World War Two projections on Lerwick Town Hall
Ryan Taylor
Shetlanders lost in the Second World War will be commemorated in a projection of images onto Lerwick Town Hall.
The WW2 Roll of Honour was compiled by the late Ian Jamieson in the late 1980s and published by the Shetland Council of Social Service in 1991.
It lists the names of over 300 locals who served in the Armed Forces and Merchant Navy and who died or were missing ‘presumed dead’ in theatres of conflict during the Second World War.
Also listed are those civilian casualties who died as a result of enemy action, either in Shetland or who had Shetland connections.
All the pages from the WW2 Roll of Honour have been scanned into a slideshow of around 160 images by historian and teacher Jon Sandison.
The images will be projected onto the town hall this Friday and Saturday evenings and be visible from the Hillhead and Aitken Place.
The majority of those Shetlanders who volunteered chose to serve at sea, in either the Merchant Navy or Royal Navy, and this is reflected in the lists of sailors in the Roll of Honour.
Others saw service in British Army regiments and the Royal Air Force, and their names also appear.
Shetland was heavily defended during the Second World War, with estimates of up to 20,000 servicemen based in the isles, carrying out training exercises and construction work to prepare for the possibility of German invasion, supported by the local Home Guard.
Artillery and anti-aircraft defences were constructed, and airfields at Sumburgh and Scatsta became RAF bases with Sullom Voe also a base for flying boats.
The ‘Shetland Bus’ boat operation also supported the Norwegian resistance movement.
This year marks the 75th Anniversary of the end of the Second World War, which has been widely commemorated.
Many events have been scaled back due to the coronavirus pandemic and there will be no Remembrance Sunday parade at the County War Memorial at the Hillhead in Lerwick this year.
Council convener Malcolm Bell said: “This year, as in every other year, we continue to remember the sacrifice made by those who didn’t return from the Second World War.
“The projections of Shetlanders on the Town Hall will be a poignant reminder of the close connections to our community which suffered so many losses during the six years from 1939 to 1945.”
