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SCENES AROUND SCAPA FLOW

KIRKWALL

"Voir Kirkwall, et mourir," a French naval officer remarked to me when visiting Scapa Flow. Without inquiring too closely as to whether there might not have been some ironical "double-entendre" in his apparent admiration of the capital of the Orkneys, it was certainly the Orcadian "Mecca" of the Grand Fleet, and never in its history has it known such activity and prosperity as during the five years of war. A sleepy little town of four or five thousand inhabitants, it was suddenly called upon to assist in supplying the needs of a floating population of close on 100,000 men, and its narrow main (and only) street, "where two wheelbarrows tremble when they meet," bustled with unwonted activity—messmen from the ships loading provisions, naval men and officers engaged in an afternoon's shopping and sightseeing, with an occasional motor lorry or car trying to thread its way amongst the traffic.

Kirkwall, as will be seen from the map, is approached from the Flow by way of Scapa Pier, whence it is a walk or drive of about a mile and a half to the town.

The little hamlet of Scapa, incidentally, from which the Flow takes its name, assumed importance during the war as a seaplane station, and is the scene of an old custom long forgotten, which is related rather amusingly in a volume on Orkney by a Rev. John Brand, dated 1701. He writes: "In Scapha about a mile from Kirkwal to South-West, it is said there was kept a large and ancient Cup, which they say belonged to St. Magnus, King of Norway, who first instructed them in the principles of the Christian religion and founded the Church of Kirkwal, with which full of some strong drink their Bishops at their first landing were presented; which, if he drank it out, they highly praised him, and made themselves to believe, that they should have many good and fruitful years in his time." He adds rather regretfully: "The Countrey to this Day have the tradition of this, but we did not see the cup; nor could we learn where it was." The fact that the Highland Park Distillery (the most northern distillery in the British Isles) is on the upper Scapa road rather tends to confirm the legend!

Conveyances known locally as "machines" (they do not speak of traps or chars-À-bancs in Orkney) are always available to convey one to Kirkwall from the Pier, and anyone who has travelled over that bumpy road in one of these vehicles will not forget the experience!

Arrived in Kirkwall and suitably refreshed (let me recommend the Ayre Hotel of many pleasant memories), the most striking building which meets the eye, and which dominates the town, is the Cathedral of St. Magnus. Kirkwall, as its name signifies (Kirkevaag or Kirk Voe), is the bay of the church, although the original church from which the town takes its name was not that of St. Magnus. Founded before the middle of the twelfth century, it is a very fine example of Gothic architecture, which, fortunately, owing to its remoteness, escaped the zeal of the Reformers, and remains to-day a stately witness of the Norse warriors of old, who played such a prominent and adventurous part in the history of Orkney. Near by are the Bishop's and Earl's Palaces, both also eloquent relics of the days when feasting and fighting were the main preoccupations of the Norse Jarls, whose exploits are recounted so graphically in the "Orkneyinga Saga."

Kirkwall during the war was an examination base, and hundreds of craft of all nationalities passed through the harbour to be searched for contraband of war. Later, after the Armistice, it became the headquarters of our own and the American Mine Clearance Service, and the advent of four or five thousand American sailors contributed further to the prosperity and enlivenment of the town. Baseball, for example, and the "jazz," had not hitherto penetrated so far north as Orkney, and dancing soon became almost as great an obsession amongst the fair maidens of Kirkwall as it was further south.

To-day Kirkwall is again outwardly the same quiet town it was prior to 1914, but the infusion of new ideas and modes of life, which was inevitable from contact with so many of our own and American people, has produced many changes of mental and social outlook, and in no town will the years 1914-1919 be remembered for their historical significance more than in the capital of the Orkney Islands.

STROMNESS

Stromness, situate at the western extremity of the mainland, is next to Kirkwall in size, and is in many respects the rival of the capital. Its position did not give it the same importance as Kirkwall during the war, although it was a convenient centre for some of the subsidiary activities of the Base. For a considerable period it was the headquarters of the Western Patrol, and the various building operations, including the wharf at Lyness and the Air Stations at Houton and Scapa, were supervised from the office of the Civil Engineer at Stromness. The accessibility of Stromness to the sea through Hoy and Burra Sounds, and the probability of submarine attacks on the Fleet through these channels, rendered defensive measures an imperative necessity, and at the time of the Armistice a triple series of boom defences, with the additional safeguards of sunken ships and minefields, rendered ingress a practical impossibility. One of the most remarkable of these defences was the Clestron Barrier between the island of Graemsay and Clestron. This was constructed of conical frameworks of steel rails, which were placed in position with their bases resting on the bottom of the channel, an operation rendered the more difficult by the tides which sweep around these shores, which give Stromness its name (the ness of the "strom" or current).

Stromness is a picturesquely situated little town, with its straggling houses, rising straight from the water's edge, and its rugged coast scenery. The traveller from Kirkwall, after traversing fifteen miles of somewhat monotonous road, is suddenly confronted with the quiet town lying below him in a landlocked bay, with the heights of Hoy rising beyond and adding grandeur to the beauty of the scene.

Amongst the quaint houses in its zigzag mile-long street is one of noteworthy interest, being the house in which Sir Walter Scott wrote the notes of his Orkney novel, "The Pirate," most of the characters in which are drawn from people who actually lived in Stromness.

Stromness was a popular "week-end" resort for those who, during the war and afterwards, were fortunate enough to get leave, there being an excellent and modern hotel, with good fishing in the lochs, and a nine-hole golf course in the near neighbourhood. Close at hand, too, are many places of interest to the historian and antiquarian, which are briefly noticed in the following pages.

THE STANDING STONES OF STENNIS

"The Standing Stones" are the most noteworthy antiquarian relic in the county of Orkney, and their origin, like those of Stonehenge, is wrapped in obscurity. They were probably erected by the early Celtic inhabitants of Orkney, possibly as sacrificial spots, and they were undoubtedly standing when the Norsemen overran the islands in the ninth century. Standing on the narrow little peninsula in the midst of the Loch of Stennis, and seen as the shadows of evening are falling, they are impressive in their lonely solemnity, and insensibly carry one back to the dawn of history in these islands—to days of sacrificial rites and strange matrimonial ceremonies, to the worship of Thor and Woden.

MAESHOWE

A mile or two from Stennis stands the celebrated Tumulus of Maeshowe. This is a conical-shaped mound rising to a height of about 35 feet, and surrounded by a moat. The interior is approached by a long, narrow passage, leading into a central stone chamber about 15 feet square, from which a number of crypts or cells branch off at the sides. On the walls are inscribed a number of runes, of which, as one humourist observed, "several professors have given as many translations, apparently all different." There is certainly considerable diversity of opinion as to the age and origin of the mound, but it seems to be generally accepted that it was originally the chambered tomb of some chieftain, dating from early Celtic times.

HOY

The island of Hoy lies on the western side of the Flow, and, as most of the Base ships were anchored in its vicinity, it was the island which became the most familiar to and frequented by those going to the "beach" for recreation and exercise. The names of Long Hope, Lyness, Melsetter, North Ness, are as familiar to the many thousands of naval men who spent so long at Scapa, as are the Strand and Charing Cross to Londoners. Fortunately, Hoy is perhaps the most interesting and picturesque of the Orkney Islands, and some of its hill and cliff scenery is amongst the finest in Great Britain, whilst the sportsman, the botanist, and the geologist can find ample material for their various pursuits.

Hoy will probably show more permanent evidences of the "naval invasion" of Scapa Flow than any of the other islands, as it has now become, at Lyness, the headquarters of the permanent peace-time naval establishment at Scapa Flow. At Lyness there are the makings of a miniature dockyard, with a wharf accommodating vessels of 30 feet draught, slipway, storesheds, oil, fuel, and petrol depÔts, and a reservoir for fresh water supply, which, in the event of war, would be at once available for meeting the requirements of the Fleet. Such an establishment would have been of immense value at the outbreak of the present war, and, indeed, had been contemplated for some years prior to 1914.

