Arandora Star

A quick visit in the rain this morning to the Italian Cloister Garden at St Andrew's Cathedral which opened in May this year.


The iconic silver mirrored central monument in the garden will recall
all who died aboard the liner the Arandora Star, which was sunk while
carrying mainly Italian civilians who had been rounded up from their
homes, shops and cafes as ?enemy aliens? in 1940. It is the largest
monument to the disaster anywhere in the world. Around 100 Scots
Italians died in the tragedy and all their names are inscribed on a
marble plaque in the garden. /i]

First Minister Alex Salmond said at the opening:

?I am delighted to attend the opening of the
Italian Cloister Garden. This oasis of peace and contemplation at St
Andrew?s Cathedral is a magnificent tribute to the those who tragically
lost their lives aboard the Arandora Star during the Second World War
and to the part the Scots-Italian community plays in the rich tartan
fabric of our nation.?

Next to the monument is a 200 year old olive tree, a gift from the people of Tuscany.