The story began after the horrors of the first world war. As the allies met to write the Treaty of Versailles, the German High Seas Fleet had to be securely interred. The natural harbour of Scapa Flow was chosen and in November 1918 the 74 massive warships arrived.

Surrounded by the low hills of Orkney, the angular warships looked alien. The ships stayed there for months, the seamen were basically prisoners on board.

As the time dragged on the Admiral Ludwig von Reuter grew impatient. He sent away troublesome seamen. His worst fear was to have the British seize control of the warships. The German High Seas warships were the most hi-tech in the world at the time. 

21st June 1919

On the morning of the fateful day, Admiral Ludwig von Reuter couldn’t believe his luck. The British guard warships sailed out on an exercise. Seizing the chance, Von Reuter sent out the signal “paragraph 11” a coded reference to scuttle the ships. Instantly the seamen opened the windows, torpedo valves, smashed pipes and whatever else they could to allow the most water to flood in (scuttling). By the time the British realised what had happened, most of the ships were on their way to the seabed.

Another group who decided to sail into Scapa Flow that day came from the local school. The teachers must have thought it would be a good excuse to get out the classroom. Little did they know how the day would turn out. 

21st June 2019

Today, the Scapa 100 has been arranged to commemorate the anniversary of the scuttling. The commonwealth war graves royal naval cemetery on Hoy is the site of the official ceremony.

This week is also an opportunity to educate about this history. There have been many talks and exhibitions. I enjoyed the Stromness museum one where I learned about the importance of salvaging the fleet to the Orkney economy during the time of a global economic depression. The Orkney Museum exhibit in Kirkwall was also fascinating and showed more of the experiences of the German seamen.

The events have always sparked the local imagination. This is especially true for the festival in which there is everything from plays to scientific research projects.

Community Artwork

One event I participated in was to design a community tapestry inspired by the events. The Loom Room Orkney is a workshop space that is part of the Orkney Creative Hub. India who is a fellow Scotgrader has done wonders to engage the public with weaving and tapestry. You may remember from previous blogs that I began learning to weave tapestries here.

My design was chosen and woven by local people into a huge artwork! Its an honour to be able to take part in this historic commemoration. The creation itself took two months, hundreds of meters of wool and the work of many, many community members.  Don’t worry, it’s not just my design on display. There are over 30 mini tapestries inspired by the events made by local people. You can see the tapestries exhibited at For Arts Sake from Thursday 20th June until Saturday 30th of June.

This poster shows a small section of the finished tapestry!

Experience Scapa Flow for yourself

The turbulent history of Scapa Flow is featured in our Stones & Shores, Undiscovered Past  and West Orkney Beauty Spots Tours.

The post Scuttling of the German High Seas Fleet in Scapa Flow – a century later appeared first on Orkney Heritage Tours.

Orkney has a wealth of military history due to it’s strategic importance in the wars. The islands endured many tragedies because of this. Today’s Armistice 100 on Orkney events commemorated those tragic sacrifices.

Projected film

For all of November the St Magnus Kirk came alive with a projected film to honour Armistice 100 on Orkney.  ‘The Great War: an Orkney Memorial Experience’ was a commission from the Kirkwall Townscape Heritage Initiative. Local pupils from Glaitness Primary and Kirkwall Grammar schools were involved in crafting the film with the designers Playdead.

On a blustery Friday evening, I joined the ten or so islanders braving the winds to see this stunning work of art. The beautiful visuals being projected onto the imposing Kirk wall were captivating. From the warships charging through the turbulent waves of Scapa flow to the soldiers marching into the Somme, the images spoke a thousand words.

Watching the scenes play out I realised how ignorant I am of Scotland’s role in the world wars and even more clueless about the importance of Orkney. I resolved myself to remedy this.

