The following paragraphs are an extract from the museums excelent newsletter.

You will possibly be aware of the financial difficulties facing the Wireless Museum with regard to the Annual Rental of the premises at Kiln Corner and this is really to ensure that those 'Friends' who were unable to be at the AGM on 28 August are kept in the picture.

Through the Education Dept., of Orkney Islands Council we have, for a number of years, rented the store in the Old School at St Margaret's Hope and for which we receive an annual grant of £720 in perpetuity from the Council. At the outset this covered our rental payment in full but in recent years the rent has risen (£908 currently) but our grant has remained static.

Ronnie Johnson
Treasurer, Orkney Wireless Museum Trust

Once again the Museum was incorporated in the programme for the Science Festival, and as usual we activated the Museum's Amateur Radio Station GB2OWM.

We managed to find operators to allow for operation on every day of the Festival. Operation being during the afternoons plus Saturday and Sunday mornings. Conditions were somewhat variable, but we did operate mainly on either 40 metres or 20 metres with one short foray onto 17 metres.

As is now becoming standard, the station consisted of a Yaesu FF10 1ZD running about 100 watts into the 78' doublet with tuned feeders through a Z Match ATU. The aerial runs between the lamp post outside the Museum and the chimney of the Assistant Harbour Master's house and although about 30 feet high is rather screened by adjacent buildings.

The activity was publicised in the Amateur Radio Press and in GB2RS news broadcast. We also featured in the RNARS news broadcast, packet and e-mail news bulletins.

I received several enquiries via e-mail for details of operating schedules.

It was surprising how many UK stations we worked who had actually been to the Museum and the number who were aware of it's existence and who had a wish to visit. We had several interesting contacts including one with a Transport Museum in Lucerne in Switzerland. We had a visit on the first Friday afternoon from a class from Stronsay and we were able to get some of the pupils to exchange a few words of greeting with an amateur in Preston, Lancashire who had visited the museum. Shortly afterwards we had a call from a yacht sailing from Orkney to Shetland which at that time was near Stronsay. Many of the contacts were quite lengthy chats covering detailed descriptions of the Museum and its displays and Orkney in general.

GB2OWM made 268 contacts in 23 countries as follows:

Austria Ukraine N. Ireland      Hungary Denmark USA Romania Italy

France Croatia Scotland Norway Isle of Man      Eire Wales Russia

Monaco Germany Czech Rep. Switzerland Poland Israel England

Thanks are due to the operators, loggers and QSL Card writers, including David, GM0MHS; Anne, GM0TLX; Ed, GM0WED; Andy, GM3MTS; Bob, GM4DZX; Hilda, GM4ZZH; and George, GM7GMC.

We have been invited to take part in next year's International Marconi Day on 21 April 2001.

Bill GMMBU

19 Lorraine Crescent
Northampton
NN3 6HW
22 May 2000

Dear Mr MacDonald,

Thank you very much for your letter of 14 May. As something of a wireless museum piece myself I understand you are not in the business of buying and selling but the information you have supplied me is much appreciated.

I do like your logo. When I left school in 1931, I walked the streets of my home town 1ooking for a job. My parents did not want me to go "down 't pit" like most lads did at 14, Brook Hardcastle's Wireless Shop had a note stuck to the window "Smart Lad Wanted". I went in and told a big lie "I'm a smart lad, Sir" and got the job. Five bob a week to start. Could become 7/6d, if…

The trade was mostly charging people's accumulators in the cellars, selling dry H.T. and Grid Bias batteries and parts for building your own receivers. The Telsen straight three kit was 39 shillings and sixpence. Goltone plug-in coils had a message on them "What are the wild waves saying?" My boss was a descendant of Robin Hood (whose caves were in every wood near Worksop). Such ancestry would explain how he decided how much discount we gave. Miners on short time would get as much as 33% off. A young lady, like the one in your logo, would have him dashing out to see her.

When I went to repair a Set at the house of the Supt. of Police and found merely an aerial disconnection, my boss said "What did you charge him?". "Well, nothing. I just reconnected". "Oh, Gordon - you should have fiddled about and mentioned a big word like 'inductance' or 'condenser'. He can afford it."

We rarely sold a complete wireless set like your logo one and I clearly remember the occasions when we did. An "all-mains" set was an object of awe.

After 18 months I joined the R.N. and described myself as an "assistant wireless engineer", another exaggeration but the beginning of a wireless telegraphy career.

