Spirit of Orkney» Military

In search of A R Woods

admin — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 16:01:31 +0000

Following recent publicity, could the net be closing in on the WWII Ness Battery mural painter?

Could this be a reminder of home?

A mysterious World War II mural at the Ness Gun Battery in Orkney, painted by A R Woods, has led to a worldwide search for the artist.

The Ness Gun Battery guarded one of the entrances to the naval anchorage of Scapa Flow, which formed an important part of Britain’s defences in World War Two.

Ness gun battery

The Ness Battery is the most important World War II coast gun battery in the country. It includes the original concrete structures (gun emplacements, battery observation post and engine room) but is exceptional in having the original 1938 wooden camp buildings, which are the only surviving examples of their kind in the UK.

It is also famed for its striking mural on the walls of the mess hut, depicting a rural English scene and signed by a mysterious, AR Woods.

The site was acquired by the Council from the Ministry of Defence in 2002 and the project now forms part of the Scapa Flow Landscape Partnership. Tours were held at the site throughout 2010, with around 600 people attending.

Conservation

Conservation work is due to begin on the site this year, and historians hope they can finally identify the artist, as previous attempts to solve the mystery have failed.

Julian Branscombe, Project Manager for the Scapa Flow Landscape Partnership, said:

“This site has survived very well over the last 73 years. However, the buildings now need a lot of work, particularly the wooden accommodation huts.

These huts would benefit from woodwork and repainting, and complete replacement of the roofing. The 1970s suspended ceiling will be removed in the mess hall – this will allow the newly re-discovered mural above to be readily seen once more.

There is no certainty that this is our man, but he certainly painted
Julian Branscombe, Scapa Flow Landscape Partnership

Issuing these Invitations to Tender to our four potential contractors is an important step in securing the future of this wonderful Scheduled Ancient Monument.”

Orkney Islands Council is receiving funds for the works from the European Regional Development Fund, Historic Scotland and Heritage Lottery Fund, as part of the Scapa Flow Landscape Partnership Scheme.

Worldwide response

The response since the story went on the internet, and Reporting Scotland, has been worldwide, with encouragement from as far afield as Dayton,

Is this our mysterious artist?

Ohio, and all kinds of possibilities suggested, including a picture of a Mr A R Woods, who is a likely candidate.

A R Woods

Mr Branscombe said; “There is no certainty that this is our man, but he certainly painted, and is the sort of person who the Navy may have sent to Orkney to assist with the naval Examination Service, which was the section of the Navy which was based in the middle of the Royal Artillery (Army) camp at Ness Battery”.

This man would have been in his early 60s at the building of Ness Battery and the start of WWII, and there is currently no documentary evidence that he made it to Orkney.

Searches are continuing, and Mr Branscombe is confident that they will pull all this together in the end. It is hoped that just as they did with the Italian Chapel, they will discover the story of the painting of the mural, and be able to trace descendants of AR Woods, so that they can be brought to Orkney to see it.

If you feel you have any information that would help this quest, please contact us using the comments section at the end of this article.

Other pictures in the mess office depict caravans and the frontage of a cottage.

More information

The Scapa Flow Landscape Partnership Scheme

Search on over WWII mural mystery – BBC Scotland
Search to find Ness Battery artist - Broadcast from BBC ScotlandSimilar Posts:

Kitchener Memorial, Marwick Head

admin — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 20:08:59 +0000

A long, narrow grass footpath wends it’s way to the imposing stone Kitchener memorial at the top of the Marwick Cliffs on the West Mainland.

Kitchener memorial

The grand, square stone tower was erected by the people of Orkney after the First World War, to commemorate Lord Kitchener and the crew of HMS Hampshire, sunk on June 5th 1916, leaving only 12 survivors. It is thought that the armed cruiser struck a mine laid by the German submarine U75,

Kitchener, the then British Minister of War was on his way to confer with the Czar’s government in Russia.

Some of the atefects were recently lifted by a salvage ship and after a great deal of dispute, ended up at the Lyness Museum.

A small gun, recovered from the wreckage is mounted at the start of the footpath below Marwick head.

Gun salvaged from HMS Hampshire

The imposing stone memorial was unveiled by General Lord Horne in June 1926 with a salute by HMS Royal Sovereign.

