The tragic sinking of the small steamship Giralda off Grimness, South Ronaldsay, with the drowning of all 23 of its crew, on 30th January 1940 was remembered on its 70th anniversary by a ceremony at St Olaf's Cemetery last Saturday.  Photos and a brief description of the event can be seen by following the link below.

Photos of family veterans provided by Peter Burges have been added to the Kirkwall page of the Memorials section.  Peter's grandfather, John Walls Snr, served in the Royal Navy in the Great War and early World War 2.  Peter's uncle John Walls Jnr served in 5th Seaforths in World War 2 from North Africa to Germany, while his uncle William Burges served as an Orkney 226 Battery TA gunner in Burma.  Peter's great uncle Robert Reid served at sea in the RNR and won the DSM off the Scillies in July 1917, while his brother James Reid was killed serving in 7th Battalion CEF during the Battle of the Somme in September 1916.  They can be seen using the link below. 

The biographies of two Orcadian Seaforth Highlanders who survived service in France in the Great War have recently been added to the Memorials section.  Robert Laird of Burray was wounded in the Battle of Loos and again during the Battle of the Somme.  Sandy Thomson of South Ronaldsay was wounded in the Battle of Passchendaele.