Thank you and your fellow Trustees and I hope to visit your museum sometime.

Yours sincerely
Gordon R Hancock

Scapa Balloon Barrage 1939-1944    Ginny Schroder

In July 1939 a barrage balloon snapped its mooring in Bedfordshire. With its steel cable trailing, it drifted northwards, fouling power lines and causing electricity blackouts across the country. The Orkney Herald reported it last spotted off the west of Eday. It was to be just a few months later that Orkney would receive its own more permanent, consignment of barrage balloons.

In December 1939 the decision was taken to establish a Balloon Barrage in Orkney in order to defend the Naval Base, Lyness and the Home Fleet Anchorage in Scapa Flow. No. 950 Squadron was formed, mostly of volunteers from three Glasgow Auxiliary Squadrons and some English units.

In early January 1940 the advance party arrived in Orkney to reconnoitre and establish Headquarters Camp at Ore Hill, Lyness. The plan was for 12 Balloon sites along the east coast of Hoy, 4 sites on the north coast of Flotta, 4 on Fara and 8 waterborne on the east side of the Fleet anchorage. Waterborne balloons were flown from trawlers manned by naval personnel with balloon crews of 4 airmen. A camp of wooden huts was constructed hastily in preparation for the arrival of the rest of the squadron which followed on 2nd February.

The official account of the Squadron's development relates that 'on arrival all ranks set to to erect hutments, layout balloon beds, land stores and prepared for deployment.' They were assisted by the Navy and Royal Marines. The account continues - 'The chief impressions of the first few months at Scapa, were mud, deep clinging mud, and wind, wind beyond the dreams of any Balloon Operator; and many and various were the "jury rigs" devised to protect the feeble fabric of the billowing balloons from the raging storms.' These included portable wind screens made by stretching canvas over a tubular steel frame According to the account 'Morale, however, was high, the spirit of adventure was abroad and all ranks were conscious of the honour and responsibility of sharing in the task of guarding the fleet, without which Britain's lifeline to the West would be severed.' A Balloon Trawler base was established at St. Mary's, Holm, 8 sea miles from Lyness. A Flight HQ camp was built there and another on Fara. Later a Flight HQ was established at Muckle Rysa to control operations on balloon sites in the northern part of Hoy.

The Balloon Barrage's effectiveness was tested in the Luftwaffe attacks on the Fleet Anchorage some months later. The Hoxa and Switha Booms were targeted but only slightly damaged. Before the balloons had been in place planes had attacked from a height of only a few hundred feet The presence of the balloons forced the raiders much higher at between 7,000 and 20,000 feet. In the words of the official report - 'The Scapa Balloons achieved their aim - namely to keep the enemy at such a height that accurate bombing was impossible and all subsequent raids proved this to be the case.

By the summer of 1940 the threat of air attack became more serious and it was decided to increase the Balloon Barrage. No. 960 squadron was formed, comprising the waterborne sites along with Fara and Cava. HQ camp, Lyness became No. 20 Balloon Centre, controlling both 950 and 960 squadrons 56 balloon sites were planned, with a maximum of 40 balloons flying at any one time. King George VI visited on 11 May 1940 and inspected personnel and the Barrage Control Operations Room. Hut building progressed well in the drier weather of the early summer and living conditions improved though they were still quite basic - paraffin lamps, for example, providing the only source of lighting.

The frequency and strength of Orkney gales were challenges with which Balloon Barrage elsewhere did not have to contend. 'On the day that the target figure of 40 balloons was attained there was a sudden gale and 39 of the balloons were blown away.' So states the official account, which continues 'Within a few hours 15 balloons were inflated and flying, and soon the full 40 were again silhouetted against the sky.'

Such losses did provide windfalls for others, however. The Orcadian gave an account of a court case, in 1941, under the following headline - 'Island Farmers Cut Up and Shared A Barrage Balloon - Authorities Found Material in Use As Covers for Stacks.' Another, more elaborate use of barrage balloon fabric was witnessed by Fred Mansfield, a gunner, stationed in South Ronaldsay from 1941-1944. He recalls being on duty one morning at his site at Widewall. "The school was next to us. Looking towards St. Margaret's Hope there was a small crowd of children coming up the hill. In the distance some of them appeared to be dressed in silver clothing. I found that some of the children were wearing coats and trousers made of barrage balloons that had been brought down."

