Museum staff left heartbroken as drawings worth £500,000 are destroyed

The staff at a museum have been left "devastated" after a collection of around 1,700 historic military drawings, including some connected to the D-Day landings, were destroyed when a van was stolen and set alight near Edinburgh.

The sketches, valued at approximately 500,000, belonged to the Royal Engineers Museum in Kent and were being transported in a silver Ford Transit. The vehicle was taken from Heron Square in the Deans area of Livingston, West Lothian, around 11:30 PM on November 19. The van was discovered the following day in the Ratho area, stripped of its parts and set on fire.

Police Scotland reported that a man wearing a face covering was seen entering the vehicle and driving east on the A89 towards Newbridge, near Ratho, shortly after the theft occurred. The authorities have launched an investigation and are seeking information from the public.

Constable Teri McEwan stated, "We are conducting extensive inquiries into this incident, and officers are reviewing CCTV footage and visiting nearby properties." The Royal Engineers Museum in Kent expressed deep sorrow over the loss of the valuable sketches, which included technical drawings and plans related to the construction of D-Day Mulberry harbours, railways, and bridges.

The Mulberry harbours were pivotal in allowing the swift unloading of supplies during the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944. Museum Director Rebecca Nash explained, "The collection had been sent to a company in Scotland for digitisation when the van was stolen and set ablaze. According to information from Scottish police, we understand that the drawings were inside the van when it was destroyed."

She added, "We would be incredibly grateful to recover any items that may have survived the fire." Nash further clarified that fortunately, no members of the public or museum staff were injured in the incident, and it appears to have been a random act of vandalism with no specific link to the museum or its collection.

She emphasized, "The security and preservation of our historic collection remain a top priority for us as a museum and charitable organization."