add a flypast of the Forth Bridge to the beginning of tomorrow’s flight instead.

There is some inclement weather tomorrow morning that means we have to delay the planned departure to 14:00 from Leuchars.This would mean flying past the bridge at 14:10. And tomorrow we’ll make every effort to come down to a reasonable height!

That said, poor weather could still stop us and and we will continue to update our Social Media platforms with news accordingly.

As a reminder the route planned for each day is posted on the opening page of our website, Spitfires.com the night before the flight.

I appreciate some people won’t be able to make it who were there today and we extend our apologies to them once more, but we hope that others will be able to come and that they will be pleased that their disappointment has been acknowledged and acted on"

Image is by Darren Harbar
Best wishes
Matt

MATT JONES

Chief Executive Officer

SPITFIRES.COM

Fly a Spitfire over the White Cliffs on the south coast of the England, UK. Spitfires.com, The Spitfire Academy, offer two seat Spitfire flights from only £3,250. Book online or call 01243531147.

28/03/2026

26/03/2026

The Heritage Centre is edging ever closer!

Dalgety Community Trust Chair is thrilled to share some truly exciting news. Our application to the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund has been successful, with the Scottish Government confirming yesterday an award of £1.5 million to support the creation of a new community hub in Dalgety Bay.

This is a hugely significant moment for Dalgety Bay and a powerful endorsement of what can be achieved through strong collaboration. The proposal was shaped through close partnership with Fife Council and enriched by the invaluable input of our community. From early engagement with local residents and groups to the dedication of our architects, design team, ward councillors, and Fife Council officers, this has been a collective effort every step of the way.

The care, energy, and shared ambition invested in this project have helped create a vision that not only reflects the needs and aspirations of our community but has also been recognised at a national level. It is a testament to what can be achieved when people come together with a common purpose.

“This is a proud and inspiring moment for Dalgety Bay,” said Phil Evans, Chair of Dalgety Community Trust. “This funding reflects the strength of our community and what we can achieve when we work together with positivity, determination, and a shared vision. The new hub will be a place where people connect, ideas grow, and opportunities flourish for generations to come.”

This funding is truly transformational. It brings us significantly closer to delivering a vibrant, inclusive community hub—a space designed to connect people, support local organisations, and create lasting opportunities for current and future generations.

As we look ahead to the next phase of development, we will continue to build on this strong foundation of partnership and community involvement. For now, however, it is important to celebrate this milestone and recognise what it represents for Dalgety Bay.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed their time, ideas, and support. This success is shared by the whole community—and it marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter.

24/03/2026

SPITFIRE 90 CELEBRATIONS UPDATE - ALL TIMES CONFIRMED.... Route map and information provided by Spitfires.com

*Timings for departure have all been confirmed, also confirmation of the aircraft to fly alongside the Spitfire BS410 for each stage of the tour.

Starting on the 7th April, Spitfire BS410 will begin 9 flights flying over key historic sites between 9 different airports/RAF bases, also in formation with modern day RAF aircraft to celebrate 90 years since the first Spitfire flight 5th March 1936.

Flight 1 of 9 is now confirmed. Departing (subject to weather) from Southampton Airport at 12:00pm on the 7th of April, during the flight K5054 will meet up alongside for two separate formations with the RAF F35, then the RAF BBMF Dakota C-47 and Spitfire Mk5. Flight time approx 1 hour 35m.

Flight 2 of 9 is now confirmed. Departing (subject to weather) from RAF Coningsby at 10:00am on the 8th of April, during the flight K5054 will meet up alongside for two separate formations 2 x RAF Red Arrow Hawks and a RAF Phenom T1. Flight time approx 1 hour 35m.

Flight 3 of 9 is now confirmed. Departing (subject to weather) from RAF Leuchars at 10:00am on the 9th of April, during the flight K5054 will meet up alongside with the RAF P8 Poseidon. Flight time approx 55m.

Flight 4 of 9 is now confirmed. Departing (subject to weather) from RAF Lossiemouth at 10:00am on the 10th of April, during the flight K5054 will meet up alongside with 2 x RAF Typhoons. Flight time approx 1 hour 05m.

Flight 5 of 9 is now confirmed. Departing (subject to weather) from Prestwick Airport at 10:00am on the 13th of April, during the flight K5054 will meet up alongside with the RAF Hawk T2. Flight time approx 1 hour 10m.

Flight 6 of 9 is now confirmed. Departing (subject to weather) from RAF Valley at 10:00am on the 14th of April, during the flight K5054 will meet up alongside for 2 separate formations with the RAF Texan 2 and HT-1 Jupiter Helicopter. Flight time approx 1 hour.

Flight 7 of 9 is now confirmed. Departing (subject to weather) from MOD St Athan at 10:00am on the 15th of April, during the flight K5054 will meet up alongside for an extended duration with 2 x QinetiQ Pilatus PC21 Trainers. Flight time approx 1 hour 05m.

Flight 8 of 9 is now confirmed. Departing (subject to weather) from RAF St Mawgan at 10:00am on the 16th of April, during the flight K5054 will meet up alongside for a short duration with the RAF A400M. Flight time approx 0 hour 55m.

Flight 9 of 9 is now confirmed. Departing (subject to weather) from Exeter Airport at 10:00am on the 17th of April, during the flight K5054 will meet up alongside for most of the flight on it's way to Southampton Airport with the RAF BBMF C-47 Dakota. Flight time approx 0 hour 40m.

The first flight will depart from Southampton International Airport, formerly Eastleigh Airport and the location of the first flight of the Spitfire in 1936. We’ll then circumnavigate Great Britain, flying over key historic Spitfire locations such as:

*Reginald J. Mitchell’s grave
*The site of the original Spitfire factory
*The Needles
*Beachy Head
*The Battle of Britain Memorial at Capel le Ferne
*Martlesham Heath - where much of K5054's further flight testing was done
*RAF Coningsby, the current home of the RAF’s Battle of Britain Memorial
and many many more!