HRH The Princess Royal is heading to the port of Leith today to unveil a new monument to Scotland's Merchant Navy personnel.
Her Royal Highness, patron of the Merchant Navy Memorial Trust Scotland (MNMTS), will be joined by veterans, serving personnel and sea cadets in a ceremony of dedication for the striking new Memorial sculpture at The Shore, Leith, which has been created by renowned Scottish sculptor Jill Watson.
The Rt. Hon. George Grubb, Lord Lieutenant and Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh, and Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will join The Princess Royal to mark the occasion.
Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the memorial will be "an admirable reminder of the bravery of Scotland's Merchant Navy."
The day's events will commence with a special service of dedication at South Leith Parish Church.
After this, The Princess Royal will pay a visit to Trinity House, house of the ancient Corporation of Master Mariners, before heading to the Shore for the unveiling ceremony itself.
The imposing sandstone monument has been erected as a permanent tribute to more than 6,500 Scottish Merchant Navy personnel who fought and died in the two World Wars and other theatres of conflict. It also commemorates those who died while in service along the world's trading routes during peacetime.
Today's event was made possible thanks to a fundraising drive by the MNMTS launched earlier this year. Having sourced £125,000 through private donations, the MNMTS appealed in April for public contributions to allow them to reach the target sum of £180,000 to fund the Memorial. They were inundated with donations from all over the world.
When the Trust's website and public appeal were launched in April this year, Princess Anne said: "I am delighted to support the purposes of the Trust. The Memorial will commemorate the loss of all Scottish Merchant Navy and other Scottish seafaring and mercantile personnel who gave their lives in World Wars I and II, other theatres of conflict and in peacetime service along the trading routes of the world. They gave the ultimate sacrifice in support of their Country."
The Memorial takes the form of a 5.5m sandstone column featuring seafaring scenes in bronze relief.
The Shore was chosen as the location for this new Memorial because Leith was Scotland's premier port for more than 300 years, and served as Edinburgh's trading port for more than 700 years.
In addition, the Memorial recognises the 132 years of service dedicated to the Merchant Navy by Leith Nautical College (1855-1987) and its training ship, "Dolphin" (1944-1979).
William R. E. Thomson, Chairman of the MNMTS, whose family owned the respected and world-renowned Ben line for 170 years until 1996, said: "Having spent my working life involved in the Merchant Navy, I am delighted that at last proper recognition is to be given to Merchant Navy seafarers, whose contribution to our nation's welfare has gone almost unnoticed. This is so deserved."