Supplies of hydrogen gas to inflate the balloons were a problem. All gas had to be shipped in cylinders from railheads at Leith or Aberdeen. A vast quantity was used and took up a great deal of the shipping space. In case of shortages, especially if winter gales delayed shipping, work was started on a hydrogen production plant at Rinigill, along with deep water pier for the balloon trawlers and servicing vessels. However this took so long to complete that it was late in the war before it went into production. Meanwhile, a portable hydrogen production plant was operated from Mill Bay and produced 'small quantities of gas, large quantities of steam, and unending amusement for sailors ashore.'

"Balloons" by now were well established in recreational and social life of the base and took part in activities such as football, boxing and small boat sailing. An RAF 5 piece band toured the scattered balloon flights and played at dances when ENSA parties came to the islands. In February 1941 the Officers Mess was opened and a Cocktail Party was given to celebrate its opening It was the first brick-built building on the camp and generally agreed to be a vast improvement on the wooden huts as the roof didn't leak nor did the wind penetrate the walls!

1942 brought operational changes with No. 20 Balloon Centre and 960 Squadron absorbed into 950 Squadron and the whole barrage becoming known once again as No. 950 Squadron.

In the summer of 1943 there was a major event - the arrival of the WAAF barrage personnel. Alan Pitcher worked at Royal Naval Sick Quarters, North Ness. He recalls that... "There was an airforce base on high ground just east of Lyness where my wife(to be) was stationed. Most of the girls were heavily built with strapping muscles, handpicked for the very heavy work of hauling in the barrage balloons." Approximately 150 women, all volunteers, came to Scapa to take up posts as cooks, clerks, batwomen and balloon repair crews. They were accommodated in newly built huts at Lyness and St Mary's, Holm. The dance band now worked overtime and, with the Autumn gales blowing, so did the WAAF Balloon Repair Section. The number of balloons was increased - Hoy 19, Flotta 19, Cava 2, Waterborne 26, South Walls 6 Fara 6, Rysa Little 1, making it the biggest Balloon Barrage in Britain. The increased number and the consequent increase in casualties through weather damage by wind and lightening meant that a large hangar had to be built at Lyness for balloon repair. The winter of 43/44 was severe. In three months, over 350 balloons were lost or badly damaged.

By June 1944 the focus of the war had shifted and it was necessary to concentrate balloon defences around London. Preparations were made for withdrawal from Scapa. Tank landing craft plied back and forth between Lyness and the islands bringing in gear. Royal Marine Stevedores worked for two days and nights loading two ships at Lyness 'Golden Wharf' with winches, vehicles and balloons. One hundred personnel were left to maintain the camps in case of a return but after a few weeks it was decided to close down completely and evacuate. Huts and camps were handed over to the Navy and Army and the last of the balloon personnel regretfully left Lyness for good on 1 November 1944

During their stay on Orkney the Balloon Barrage recorded several unusual incidents In a 90 mph gale, a balloon uprooted its winch and dragged it 600 yards along the moor of cava over the cliffs and into the sea. The balloon then broke away and the winch sank. On another occasion a crashed aircraft was rescued from a bog in South Walls by means of attaching a balloon to the wreck and 'flying' it to firm ground on a balloon cable Most resourcefully, two balloon winches were used to form a kind of aerial railway to carry drums of oil and other stores up the hill to the waterworks at Heldale on Hoy, a job that had to be done by gangs of men carrying equipment on their shoulders. In the words of the official report, 'All the above and more helped to keep "Ballooning" at Scapa from becoming routine and dull'

Living in close proximity to all this activity, it is unlikely that Orcadians would have had the same misapprehension as the late Sir John Gielgud. The story is told that one night in war-time he looked up sadly at the barrage balloons protecting London and said "I do feel so sorry for our poor boys up there. They must he terribly lonely."

References
ADM116/5790-Admiralty file Inception & development of the main Fleet Base in Orkney 1937-46
news item, The Orkney Herald, July 1939
news item, The Orcadian, 11 December 1941
Personal communication to the author from Fred C. Mansfield
Personal communication to the author from Alan Pitcher
Mortimer John, DearJohn The Guardian, May 23 2000

Ginny Schroder is researching life in Orkney as experienced by service personnel stationed here during the Second World War. She would be pleased to hear from any ex-service personnel who were in Orkney at that time, especially any associated with the Balloon Barrage She can be contacted at Millfield Cottage, Costa, Evie, Orkney.

NEWS - EVENT - REVIEWS - NEWS - EVENT - REVIEWS - NEWS

The year 2000 has certainly been an eventful one for the Museum. Early in the season there was much talk about our critical financial position in relation to our rent (See O.W.M. , Financial Situation) This was mostly due to the lower than expected visitor numbers in our first three years in Kirkwall. Despite this the Trustees put more work into improving displays over the winter and this seems to have paid dividends. Our visitor numbers are up by about 25% and takings about 30% on the 1999 Season. It would seem that we had at last turned the corner. Lets hope that we continue to progress in that direction. Mr Steve Callaghan, O.I.C Heritage Officer has offered to help 'fine tune the Museum and is offering courses to help. We appreciate his assistance.

Once again special mention goes to our wonderful band of volunteers who keep the museum open.
These were: Jim Anderson, Isobel and George Christie. Hamish Cross, Arthur Donaldson. Bruce Dunnet, Hilda and Sandy Firth, Arthur Flett, Iris and Ian Heddle. Al Hine, Margaret and Mac Johnston. Bob Lee, Lena Macdonald, Peter MacDonald, Shirley and Bob MacLeod, Jimmy Oag, Bob Presland, Isobel and David Rendall. Dougie Shearer, Vera Sinclair, Johnston Smyth. James Thomson, Jim Watt, Ernie Wishart, Anne and Bill Wright, and Andy Wylie. Special mention to Anne Wright who kept an eye on the kitchen, Bill Wright (Cashier), Ronnie Johnston (Trust Treasurer) and Robert Grieve (Friends Treasurer) for their work all season.

I don't think that anyone should underestimate the contribution these volunteers make to the Museum. Their many talents add greatly to the visitor welcome enjoyed at the Museum. For one reason or another we lost a few valued volunteers this season and recruitment of new ones must become a priority.

The Museum has seen an increase in groups visiting the Museum, especially in the Children's Section. One group of School Children were able to go 'on air with Bill Wright at the Science Festival. Sandy Firth has prepared a questionnaire for children to take away with them.

A new experiment we are trying during the closed season is to open the Museum on a Sunday afternoon up until Christmas to see what visitor interest there is.

James Thomson retired as Chairman of our 'Friends organisation, and we thank him for his enthusiasm and dedication over the last 3 years. Our new face at the helm is Johnston Smyth, who has brightened up many a visitor's trip to the Museum when he was on duty. We look forward to working with him.

The Museum was visited by a number of returning wartime personnel this year.

Firstly, Doug Cole (a member of our Friends) from Gt Yarmouth made contact with us. He had been stationed at HMS Tern in Twatt during the war. While on an air exercise in 1943 the plane he was in -a Blackburn Roc - developed an oil leak and he ended up crash landing on South Ronaldsay. Unfortunately he had not managed to clear a dyke and Doug sustained multiple fractures. A work group of Italian POWs came to his assistance and also a young local lady from a nearby farm. For many years Doug had been trying to find out who this young lady was and wondered if we could help at the Museum. I contacted George Esson in St Margaret's Hope and within a week he had found out that the lady was Ivy Cromarty who now lives in Burray. I passed these details to Doug who then arranged a visit to Orkney in May to meet her. Ivy was able to tell him more about the circumstances of his crash landing and they enjoyed a very interesting chat near the actual crash site This was featured in an article in 'The Orcadian' Newspaper. It was nice to have played a part in such an interesting story.

Secondly, Jeanne Williams returned to Orkney again in June. She was stationed at RAF Bignold Park, Kirkwall and was a fighter plotter in the Operations Room up Inganess Road, known locally as 'the Black Building'. Jeanne's memories of Orkney weather were stirred during this visit when she encountered a severe summer gale which blew her across Broad Street and into the wall in front of the Cathedral,- what you might call a real Orkney Blast! She managed to enjoy the rest of her visit though and even had a walk to Scapa Beach and back. Radio Orkney broadcast a recording of Jeanne, made outside the Black Building.

Lastly, Sibell Clay made a return visit to Orkney again in October. She served at RAF Netherbutton 1942-44 and gave us an interesting article in our last Bulletin about her memories of being stationed here.

The importance of meeting returning ex-servicemen and women such as Doug, Jeanne and Sibell is emphasised by the fact that the long trip north is now becoming more difficult for them each year. The long passage of time since the Second World War means that this golden opportunity to record Orkney's Wartime Heritage will not last forever

Wishing all our Friends a happy and prosperous 2001.

PMcD