Detail of grafitti at top of stair

Description Detail of grafitti at top of stair

Collection Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

Catalogue Number SC 652540

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of C 73260

Scope and Content World War I and II graffiti, Hackness Martello Tower, South Walls, Hoy, Orkney Islands During both World Wars, off-duty periods for land-based personnel or shore leave for naval officers and ratings were used in a variety of ways. Judging by the evidence of dated graffiti, many of the redundant World War I structures became casual haunts frequented by their off-duty World War II successors, whilst the walls of older structures such as the Hackness Martello Tower record visits by members of the armed services in both wars. This detail shows a patch of wall plaster at the head of the stair inside Hackness Martello Tower. It is covered in scratched initials, names, military identities and dates which include, in this one section, 1914 and 1942. 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/652540

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap