Press release -
Remembering Orkney’s wartime heritage
People are being encouraged to explore the wartime heritage of the Orkney Islands, including Scapa Flow and the Italian Chapel through dedicated new pages on VisitScotland's website.
As Armistice Day commemorations took place the length and breadth of the UK this weekend, the Islands, famous for their Neolithic heritage are being highlighted for their myriad wartime connections by the national tourism organisation.
Home to several sites of immense historical significance, it is the 140-square mile natural harbour of Scapa Flow that secured Orkney’s inextricable place in this chapter of Britain’s history.
It comes after VisitScotland launched a guide to Scotland’s First World War sites and centenary commemorations – www.visitscotland.com/about/history/ww1-centenary – earlier this year.
The island of Flotta, marking the south-west entrance to Scapa Flow, was home to the Northern Fleet of the British Navy’s operation base until 1917. Just off the island, the worst maritime disaster in UK history took place – the accidental explosion of HMS Vanguard on 9 July 1917. The loss of 804 lives, with only two survivors, is marked by a blue and yellow buoy, the sight of which serves as a sobering reminder of the tragedy.
On the VisitScotland website, people can also discover how, two years later, 52 ships of the German High Seas Fleet were scuttled at Scapa Flow at the command of Ludwig von Reuter. Rather than see the 74 vessels interned at the site divided among the Allies, the German commander ordered the fleet to be destroyed.
The British were able to beach 22 ships, but the rest went down. Over the next 20 years, all but seven of the sunken ships were salvaged and towed away for scrap. Today, the exploration of these seven vessels is hugely popular among divers.
Flotta also hosts the remains of the most complete surviving Z battery in Britain, in the Golta Pennisula which comprised of 64 rocket launchers and 128 magazines.
West of Flotta, the historic island of Hoy is home to The Royal Navy Commonwealth War Graves cemetery in Lyness, the largest concentration of war graves in Scotland.
Another of Orkney’s most notable sites is the Kitchener Memorial, located just off the north-west coast of West Mainland. The memorial commemorates the sinking of HMS Hampshire on 5 June 1916 that resulted in the loss of more than 650 lives, including the Minister of War, Lord Kitchener.
In the Second World War, Scapa Flow witnessed the loss of 834 lives following the sinking of HMS Royal Oak. Anchored in apparently impregnable waters, the British battleship was torpedoed by the German submarine U-47 in the early hours of 14 October 1939.
The infamous incident led to the construction of the four Churchill barriers, which now carry a road that allows the south isles of Lamb Holm, Glimps Holm, Burray and South Ronaldsay to become part of the main roadway system of Mainland Orkney.
Today, the HMS Royal Oak site is a designated war grave and unauthorised dives are prohibited. In an annual ceremony, Royal Navy divers place a White Ensign at the wreck’s stern. The site is marked by a buoy.
Aside from Scapa Flow itself, perhaps the best known of Orkney’s war sites is the remarkable Italian Chapel. Now a Category A listed building, the chapel was built during the Second World War at the request of Italian prisoners of war who wanted a place of worship.
Once approved by the camp’s commandant and priest, the POWs set about building the chapel from readily available materials including two Nissen huts, cast concrete and even corned beef tins. With a hand-painted sanctuary and altar created by Domenico Chiochetti, the Chapel’s enigmatic history has seen it prevail as one of Orkney’s most popular attractions, with more than 100,000 visitors in 2013.
Barbara Foulkes, Island Manager for VisitScotland, said:
“On Armistice Day and in the year of the 100th anniversary of start of the First World War, we pay particular tribute to this distinct chapter in Orkney’s history.
“Our heritage sites from both World Wars allow locals and visitors to feel a deeply rooted connection to the past and to contemplate the overwhelming significance of the conflicts on our beautiful islands.”
To find out more about Orkney’s wartime heritage, go to:
www.visitscotland.com/about/history/orkney/wartime
To learn about Scotland’s role, including Orkney’s, in the war at sea, go to:
www.visitscotland.com/see-do/itineraries/history/ww1/war-at-sea
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Notes to Editors:
- Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews
- VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
- The organisation has three key roles:
- To market Scotland to all parts of the world to attract visitors
- To provide information – and inspiration – to visitors and potential visitors so they get the best out of a visit to Scotland
- To provide quality assurance to visitors and quality advice to the industry and partners to help the industry meet and strive to exceed customer expectations
- VisitScotland works together with tourism businesses to make tourism a success for everyone and ensure the industry continues to grow.
- The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
- 2014 is the year Scotland welcomes the world, when it hosts the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles and more than 800 Homecoming events throughout the country.For more information on Homecoming Scotland 2014, go to www.visitscotland.com
- The VisitScotland Information Centre network is a unique face-to-face channel engaging with around five million visitors and locals each year. Everyone who uses a VisitScotland Information Centre goes on to spend an additional £5.35, generating over £24 million for Scotland’s economy.
- According to a recent Deloitte study, tourism employs 270,000 people in Scotland in 20,000 diverse businesses. The same study calculates that the industry contributes £11 billion annually (direct and indirect impact, including day visits) and supports around 10 per cent of employment in Scotland. Almost 16 million tourists take overnight trips to Scotland.
- Where possible, a Gaelic speaker will be made available for broadcast interviews on request (Far an tèid iarraidh, agus far am bheil sin nar comas, bruidhinnidh neach le Gàidhlig aig agallamh)
- For holiday information on Scotland go to www.visitscotland.com
- For information about business tourism in Scotland go to www.conventionscotland.com
- For more information on VisitScotland’s annual review please go to www.visitscotland.org/about_us/our_focus/annual_report.aspx
