Innocent Scot whose death was harbinger of slaughter
Tribute to young islander, f irst British civilian killed in WWII
ON the evening of March 16, 1940, James Isbister was at home in the Orkney village of Brig o’Waithe with his wife and baby son.
Suddenly the calm of the dusk was shattered by the dreadful sound of falling bombs.
A squadron of German Heinkel bombers had launched a raid on British warships anchored at the naval base in Scapa Flow. And as part of the attack, high explosives rained down on nearby cottages.
When a bomb landed on the house across the road, Mr Isbister rushed out to check on his neighbour and see if she needed help.
But just a few feet from his own front door, he was struck down by a shower of shrapnel.
It was a tragedy that made his wife Lily a widow and cost his newborn son Neil a father.
But it also marked a grim milestone in British wartime history. For the 27-year-old labourer became the first civilian to die from enemy fire in the Second World War. Now a museum is to commemorate Mr Isbister’s death by putting on display a poignant reminder of the attack – a bomb-damaged road sign from outside his house.
The old-fashioned Give Way sign, which was salvaged and then kept in storage, is to go on show next month in the new Scapa Flow Museum.
Nick Hewitt, a naval historian and also team leader (culture) with Orkney Islands Council who is behind the display, said: ‘I caught sight of this incredible object, hiding in the corner of the main artefact store. There are many ways in which the wartime history of Scapa Flow provides a gateway into huge stories, but this one really stopped me in my tracks.
‘On March 16, 1940, German bombers attacked the naval base and raided right across the islands, dropping more than 600 bombs.
‘Some fell on the tiny village of Brig o’ Waithe, killing James Isbister. He was the first British civilian to be killed by enemy bombing during the Second World War.
This remarkable splinter-damaged road sign was recovered from the site.’
Mr Hewitt added: ‘Around 70,000 British civilians died in the Second World War, most of them as a consequence of enemy bombing.
‘The UK was not the first country to be bombed, and far more people died in the later Allied bombing offensives against Germany and Japan. Nevertheless, for me James’ tragic death personalises the start of a more ruthless age when any kind of restraint in warfare was gradually abandoned.’
In the aftermath of the 1940 attack on Orkney, cobbler Willie Farquhar, who was injured in the raid, recalled: ‘When we got outside, the first thing I saw was Jim Isbister, lying in his doorway. His feet were outside and his head was inside. He was lying on his back, with his arms upwards, just as the force of the explosion had thrown him.
‘Lily, his wife, was out by this time. She called to me to come and help her lift Jim inside. We made to lift him. I knew he was dead. I could see that the spirit had gone from him.’
The £4.4 million Scapa Flow Museum refurbishment opens on Saturday.