Commemorative Plaque Installed in Reres Road to Honour Cartoon Genius Dudley D Watkins

Dudley D Watkins (1907 - 1969) is one of the twelve historic figures to be chosen in the first year of the Commemorative Plaque Scheme for Scotland. There is a now a plaque on his former home in Reres Road honoring his celebrated work as an illustrator and cartoonist. I think his artistry, especially in Oor Wullie and The Broons makes this recognition much deserved.

According to Historic Scotland, each plaque celebrates the person's life and achievements and will be placed on their home or on a building synonymous with their achievements. Members of the public have been invited to nominate historic figures on Historic Scotland's website and then these were whittled down by an independent panel with a maximum of only 12 plaques awarded each year.

At this pace however, it will take many years before Broughty Ferry, or Dundee for that matter, has enough blue plaques to merit much more than passing interest. I hope this new national scheme will not preclude a scheme for Broughty Ferry, which I raised last month after the appearance of an unofficial plaque on a house wall celebrating the previous residency of Bob Servant.