View of statue to West of Italian chapel from North

Description View of statue to West of Italian chapel from North

Date 23/8/1997

Catalogue Number D 21669 CN

Category Photographs and Off-line Digital Images

Copies SC 645570

Scope and Content Statue, World War II Italian Chapel, Lamb Holm, Orkney Islands The construction of the Churchill Barriers across the four eastern channels of Scapa Flow was begun in 1940 and continued for much of the remainder of World War II. As work progressed, they came to be recognised less as military barriers and more as civilian causeways, which is what they eventually became in 1945. Because of other wartime demands, workers for the project were in short supply, and a relaxed interpretation of the Geneva Convention allowed the labour force to be augmented substantially by Italian prisoners-of-war from early 1942 onwards. A chapel at Camp 60 on Lamb Holm remains a picturesque memorial to the Italian contribution and to its principal creator, Domenico Chiocchetti. It was one of two chapels built in Orkney by Italian prisoners-of-war, another one having once stood at Camp 34 on Burray. This concrete statue stands to the west of the chapel. It depicts St George slaying the dragon, a symbol of triumph over evil and adversity. As the inscription on the pedestal records, it was made by Italian prisoners-of-war and completed on 7 August 1943. The base of the statue evidently contains a roll bearing all the prisoners' names, together with some Italian coins. At the heart of the Orkney archipelago, Scapa Flow was the main fleet anchorage for the Royal Navy during both World Wars. Its vital importance led to the creation of one of the most concentrated defence networks in Britain. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/645566