Royal Oak sword returns to Orkney in relay around the world

(Image courtesy of Dave Snashall)

A dazzling silver sword, recovered from the wreck of the tragic HMS Royal Oak in the years following the disaster, has been returned to Orkney from Canada with the help of naval officers and museums professionals from around the world.

The mission to bring the sword back to Orkney – following decades in the custodianship of a family in Canada – was the result of a determination by the family to see it returned to Orkney and displayed close to where the disaster took place.

The naval officer’s dress sword is now on display in Scapa Flow Museum, serving as a poignant reminder of the tragic loss of 835 crew members on that fateful October night.

Its slender steel blade, ornately decorated hilt and scabbard were made in England by the prestigious sword makers Joseph Starkey & Co., who manufactured swords in London between 1835 and 1969.

While the sword lacks any identifying markings, making it impossible to date precisely, experts have attributed its production to the George V era (1910–1936).

Dress swords of this kind were typically worn by military officers, naval officers, and occasionally high-ranking officials or ceremonial guards. They symbolised authority, rank, and tradition rather than serving as functional weapons.

HMS Royal Oak was torpedoed on October 14, 1939 by German submarine U-47 in Scapa Flow – Orkney’s immense natural harbour which was the base for the home fleet in the war years. The sinking saw the loss of 835 crew members, many of them still boys. It remains one of the UK’s biggest loss of life in a single incident.

The sword has been generously donated to the care of Orkney Islands Council’s Museums team and Scapa Flow Museum by Captain James Atwood (ret’d), a former Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Sea King helicopter pilot. James had inherited the sword from his maternal grandfather, and family oral history maintains that it was given to his grandfather in Portsmouth after the war, by a diver he was acquainted with who stated it had been recovered from the debris field of the wreck.

The sword was subsequently brought to Canada and has been in the family's possession ever since. In recent years however, James had decided it should be returned to Orkney.

Captain Atwood says this of his decision to repatriate the sword to Orkney: “Ultimately I wanted to see it go into a suitable museum in Orkney where it could go on display, close to the resting place of those who perished in the disaster - for others to benefit and learn from.”

James’ first step was to reach out to his naval and diplomatic contacts on how the sword and scabbard could be formally repatriated to Orkney.

Thomas Codrington, UK Consul General and his Executive Assistant Andy Nyugen put James in touch with a UK defence contact - the Chief of Staff of British Defence Liaison Staff in Ottawa, Ray Snook. From there, contact was made with Orkney Islands Council’s Culture service.

Nick Hewitt is Culture Team Manager at Orkney Islands Council, overseeing the county’s museums and the recently redeveloped Scapa Flow Museum which documents the extraordinary story of the remote Scottish islands’ transformation into Royal Navy nerve centre during WWI and II.

“It was Ray who provided initial advice and follow-up support to James, including recommending that he make contact with us here at Orkney Islands Council’s museums service - so we owe Ray huge thanks for suggesting us.

“It was clear I think to everyone involved once the connection was made with our team that Scapa Flow Museum, overlooking the very same waters which bore witness to the naval tragedy back in 1939, was the perfect final home for this artefact.”

So it was that in October of 2023, retired Royal Canadian Navy Lieutenant Commander Paul Seguna, a public relations volunteer at the CFB Esquimalt Naval & Military Museum, emailed Social History Curator at Orkney Islands Council Ellen Pesci to formally offer the sword as a donation on behalf of Captain Atwood.

Both Paul and Ray would become instrumental in its eventual return.

The huge distances and costs involved, and the significance of the artefact, demanded careful attention to the logistics of bringing it ‘home’ to Orkney. Focus shifted to devising a ‘round the world relay’ of military precision to convey the sword to Scapa Flow Museum, never leaving the personal care of a naval officer or museums professional.

After much to and fro between museum and naval specialists and diplomats, an intricate chain of willing helpers was created to carry the sword from Canada to London, then onto Kirkwall – the ‘capital’ of Orkney - and onwards to Lyness on the island of Hoy where Scapa Flow Museum sits on the site the former Royal Navy base HMS Proserpine and where HMS Royal Oak and her sister vessels would have refuelled and remanned before embarking on missions.

In the interim, a Canadian link to the sinking of HMS Royal Oak was found - Peter Grosvenor Piddington, a twenty-year-old Midshipman serving in the Royal Navy was from a well known Esquimalt family and was in the casualty list as one of those lost in the tragedy.

The sword was temporarily exhibited at the Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Esquimalt Naval & Military Museum, during the Remembrance Day period, in honour of Midshipman Piddington’s memory. Paul Seguna, who we’ve already seen had been so instrumental in forging the first links between James and Orkney, also helped locate Midshipman Piddington’s modern family - itself a story of remarkable chance encounters (see page 13). -  and alert them to the existence of the sword while it was still in Canada.

