In 1943 padre Gioachino Giacobazzi arrived in Camp 60 and with the help of camp Commandant, Major Buckland he managed to secure materials to build a place of worship for the prisoners. It was the wish to show to oneself first, and to the World then, that in spite of being trapped in a barbed wire camp, down in spirit, physically and morally deprived of many things, one could still find something inside that could be set free… Between January 1942 and the spring of 1945 the camp housed hundreds of Italian prisoners, captured in North Africa and brought to Orkney to build the Churchill Barriers. It was a surreal and strangely beautiful sight – standing on a stunning, remote Scottish beach with a stark reminder of two brutal and bloody wars lying still in the water before us.Īfter some fun on the beach we crossed Churchill Barrier Two onto the island of Lamb Holm, home to Orkney’s famous Italian Chapel and the site of WWII POW camp ‘Camp 60’. ![]() The wee dug was delighted to feel sand between his toes. We were out of the car and on the beach in a flash. We passed this spot many times during our trip and never saw the colours look quite so vivid again. The water was so turquoise it looked Caribbean and along the shore of Glims Holm was an incredible stretch of golden sand. Sunken ships loomed out of the water like iron giants, these were the blockships of WWI and WWII. My eyes struggled to take in what I was seeing – it was incredible. Crossing it is a Scottish travel moment I will never forget. 833 lives were lost in the attack.Ĭhurchill Barrier Three connects the islands of Burray and Glims Holm. Winston Churchill ordered the building of the 4 causeways during WWII after a German U-boat breached the existing defences in the early hours of 14th October 1939, sinking HMS Royal Oak which was anchored in Scapa Flow. We headed north crossing Churchill Barrier Four which connects the islands of South Ronaldsay and Burray. Despite a cold, grey start to the day our sailing was fairly calm!Īrriving on Orkney with our breakfasts intact, it was time to explore. ![]() The Pentland Firth is where the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean meet, crashing into each other head on. The Crossing has a reputation for being choppy. We sailed to Orkney with Pentland Ferries, crossing from Gills Bay to the pretty village of St Margaret’s Hope on South Ronaldsay. I want to share some of the wonders of Orkney with you, but one blog won’t do it justice, so I’ve decided to dedicate three blogs to the fascinating northern archipelago. We managed to see and do so much, yet we barely scratched the surface. We recently spent 3 fantastic days zipping around Orkney, taking in the sights.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |