Exploring Shetland’s wartime history: South Mainland

Shetland History teacher, local Military Historian, and Battlefield Guide, Jon Sandison looks at the significance of the South Mainland during wartime in the twentieth century.

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Often, all it takes is going the extra mile – or exploring an overlooked corner – to uncover fascinating stories of wartime history and heritage. The South of Shetland is renowned for its stunning beaches, abundant wildlife, sweeping views, and ancient history. Yet its more recent wartime past is equally rich, with a remarkable concentration of surviving military stories, remains and archaeology.

While the island capital of Lerwick and its harbour were vital to the defence of the islands, Sumburgh was no less important and became an integral northern Royal Air Force base – its strategic location made Sumburgh indispensable.

It is a rewarding area to explore where traces of the War can still be found across the landscape. Set against a backdrop of outstanding natural beauty, it is easy to be transported back in time and reflect on the people, events, and activities that once made this corner of Shetland a hive of wartime activity.

H.M.S Cheerful

Between Lerwick and Sumburgh, on the A970, is the community of Cunningsburgh. Just in front of the expanse of ocean on its eastern coastline lies the point of Helli Ness. Beyond this stunning headland rests the shipwreck of the largest wartime tragedy to take place around Shetland shores: the wreck of HMS Cheerful.

During World War One, U-Boats were a regular threat to shipping, and throughout the islands there were U-Boat watch huts and supporting Royal Naval Reserve gun crews. Regular convoys moved from mainland Britain via Lerwick to Norway. HMS Cheerful served with the 8th Destroyer Flotilla.

She was sunk by a mine while escorting a convoy heading north to Lerwick between Helli Ness and Bard Head on Bressay. On 30th June 1917, a convoy sailed in two columns with HMS Cheerful guarding the west side and HMS Ness on the east. A tremendous explosion shattered the convoy’s passage. On its western flank, HMS Cheerful had struck a mine just a few hundred yards outside the swept channel. The sinking came at a terrible cost, with 40 crew members losing their lives.

Sandwick Cable Guard

Further south, a stop at Sandwick will reveal its own wartime secrets. Here, in this Shetland hamlet, many visitors arrive to make the ferry trip across to nearby Mousa to see the broch and wildlife. Just to the south, on the Sands of Sandwick, activity was taking place that embodied the wider defence and communication of the islands during the Great War.

With the outbreak of war in 1914, large numbers of young Shetland men enlisted, as happened elsewhere in Britain. Many town boys, alongside others from the country, also joined local Territorial Companies. These lads undertook Cable Guard duties, guarding the landfalls of the telegraph cable to Shetland in various coastal island locations. One of these groups was the Sandwick cable guard.

R.A.F. Sumburgh

Following the occupation of Norway in April 1940, Shetland instantly found itself at the forefront of the Northern War. While the island capital of Lerwick and its harbour were vital to the defence of the islands, Sumburgh was no less important. It was war that brought to the fore the importance of the airport as an integral northern Royal Air Force base.

Today, visitors are greeted by one of Shetland’s most breathtaking panoramas from the high cliffs of Sumburgh Head and Fitful Head, looking outwards to the ocean. Yet beneath the tranquillity lies a wartime story, where sometimes dark clouds gathering over the landscape mirrored the uncertainty of the years unfolding below.

Its strategic location made Sumburgh indispensable. It was ideal for linked flights from Orkney and mainland Britain; for stopping off and refuelling during operations on shore targets off the Norwegian coast, or striking enemy facilities and maritime traffic. It was the first sight of land for crews limping home from dangerous missions – an emergency airfield. Aircraft often arrived battered and barely holding together, with engines coughing, fuel gauges hovering near empty and crews exhausted after attacks on enemy shipping and coastal targets. For many, reaching Sumburgh meant survival.

Walking the area today, it is easy to supplant modern sounds of aircraft with the noise of squadrons that flew in and out of here during wartime, around 40 of which rotated through Sumburgh during the conflict. Most were usually a flight on detachment, with the rest of the squadron based at mainland airfields.

