A tribute to the Angus inventor who helped win the Battle of Britain should be in place come May, it has been announced.
And organisers behind the statue to “father of radar” Sir Robert Watson-Watt are laying the groundwork for a special guest to unveil the long-awaited honour.
Sir Robert led the team of scientists who gave the RAF a second wind against the Luftwaffe during the Second World War.
An exhibition celebrating his early warning system will also take place in Brechin, during the run-up to May’s installation.
A spokesman for the Watson-Watt Society of Brechin said an official unveiling is tentatively scheduled for July, with a dedication plaque to be attached a few days beforehand.
“The statue will be in place within the next month or so, although the official unveiling has had to be delayed,” he said.
“This is not a consequence of the logistics in the installation of what is Brechin’s first statue but rather the difficulty in making specific arrangements for an appropriate individual to carry out the ceremony to honour the greatest Brechiner of the 20th Century.”
Contractors in St Ninian’s Square have begun building a plinth for the statue, which is in storage in Powderhall Foundry, Leith.
The Watson-Watt Society praised Town House Museum staff for setting up “an exceptional display of images, documents and artefacts” depicting the war-time defence system.
Contributors to the display include Dundee University and Angus Council.
Following graduation from University College, Dundee, in 1912, Sir Robert was taken under the wing of Professor William Peddie, who spurred his interest in radio waves. His wartime work allowed control rooms to detect and intercept German aircraft during the Battle of Britain which proved pivotal in the war for air superiority.
His contribution was recognised in 1942 with a knighthood. A dramatisation of Sir Robert’s life, Castles in the Sky, will be broadcast on BBC2 this year.
The Courier reported that comedian Eddie Izzard would play the leading role in October last year.
Residents hope the production will help give the inventor the same recognition as Bletchley Park codebreaker Alan Turing after a film of his life, the Imitation Game starring Benedict Cumberbatch, is released this year.
Former Brechiner Arabella Page-Croft is a co-producer on the film, produced by Black Camel Pictures of Glasgow with director Gillies MacKinnon, whose credits include Hideous Kinky with Kate Winslet and Regeneration with Johnny Lee Miller.
The Watson-Watt Exhibition runs from Saturday until May 27 in the High Street building, which is open from 10am to 5pm, Tuesday to Saturday.