The inscription on the plaque reads;

“This tower was raised by the people of Orkney in memory of Field Marshall Earl Kitchener of Khartoum on that corner of his country which he had served so faithfully nearest to the place where he died on duty. He and his staff perished along with the officers and nearly all the men of HMS Hampshire on 5th June 1916.”

More information

Herbert Kitchener – 1st Earl Kitchener – Wikipedia

Military picture taken c1925 at the Kitchener memorial – Orkney Communities.

Lyness Interpretation CentreSimilar Posts:

Stromness ‘Liberty’ Cannon

admin — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:09:22 +0000

Rusting at the edge of the sheltered harbour of Stromness is a cannon said to be a relic of the Anglo-American War.

Trade routes and access to the vast grain fields of Canada became the trigger for war and the shipping lanes between Canada and Britain came under constant threat from the US Navy.

The cannon is said to be from the 'Liberty'

Canada was a British colony at this time.

It is thought that the cannon came from a privateer, an armed ship often funded by individuals or companies, called the Liberty.

How the cannon came to be in Stromness is a mystery, but it was put to good use to signal the arrival, often from Canada, of Hudson’s Bay Company ships in to the harbour.

During 1813, with Captain Scott in charge, the Liberty ran aground at the entrance to Cambeltown harbour. Some reports indicate that she may have been salvaged.

On a wall nearby is a blue plaque that reads ’The cannon reputed to have been salvaged from the American Privateer ‘Liberty’ in 1813.

Plaque explains the history of the cannon

It was used to fire a salute to the Hudson’s Bay Company Ships’.

More information

Little seems to be published on the internet about the ‘Liberty’, Captain Scott or how the cannon came to be recovered from the ship and brought to Stromness.

If you can help please get in touch via the contact us form and we can update this article.Similar Posts:

HMS Royal Oak 70th Anniversary

admin — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 18:38:17 +0000

On 14th October 1939, HMS Royal Oak was sunk by a German Torpedo in Scapa Flow, off the southern coast of Orkney.

Scapa Flow had been a strategic Naval base since 1905, protecting Britain from German invasion via the eastern island inlets from the North Sea. With an area of about 156 square kilometres, it is a bay sheltered by the mainland to the north, south Ronaldsay and Burray to the east and Flotta to the south.

Following an earlier attempt to penetrate Hoxa Sound by a German U Boat in 1914, 21 block ships had been sunk on the Eastern approaches and anti-subamarine nets, boom defences and controlled minefields were added to secure Scapa Flow.

World WarII
During the first few weeks of World War II, nearly 50 British warships were in Scapa Flow including the cruiser HMS Belfast.

The western side of the flow near Lyness was their mooring, all except HMS Royal Oak and HMS Pegasus which were moored in Scapa Bay below Gaitnip.

The Royal Oak sank not far from where this tanker is moored

On a moonless night, lit only by the Northern Lights, a German U-47 entered at high tide under the cover of darkness, managed to navigate it’s way around the block ships and enter Scapa Flow via Holm Sound. 3,000m from the two ships, her Captain, Gunther Prien launched a devastating tripple torpedo attack on the Royal Navy battleship HMS Royal Oak.

One of the torpedos hit the bow causing little damage, in fact it is reported that the crew thought the explosion to be onboard in the paint store.

Three more torpedos were fired from the U-47, all reacing their target.

Royal Oak took only 15 minutes to sink at her moorings, taking with her 833 members of her nearly 1200 strong crew.

In Memory
The shipwreck site is now an official wartime grave and a memorial to those lost at sea, resides in St. Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall.

Memorial gardens were created at Scapa Beach.

Her resting position is marked by a green buoy and sometimes by small oil slicks as the last vestiges of fuel leaks from her bunkers.

An annual ceremony is held by the Admiralty, with divers placing the Ensign over the wreck site. Many of those present are survivors and relatives of the crew.

70th Anniversary.
On Wednesday 14th October 2009,the 70th anniversary of the tragedy. HMS Penzance will sail to the site of the wreck, where

Memorial in St Magnus Cathedral

HRH The Princess Royal is expected to lay a wreath on the water during a rememberence ceremony.

A parade featuring the Royal British Legion, youth organisations and local dignitaries, will take place on Sunday 18th October 2009 at St. Magnus Cathedral.

New book
David Turner, a nephew of Commander Ralph Lennox Woodrow-Clark, who died in the torpedo attack, is publishing a new book about the sinking.

Titled “Last Dawn”, it is hoped that the book will help keep alive the memory of those who died.

