Lest We Forget...

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them. - Laurence Binyon

Today was, of course, Armistice Day... and the 90th anniversary of the end of World War 1 - "The War To End All Wars" - I hope you observed the 2 minute silence wherever you were.

Now, I didn't lose any close family in the wars, but my late father served in Burma during World War 2, and I am immensely proud of him and what he endured to make the world a better place (at least, that's what those brave men and women hoped).

I've posted a couple of photos and a wee bit about him on my photo blog, as a personal tribute... see here.

A Peedie Bit O' Orkney...

And a bit more - as promised - on the area of Scapa Flow and Wartime developments, today focusing on The Churchill Barriers and The Italian Chapel.

In 1939, the Royal Navy battleship HMS Royal Oak was at anchor in Scapa Flow (whose entry was protected by blockships that had been sunk to make access harder), when German U-Boat U-47 under the command of Gunther Prien managed to sneak undetected into the Flow and torpedo the ship, which sank with the loss of 833 of her 1,234 man crew.

In 1940, a series of 4 causeways were built, linking the Mainland to 3 of the south islands, thus making a permanent defence from the East. They were built by Balfour Beatty, with labour provided by Italian prisoners of war who were held in the area.

One of the Barriers:

The prisoners had asked for somewhere to worship, and were given the use of 2 Nissan huts on the island of Lamb Holm. And this is what they built...

Spectacular, isn't it?

Most of the interior decoration was carried out by Domenico Chiocchetti, making use of materials lying to hand... for instance, some of the ornate fittings round the lights were made from corned beef tins!

Domenico sadly died in 1999, after returning to Italy after the war (but not before helping to finish the chapel), and his widow has passed away within the last few days. They were not forgotten, and he returned a couple of times to assist in the restoration of the chapel. Orkney held them in high regard, and I believe this was returned.

The chapel is well worth a visit if you ever make it to Orkney... it really is beautiful.

A Peedie Bit O' Orkney...

Tonight, a poem for you... credited to Captain Hamish Blair, RN, posted to Scapa Flow during WWII - I guess Scapa Flow wouldn't have been a particularly popular posting, and he certainly made his feelings known!

BLOODY ORKNEY

This bloody town's a bloody cuss
No bloody trains, no bloody bus,
And no one cares for bloody us
In bloody Orkney.

The bloody roads are bloody bad,
The bloody folks are bloody mad,
They'd make the brightest bloody sad,
In bloody Orkney.

All bloody clouds, and bloody rains,
No bloody kerbs, no bloody drains,
The Council's got no bloody brains,
In bloody Orkney.

Everything's so bloody dear,
A bloody bob, for bloody beer,
And is it good? - no bloody fear,
In bloody Orkney.

The bloody 'flicks' are bloody old,
The bloody seats are bloody cold,
You can't get in for bloody gold
In bloody Orkney.

The bloody dances make you smile,
The bloody band is bloody vile,
It only cramps your bloody style,
In bloody Orkney.

No bloody sport, no bloody games,
No bloody fun, the bloody dames
Won't even give their bloody names
In bloody Orkney.

Best bloody place is bloody bed,
With bloody ice on bloody head,
You might as well be bloody dead,
In bloody Orkney.


Trust me, some things at least have changed since then! ;-D

Aircraft carrier HMS Victorious pictured in Scapa Flow during WWII:

More to follow of Orkney's, and particularly Scapa Flow's, wartime history and what remains to be seen today - Including The Churchill Barriers, Italian Chapel, HMS Royal Oak, Scuttling of the German Fleet after WWI... Trust me, it's interesting...