Sunday Parade

Image source: The Orcadian

The morning of 11/11 broke with lone piper playing the traditional Scottish lament ‘Battle’s O’er’, the notes of which joined thousands across the globe. The parade began at 10.30 from the Royal Legion, including local cadets, RNLI personnel and pipe band. The town-folk assembled in front of the war memorial and heard an open air service led by Lieutenant John Mitchinson of the Salvation Army. He honoured importance of Armistice 100 on Orkney by recognising the sacrifices of those lost and reinforced the importance of keeping memories alive. The release of doves and laying of wreaths came after. The powerful words and haunting music from the pipe and brass bands were incredibly moving.

Pages of the Sea

The historically significant sands of Scapa beach were the stage for a national art piece “Pages of the Sea”.  Spearheaded by acclaimed director Danny Boyle and renowned poet Carol-Ann Duffy. The art movement commemorates the lives of those lost in the war by sharing their stories and etching their portraits on beaches across the UK. Scapa’s participation was a key part of Armistice 100 on Orkney commemoration.  

Scapa’s portrait was of Robert William Taylor of Flotta, who enlisted at age 22 and served in the Somme. His tenacity earned him swift promotions until, after two years of service he was Lance Corporal. In 1917, Robert earned the Military Cross as a forward observation officer directing fire during the battle of Passchendaele. Sadly, he died after fatal German Artillery fire at Poelcapelle. Robert now lies in Dozinghem Military Cemetery, Poperinge, Belgium. He is also commemorated on Stromness War Memorial and in Flotta churchyard. His Military Cross can be found in the Orkney Museum. 

I arrived at the beach courtesy of dial-a-bus. The sun was low in the sky and the beach was already buzzing with activity. I was handed a copy of Carol Ann Duffy’s poem “The wound in time.” The cutting words heightened the significance of the event. 

All around, volunteers were busying themselves with raking out stencils of soldier silhouettes. Each one to signify a life lost. The creation of these temporary memorials was open to all and I created one with the assistance of a young cadet. 

Bagpipes played the final lament as the waves crept up and reclaimed the sand in a reminder of the fleetingness of time. I felt incredibly humbled to have been able to take part in Armistice 100 on Orkney. 

– written by Fidra Sym 12/11/2018

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Since my Logan Air touchdown, Orkney has done its best to keep me busy. The flight itself (in the smallest plane I’ve flown in to date) was stunningly scenic as was the runway. 

View of Orkney from the air

The airport was also charming with plenty of creative flair and (possibly) the world’s simplest baggage reclaim.

I was picked up in a comfy Dial-a-bus and driven through the rolling fields to Kirkwall.

Serendipitously, I was in town in perfect timing for the Orkney Disability Forum bi-annual coffee morning.  This is an important  Orkney community fundraiser. For those of you reading this who didn’t grow up in a British village, you may be asking what is a coffee morning? 

Enterprising young Bric a Brac sellers

This event is a British institution much beloved by fundraisers. The concept is simple – visitors arrive and pay around £3 for entry which grants a delicious plate of home-baked goods and hot beverages. They then sit and enjoy and are also invited to peruse the assorted stalls. The classics being a table of home-baked goods, bric a brac (second hand treasures) and a raffle.

A raffle works by people buying a set amount of tickets for £1 a strip for the chance to win donated prizes  then they get a strip for future reference. The twin is folded  and ripped up and put in a receptacle to be later picked from. The raffle became my domain as I helped in the crucial task of preparing the tickets for random selection. Speed and determination were needed as the raffle was very popular.

Raffle Tickets

I enjoyed meeting many local people and trying the bakery at this Orkney community fundraiser. This included the local cuisine: the classic floury bannock and the very special Bere Bannock.

Overall this Orkney community fundraiser was a resounding success, bringing in £630 for the Orkney Disability Forum!!!

The rest of my day was spent wandering around the quaint streets of Kirkwall and checking out the harbour. Despite the fierce gale I enjoyed being out in the sunshine.

That evening, serendipitously I was treated to the postponed fireworks and bonfire. As the fireworks punctuated the sky with dazzling colors and I watched the glittering reflections on the Peedie Sea, I felt very lucky to be here.

The bright breezy day stands in contrast with what was to come…

– written by Fidra Sym 10/11/2018

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