Midshipman Piddington’s niece and his two great, great nephews - both coincidentally current serving members of the Royal Canadian Navy - were able to see the sword before it left Canada.

While not directly linked to Midshipman Piddington - Midshipmen were the most junior officers and carried a much shorter sword called a dirk - Paul says the family were extremely moved by opportunity to view the sword: “His niece related to me that in memories from her youth, just the mention of Scapa Flow always carried a poignant sense with it at the memory of her uncle Peter’s loss.”

Eventually it was settled that Paul, who’d been so instrumental in the sword’s temporary exhibition and discovering a local family linked to the disaster, would personally carry it to the UK – as part of an already planned trip with his wife.

In London, Paul would meet up with Curator at Royal Museums Greenwich, Andrew Choong Han Lin – who accepted the artefacts for safekeeping on behalf of Scapa Flow Museum.

Captain (Navy) Christopher Peschke, Canadian Naval Advisor with Canadian Defence Liaison Staff arranged for a formal repatriation of the sword in a ceremony at the Canadian High Commission in London.

From there, it was hand delivered to professional museum mount-maker Colin Lindley's London studio – Colin had worked extensively on the world class displays and mounts at Scapa Flow Museum and was heading to Orkney the following January to work on another new display for the island’s Museums team and would personally bring it up to Orkney.

Ellen Pesci is Social History Curator for Orkney Islands Council’s museums and was closely involved in arrangements to bring the sword back to Orkney. “Bringing the sword back to Orkney has been a huge effort of coordination and goodwill by many.

“It’s gratifying for me and I’m sure everyone involved to finally see it in place here at Scapa Flow Museum, where it can be reflected upon by all affected by the Royal Oak tragedy, and the many people alive today with family links to Scapa Flow and the wartime military activity here.

“The power of artefacts is that they make stories and history relatable and tangible. We’ve already seen in Canada how this artefact has spoken volumes for a family affected by the Royal Oak disaster.

Councillor Gwenda Shearer is Chair of the Council committee responsible for cultural services: “We can’t thank Captain James Atwood enough for starting on the long journey to deliver this sword to our care, where it can be seen close to the place it was found and to the resting place of many.”

Orkney Islands Council would like to thank and acknowledge the following individuals and organisations who helped return the sword to Orkney: 

• Captain James Atwood - donor 
• Ray Snook, Chief of Staff, British Defence Liaison Staff, Ottawa, Canada. UK defence contact who provided initial advice to the donor and recommended contact with Scapa Flow Museum 
• Paul Seguna, Lieutenant Commander RCN (Ret’d), public relations volunteer at the CFB Esquimalt Naval & Military Museum who liaised with Scapa Flow Museum on behalf of Captain James Atwood, to formally offer the sword as a donation. 
• Thomas Codrington, UK Consul General - Vancouver, BC, Canada. UK government contact who provided advice and support throughout repatriation process. 
• Andy Nguyen, Executive Assistant to UK Consul General Vancouver, BC, Canada - UK government contact who provided advice and support throughout repatriation process. 
• Captain (Navy) Christopher Peschke, Canadian Naval Advisor, Canadian Defence Liaison Staff - London who provided support for the formal repatriation of the sword artefacts at Canadian High Commission London. 
• Tatiana Robinson Victoria, BC, Canada, curator CFB Esquimalt Naval & Military Museum who provided support in temporary exhibit of sword artefacts at the museum and media coverage of the sword artefacts story. 
• Tim Lewin - UK Naval Historian (HMS Belfast Assoc) provided support through an active interest in the sword artefacts repatriation to the UK 
• Andrew Choong Han Lin - curator at Royal Museums Greenwich who accepted the artefacts upon arrival in London for safekeeping on behalf of Scapa Flow Museum David Snashall - former CF photographer who provided photographic support to the formal repatriation event at Canada House, Canadian High Commission in London on 27 November 2024. 
• Maureen Songhurst - daughter of LtCdr Ralph Wills, RNR/RCNR - donor of HMS Royal Oak stationary from the donated collection of her father to accompany sword artefacts  
• Kim Young- niece of Midshipman Peter Piddington,  RN, lost in Royal Oak sinking - for her family information and participation in media coverage. Also Aiden Young and Bailey Young, Piddington's great, great nephews currently serving in the RCN for their participation in media coverage. 
• Wendy Rothery Air Commodore RAF and David Whittingham Air Commodore RAF (retd) - attendees at formal repatriation event at Canada House, Canadian High Commission in London. 
• Philip Hood, Imperial War Museum (IWM) Duxford Air Show manager and IWM Belfast - attendee at formal repatriation event at Canada House, Canadian High Commission in London. 
• Colin Lindley – professional artefact mountmaker who carried the sword on its final leg from London to Scapa Flow Museum in Orkney