Community invited to mark 80 years since VE Day 

Members of the public are warmly invited to attend a community remembrance event on 8 May marking 80 years since VE Day and the end of six years’ conflict as a result of World War Two. 
 
The Council is working in partnership with the Royal British Legion Kirkwall branch to hold a public remembrance service at the Kirkwall and St Ola Memorial Gate and War Memorial, next to St Magnus Cathedral, on Broad Street at 11am on Thursday 8 May.  
 
‘Victory in Europe Day’ commemorates the end of WWII in Europe, brought about by the unconditional surrender of the German armed forces on 8 May 1945. The news sparked huge celebrations as people across Europe and the world flocked to the streets to welcome the end of six years of bloody conflict. 
 
Orkney’s Lord Lieutenant Elaine Grieve will lay the first wreath and give a welcoming address to those gathered. 
 
Orkney Islands Council Convener Graham Bevan will also be laying a wreath and saying a few words on behalf of the Council. Speaking ahead of Thursday’s event, he said it was an opportunity for everyone to reflect on the huge impacts the conflict had on society: “Alongside the huge loss of life amongst military personnel, the war brought widespread poverty and illness, destruction of landscapes, and of course losses in merchant shipping, and unspeakable tolls on civilians either caught in crossfire or targeted  violence and oppression due to their race, religion, beliefs and even disability or sexuality. 
 
“The immense sense of relief people felt when surrender was secured is clear for us to see in historical images and footage.  
 
“And so while we remember the high price paid by many in WWII, we also pay homage to the determination which brought about its end, and hold hope that freedom will soon come to those currently affected by war and oppression.” 
 
After the initial formalities,  the piper will play ‘Flowers of the Forest’ during which those gathered can place their own wreaths.
 
After the wreath laying, Rev Dr Marjory MacLean from the South Ronaldsay and Burray Kirk will conduct a short service. 
 
A bugler will play The Last Post and standard bearers will lower their flags and a two minutes silence will be observed.
 
Following the silence, the bugler will ‘Sound the Reveille’ and President of the Royal British Legion Kirkwall branch, Eddy Ross, will instruct the standard bearers to raise their flags again and read out a tribute to those lost. 
 
A pipers lament will lead into tolling of the Cathedral bells.
 
After the ceremony, folk are welcome to head to the Legion (in Junction Road, Kirkwall) for soup, sandwiches and refreshments.
 
Broad Street will be closed for the duration of the service.
 
For those unable to attend Thursday’s community event, the minister at St Magnus Cathedral will be incorporating VE Day into the Sunday Service on Sunday 11 May. 
 
World War II, like the First World War before it, reshaped Orkney. 
 
Scapa Flow, Europe’s largest natural harbour, was home to the Royal Navy Fleet and launching pad  for many missions. The huge influx of military personnel linked to the naval base brought glimpses of life further afield for islanders.  
The loss of HMS Royal Oak in WWII remains an event of international interest. It was a huge shock, not just in Orkney but for Scotland, the Royal Navy, and for the United Kingdom.  
 
The one attempt to attack the fleet in WWI using a U-boat had ended in disaster for the Germans, when UB-116 attempted to enter but was destroyed with the loss of all the crew of 36.  
 
So for a U-boat to get inside the harbour in the early stages of WWII, torpedo HMS Royal Oak, and successfully get out and home, was a calamity. The ship itself was old and not a major loss – the real impact was the loss of life, and the fact that it took place in the fleet’s home base. 
 
In reaction, the building of defences for the fleet accelerated and continued almost up until the end of the war with Germany, long after the threat had disappeared – the huge headquarters bunker for the Admiral Commanding Orkney & Shetland and his staff on Wee Fea, the hill looming over Lyness in Hoy for example, wasn’t completed until well into 1943. 
 
The disaster also spurred the construction of the Churchill Barriers which changed forever the shorelines of Orkney’s ‘linked’ south isles, as well as the nature of those communities as Kirkwall was suddenly much more in reach. 
These stories and more are told in the Council’s flagship Scapa Flow Museum in Hoy, which charts Orkney’s role and experience of the world wars, and the continued importance of Scapa Flow today for shipping, renewables and biodiversity.