WARD HILL, HOY

Ward Hill is the highest hill in Orkney (1,556 feet), and from its summit on a clear day a magnificent panorama of the Orkney Islands unfolds itself, lying at one's feet like "the scattered fragments of some ingenious and parti-coloured toy map," whilst on the further side of the Pentland Firth the coast of Scotland is clearly defined as far as Cape Wrath. During the war the whole of the Grand Fleet could be seen in the Flow, and it seemed hard to realise that those small and insignificant specks as they appeared in the distance lay as a "sure shield of Empire" between our nation and the domination of the German Eagle.

THE OLD MAN OF HOY

The lonely pillar of rock standing well out on the western coast of Hoy is one of the best-known "sights" of Orkney. It stands 450 feet above the sea (as high as St. Paul's Cathedral) in one of the most inaccessible parts of the coast, but the scene repays the hard walk over the moors which a visit to the rock entails. The photo happens to show the features of the "Old Man" quite distinctly.

THE DWARFIE STONE

The Dwarfie Stone is one of the strange relics of antiquity which abound in Orkney. It is a mass of sandstone about 30 feet in length, 14 feet in breadth, and from 2 to 6 feet in height, and lies in a lonely valley at the foot of Ward Hill. It has been hollowed out on either side of the entrance door shown in the photo into two chambers, each with a stone bed, with a hole in the roof to serve as a window or chimney. Nothing appears to be known of the origin or purpose of the stone, but a rather quaint theory is brought forward in an old book on Orkney (1701), as follows:

"Who hewed this stone, or for what use it was, we could not learn, the Common Tradition among the People is, That a giant with his wife lived in this Isle of Hoy, who had this stone for their Castle. But I would rather think, seeing it could not accommodate any of a Gigantick stature, that it might be for the use of some Dwarf, as the name seems to import, or it being remote from any House might be the retired Cell of some Melancholick Hermite. The stone also may be called the Dwarfie Stone, per Antiphrasin or by way of Opposition it being so very great."

Sir Walter Scott refers to the stone at some length in his novel "The Pirate," the scene of which is laid in the Orkneys and Shetlands, and which will be found of interest to the student of Orkney traditions and history.

LYNESS

Following the rough road on the east coast of Hoy from Ward Hill, by way of Pegal Burn, one reaches Lyness, in pre-war days a few scattered crofts, and now the Naval Base in Orkney. The stone wharf, built by Messrs. Kinnear and Moodie, of Glasgow, is now only just nearing completion, and the other buildings (torpedo and paravane depÔts, petrol tanks, store sheds, etc.) were not available in time to be of much value during the war, but they will be ready for the next! Some idea of the difficulties with which the contractors had to contend will be realised, when it is remembered that every ton of material had to be brought by rail and sea from the south, during a time when, owing to the submarine menace and the shortage of shipping, it was often months before delivery of stores could be made. The work was frequently completely held up by non-delivery of a machine or replacement, whilst the difficulties of recruiting labour in such a desolate spot as the Orkneys were a great handicap. On many days work had to be suspended owing to gales, whilst in winter operations were only practicable during the few hours of daylight available. The works, incidentally, were responsible for the introduction of the first train into Orkney!

CROCKNESS

Crockness lies a little beyond Lyness, to the south, and is chiefly noteworthy for its Martello Tower, which, with that at Hackness on the further side of Long Hope Bay, was erected during the Napoleonic Wars, and completed in 1818 as a protection for the harbour. It was in Long Hope Harbour that merchantmen bound for America and the Continent assembled to await convoy, and it is curious that exactly one hundred years later history has repeated itself, and that during the war just concluded the same system of convoy was adopted from Kirkwall, into which harbour all neutral vessels were sent for examination and convoy. It is rather characteristic of our nation that both the Martello Towers and the works at Lyness were completed some time after the Napoleonic Wars and the European War respectively were over!

The Towers are very solidly built structures, with gun mountings on top, and underground cellars for stowing ammunition, etc., but they have never apparently been of any practical use. It is related that it was not until the present war that a monthly payment, which originated in 1818, to a crofter family for certain services rendered to the original occupants of the Tower, was at length discontinued, when it was discovered that the Tower had been disused for some generations! but the accuracy of the story cannot be vouched for.

LONG HOPE

Continuing by the road from Crockness, the village of Melsetter is passed on the road to Long Hope.

At Melsetter is the very fine residence of Mr. and Mrs. Middlemore, whose hospitality was always open to the many naval officers who used to call there. The visitors' book among many famous names contains those of the King and the Prince of Wales, and Admirals Jellicoe and Beatty. A William Morris Tapestry in one of the reception rooms is noteworthy as recording the exploits of "Sir Gawaine of Orkney," one of the Knights of the Round Table.

Long Hope Bay during the war was the headquarters of the auxiliaries of the Grand Fleet, and never in its history were so many vessels of such varied types assembled in the harbour. The village of Long Hope, where there is a good pier, naturally became much frequented by officers and men from the ships, and eventually a commodious Y.M.C.A. was erected, which did much useful work. "Tea on the beach" was always a pleasant change from ship life (and tinned milk!), and the Post Office at Long Hope became a favourite rendezvous for informal tea-parties. (Possibly the attractions of the fair postmistress and her sister had something to do with this!)

Incidentally, a writer on Orkney remarks that "there is a considerable Celtic element in the population of South Walls brought by some seventy-one Highlanders, who, evicted from Strathnaver to make room for sheep, settled in the parish between 1788 and 1795, and who have thrown in a dash of good looks not so common in other parts of the group." The comment seems hardly fair to the rest of Orkney, however true it may be with regard to Walls.

The inn at Long Hope (where the King stayed on one of his visits to the Fleet) was transformed into the office of the Admiral Commanding the Orkneys and Shetlands, and a wireless station was erected alongside. It has now (1921) reverted to its pre-war condition, much to the gratification of the Long Hope inhabitants.

KIRK HOPE AND CANTICK

The road from Long Hope leads past the Y.M.C.A. to the lonely little cemetery (shown on the left of the photo above) at Kirk Hope, and thence to the lighthouse at Cantick Head. A fine view of the islands is obtained from the Lighthouse Tower, and the visitors' book contains the names of R. L. Stevenson and Prince Albert, amongst others of interest.

PEATS

As there are practically no trees in Orkney, wood is not available for fuel, but fortunately peat is very plentiful, and is used almost universally for heating purposes. The peats are cut in the spring, and a peculiar-shaped form of spade, known as a toysker, is employed to cut the turfs, which are stacked on the side of the bank as shown in the photograph. After a few weeks the peats are "raised"—i.e., set on end—and arranged in small heaps, so that they may dry more thoroughly. They are then carted home and stacked, each croft possessing its stack for the winter months.

During the war parties of men from the ships could often be seen assisting the crofters in digging the peats—such assistance being very welcome at a time when labour was scarce and there was plenty of work to be done on the land. A day at the peats can be recommended to anyone who wants to know what it is to feel really tired after a hard day's work!

PRIMITIVE METHODS OF AGRICULTURE IN ORKNEY

The primitive cottages which prevailed in Orkney, until a few years ago, are gradually giving way to larger and more substantial dwellings, but some of the crofts are still reminiscent of very early times, consisting only of a "but and a ben," with the beds let into the wall, after the style of the French cupboard beds of Brittany, and with the floors made of stone flags.

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Orkney has several cottage industries, no doubt due to the long winter evenings and the inclement weather. Amongst these is rush plaiting for the famous "Orkney chairs," which, with their comfortable rush backs and seats and hoods, are familiar to all who have been in Orkney.

SPINNING

Spinning is another occupation of the winter evenings, which has been widely revived recently in Orkney owing to the high price of wool. The Orkneys and Shetlands are noted for the softness and quality of their wool, and the various processes of teasing, carding, spinning and dyeing are all carried out on the crofts.

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