Quarff ceremony to see unveiling of war memorial

Pearl Johnson, sister of Alexander Malcolmson who was lost on HMS Hood

A ceremony will this month be held to mark the dedication of the Quarff War Memorial.

The unveiling will be made on 20th May by Pearl Johnson, sister of Alexander Malcolmson who was lost on HMS Hood during the battle of the Denmark Strait 0n 24th May1942.

The Hood was sunk while engaging the German battleship Bismark.

Taking part in the ceremony will be Aubrey Jamieson of the Fishermen’s Mission.

Also attending will be representatives from the Royal British Legion, the Royal Air Force Association, the Shetland Seafarers Association, Army Reserve and South Mainland representatives on the SIC.

Members of the Quarff Hall committee are expected to be there too, along with Lord Lieutenant Bobby Hunter.

The work comes after the condition of the derelict church in Quarff was deemed so bad that the SIC had to close off access to the nearby war memorial.

A group was subsequently established to remove the original plaque from the church wall and have it mounted on a new purpose built memorial in a new part of the kirk yard.