David has also filmed a video for use in the schools, to aid their understanding of the event.Similar Posts:

The Churchill Barriers

admin — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 07:30:43 +0000

Arrive at St Margaret’s Hope on the Island of South Ronaldsay and head North on the A961 to Kirkwall.

This drive will take you over the incredible four causeways linking the Orkney islands of South Ronaldsay, Burray, Lamb Holm and Glimps Holm.

A total length of 1.5 miles (2.3km). The barriers were originally built in 1940 as a naval defence, sealing off the eastern entrances to Scapa Flow.

Since 1914 these eastern passages had been protected by sunken block ships, booms and anti-submarine nets, but during the Second World War, On 14th October 1939, A German U-47 entered at high tide under the cover of darkness, managed to navigate it’s way around the block ships and enter Scapa Flow via Holm Sound. From this point she launched a devastating torpedo attack on the Royal Navy battleship HMS Royal Oak.

The great ship was sunk at it’s moorings taking with her 833 members of her nearly 1000 strong crew. A memorial has been erected in St. Magnus Cathedral on Kirkwall.

No1 Barrier

Further measures were needed to prevent more attacks, and to this purpose, First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill ordered the construction of permanent barriers.

Balfour Beatty were awarded the contract and work commenced in May 1940.

Gabions containing 250,000 tons of broken rock, quarried on Orkney, were dropped into place 59 feet deep from overhead cableways. Locally-cast concrete blocks weighing five tonnes were laid on the core followed by ten tonne blocks placed on the sides in a random pattern to limit the impact of the waves.

Building the barriers from a painting by Domenico Chiocchetti

Much of the labour was provided by over 1300 Italian prisoners of war.

Captured during the North Africa Campaign, the Italians were transported to Orkney from early 1942 onwards.

800 were stationed at two camps on the Island of Burray and 550 at the famous Camp 60 on Lamb Holm.

The use of POW labour for War Effort works was prohibited under the Geneva Conventions, so the works were justified as ‘improvements to communications’ to the southern Orkney Islands.

These black and white images were taken from the many interpretation panels around the site.

The barriers were formally opened on 12th May 1945, just four days after VE day.

Rusting hulls of WWI block ships rest in the bay

Rusting hulls and masts of the 21 block ships sunk during the First World War, can still be seen in the sound and are a popular haunt for divers in the region.

All that remains of the Italian POW camps is the breathtaking Italian Chapel on Lamb Holm.

May also be of interest:

Orkney’s Italian Chapel
Orkney Island Council Marine Services – History of Scapa Flow
Undiscovered Scotland: The Churchill Barriers
BBC Legacies: Orkney’s Architectural Heritage
The Orcadian – The Churchill Barriers

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Orkney’s Italian Chapel

admin — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 20:38:52 +0000

Exterior of the Italian Chapel

A labour of love, exquisite artistic skill and craftsmanship transformed World War II nissen huts into a stunning Italian chapel on the isle of Lambholm.

The distinct white and red facade of the little church on Lambholm has become affectionately known as The Italian Chapel.

Prisoners of war, captured during the North African campaign of the Second World War were stationed at Camp 60 on this tiny island just between North Ronaldsay and Burray. They spent their days working on the Churchill Barriers, a massive series of concerete barriers which seal the eastern approaches to Scapa Flow.

The camp consisted of thirteen or more cheerless huts but the Italians soon transformed the area by planting flowers and

Statue of St. George built from Barbed wire and concrete

making concerete paths. Domenico Chiocchetti made a figure of St. George by building the framework from barbed wire and covering it with cement. They created a theatre with scenery and a recreation hut, but an important feature was still missing… a chapel.

Circumstances were to bring the artist Domenico Chiocchetti together with a new Commandant Major T.P Buckland and an enthusiastic padre, Father P. Gioacchino Giacobazzi. The idea of building a chapel saw reallity but what nobody could have forseen was the creation that took place at the hands of Chiocchetti and his fellow prisoners.

In late 1943 two nissen huts were joined end to end and Chiocchetti set about building a sanctuary at one end, even the lack of available materials could not hinder his artistic talent. Second hand materials and worthless scrap were turned into a masterpiece.

View to the sanctuary

Chiocchetti gathered a small band of helpers including Palumbi; a Smith, Primavera and Micheloni; electricians, Buttapasta; a cement worker and others. Between them they created the alter, rail and holy water stoop from concrete and the tabernacle from shipwrecked wood. Palumbi forged two candelabra from iron and Primavera made four in brass. Behind the altar, reaching to the roof Chiocchetti painted his masterpiece of the Madonna and Child (from a holy picture he had carried with him throughout the war).

Chiocchetti's Madonna and Child

Two painted glass panels flank the Maddona and Child depicting St Francis of Asisi and St Catherine of Siena. He frescoed the santuary vault with symbols of the four evangelists and on either side, lower down, he painted two Cherubim and two Sepraphim with a white dove in the very centre of the vault.

Palumbi was asked to make a rood-screen and gate in wrought iron, this took four months to complete. Needless to say, that the rest of the hut looked stark in comparison, so the camp Commandant managed to secure enough plasterboard to cover the interior of the entire hut. Chiochetti decided that this interior should be covered with patterns resembling brickwork with a dado imitating carved stone. A painter was sent from another camp to work under Chiocchetti’s instruction as this feat was too great for one man to complete.

A dove presides over the altar

A grand interior needed an exterior to match, so with the help of Buttapasta, an impressive facade was erected to hide the ugly outline of the nissen hut. An archway flanked by cement pillars was surmounted with a belfry and ornamented with gothic pinnacles. Widows of decorated glass added lightness and Pennisi moulded a thorn crowned head of Christ in red clay.

The prisoners left the island on 9th September 1944, but Chiochetti remained to complete the font which he had previously started. When the chapel was nearly finished a special service was held, incorporating the bells and Choir of St peter’s in Rome, provided by gramophone records in the vestry.

Lord Lieutenant of Orkney, Mr. P.N. Sutherland Greame, gave the prisoners a promise that the chapel would be cherished by the Orkney Islanders and in 1958 on the initiative of Father J. Ryland Whitaker, S.J., a preservation committee was formed. In March 1960 the committee dream came true, when Domenico Chiocchetti (expenses met by the BBC) visited the island for three weeks and during this stay assisted in some of the repairs and restoration of the paintwork.

A service conducted by Father Whitaker was attended by many Orcadians and Domenico Chiocchetti was the first to receive Holy Communion. Parts of this service were broadcast in the Italian National programme on Easter Monday 1960. On the last Sunday of Signor Chiocchetti’s visit, a service of rededication in the chapel was attended by two hunderd Orcadians. Father Whitaker chose as his text;

“And his work shall be made manifest to all”

In a letter to the people of Orkney, before Signor Chiocchetti left Kirkwall, he said;

“Dear Orcadians, my work at the chapel is finished. In these three weeks I have done my best to give again to the little church that freshness which it had sixteen years ago.

The chapel is yours, for you to love and preserve. I take with me to Italy, the remembrance of your kindness and wonderful hospitality.

I shall remember you always and my children shall learn from me to love you.

I thank the authorities of Kirkwall, the courteous preservation committee, and all those who directly or indirectly have collaborated for the success of this work and for having given me the joy of seeing again the little chapel of Lambholm where I, in leaving, leave part of my heart.

Thanks also in the name of all my companions of Camp 60 who worked with me.

Goodbye dear friends of Orkney – or perhaps I should just say “au revoir”.

DOMENICO CHIOCCHETTI”

Signor Chiocchetti returned again in 1964, this time with his wife Maria. They brought with them a gift of 14 stations of the cross, carved by hand in Cirmo wood and these have now been fixed to the chapel walls.

Crucifix donated by the Italian town of Moena

Chiocchetti’s home town of Moena followed the work with pride and in 1961 the townspeople donated the carved figure of the crucified Christ which was erected in the form of a wayside shrine beside the chapel.

A group of the prisoners of Camp 60 returned in 1992, but Signor Chiocchetti was this time too frail to attend. His daughter Letizia and her husband attended in his place.

Patterns resemble brickwork even on the roof

Signor Chiocchetti died on 7th May 1999 at his home town of Moena and on 9th June 1999 a Memorial Requiem Mass was held at the Italian Chapel at which his wife and daughters were in attendance. He asked them to “say goodbye to the friends in Orkney”.

Today, many tourists make their way to this little church which is the only remaining part of Camp 60.

The letter excerpt and quotations are taken from the Chapel handbook “Orkney’s Italian Chapel” also written in Italian “La chiesetta italiano di orkney”.

May also be of interest:

The Churchill Barriers
The Independent – Domenico Chiocchetti obituary

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