ECHOES OF WAR
ETCHED ON ORCADIAN LANDSCAPE
Orkney’s wartime past is never far from memory locally, having left a permanent mark on the islands. During both World Wars, Orkney was of vital importance. Echoes of those dark times still remain, the war years etched forever on the Orcadian landscape.
The islands were home to thousands of service personnel. The once strategic naval anchorage of Scapa Flow was heavily defended, with many of those concrete structures still remaining today.
Sadly, tragedy struck on many occasions, with many lives lost. The Royal Navy paid a very heavy price.
In Scapa Flow, back in 1917, HMS Vanguard blew up and sank as a result of an internal explosion — with the tragic loss of over 800 lives.
This came a year after HMS Hampshire hit a mine off Birsay, in 1916, with the loss of Lord Kitchener and over 700 others.
Tragedy also struck in 1918, when HMS Opal and HMS Narborough ran aground off the east side of South Ronaldsay in blizzard conditions. Almost 200 lives were lost in Windwick Bay.
On the seabed of Scapa Flow are several wrecks of the surrendered German High Seas Fleet, which were scuttled in 1919, to prevent them falling into the hands of the Allied Forces.
Today, Stromness-based dive boats take divers over the wrecks to explore the remaining sunken giants.
The rest of the fleet was salvaged over many years by Cox and Danks and Metal Industries — highly dangerous work given the technology at the time, but a feat of engineering which still impresses today.
Scapa is the site of the HMS Royal Oak memorial and garden, while a book of remembrance can be found in St Magnus Cathedral. It marks the day in Scapa Flow, on October 14, 1939, when the ship was sunk by a German submarine, resulting in the devastating loss of 834 lives.
Following the sinking, Winston Churchill ordered the construction of the Churchill Barriers, to protect the eastern approaches of Scapa Flow.
Blockships can still be seen alongside. These were put in place prior to the barriers being built, but the U-boat still managed to creep in, and so the route was sealed.
On Lamb Holm stands the Italian Chapel, beautifully created from wartime Nissen huts by Italian prisoners of war in World War Two, led by Domenico Chiocchetti. It was a place of worship, while they were involved in the building of the barriers.
Hoy was once home to thousands at the Lyness Naval Base, a sprawling mass of buildings, fuel tanks and harbour activity. Shells of many of these buildings still remain. The wartime museum there, presently under extensive refurbishment, stands as a reminder.
Also at Lyness, to mark the fact that ships of the Arctic Convoys sailed from Scapa Flow to supply northern Russia in their fight against the Nazi forces, a memorial stands. There were several important wartime airfields in Orkney.
In Lyness Naval Cemetery lie many service personnel who lost their lives during the years of war.
It is one of the largest sites the Commonwealth War Graves Commission maintains in the UK, and great care is taken to keep it pristine.
Reading the names and ages of those who lost their lives is a poignant moment for those who visit, and a stroll along those rows is a reminder of those who fought for our freedoms — a sacrifice which should never be forgotten.