Airfield Operations

This ground was a base for various operations, including air defence, convoy protection and patrols, alongside strikes against German shipping around Norway and the North Sea. Missions across the sea involved various aircraft, such as Blenheims, Beauforts, Handley Hampdens and de Havilland Mosquitos.

In 1940, several squadrons with Hudson aircraft stopped off here from mainland bases for fuel before launching attacks on the Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and Hipper in Trondheim.

In late 1941, R.A.F Sumburgh had a role in Operation Archery. The British Combined Operations raid on the German-occupied Norwegian island of Vågsøy involved commandos, naval forces and air support to destroy factories and military facilities. Significant damage was inflicted, with German troops killed or captured. This operation also involved 235 Squadron from Sumburgh.

A Beaufighter, in company with two other Beaufighters escorting a Convoy, was shot down following an engagement with a German Heinkel. Two were killed. Also, 404 Squadron based at Dyce in Aberdeen, along with the Sumburgh detachment of Blenheims on patrol with the convoy, intercepted and engaged two German Me 109s.

Later, in November 1944, Lancasters also returned here from raids on the Tirpitz on two separate occasions during Operation Oviate and Operation Catechism.

Defence of Airport

Defence of Sumburgh was essential. Camps were established to support the Army and R.A.F. personnel based near the airfield as the military presence in the south of Shetland increased. Adjacent defences, anti-aircraft batteries and heavy machine guns were put in place, ready to protect the airport from air attack.

The base contained a vast array of ancillary support, including offices, a guard house, officers’ quarters, an armoury block, latrines, a watch office, a parachute store and an incendiary bomb store. Nissen huts had sprung up to house the troops, and the Sumburgh area rapidly began to take on the appearance of an armed camp.

It is astonishing to think today about the scale of R.A.F. operations conducted here. Approaching the airport past the village of Toab, evidence of camp accommodation, anti-tank ditches, a gun emplacement and air-raid shelters can still be found.

Nearby is the front hearth of Atchison’s House, which served as the airport Defence Battalion Headquarters. It was demolished due to its position in front of the flight pathway. The old camp gymnasium, battle station and fuel compounds are still evident as you pass the airport, with a pill-box still looking out over the beautiful West Voe beach. Continuing towards Sumburgh Lighthouse, large quarries were established along the approach road between Grutness and Sumburgh Head – evidence of the building process.

From 1940 onwards, various British Army units arrived and rotated here to defend this vital outpost. Collectively known as ‘Sumforce’, they stood watch over the airfield day and night, manning roadblocks, machine-gun positions and isolated pickets against the ever-present threat of enemy attack. Their key purpose was to defend the aerodrome, with particular attention paid to the exposed nearby sandy beaches.

Had the airfield fallen to an enemy assault, Sumforce would have been tasked with mounting an immediate counter-attack, denying the enemy any chance to establish a foothold. Various regiments undertook such duties, including the 7th Seaforth Highlanders, 7th Black Watch, 11th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and 7th Kings Own Scottish Borderers.

An Operations Order of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders stated their responsibility for the “immediate protection of Sumburgh Aerodrome and for dealing with any hostile landing in area Scousburgh-Boddam“. Ominously, it added: “The enemy attack will probably be both airborne and seaborne, and several simultaneous landings may take place…Airborne troops may be landed south of a line Scousburgh-Boddam“.

Local Historian James Irvine reflected: “Local people soon became accustomed to seeing large numbers of soldiers performing a variety of training and drill exercises, and army transport, including Bren gun carriers, became part of the daily scene“. With so many servicemen in the area, it was important to keep them entertained and maintain morale through performances and dances.

Air Raids

Distance offered no protection. Despite its remote location, RAF Sumburgh’s strategic importance made it a target for the Luftwaffe. German aircraft crossed the North Sea to strike at Shetland, bringing the realities of war to Britain’s northernmost frontier. The story of these raids has been documented by local historian Samuel Sjoberg.

With enemy aircraft appearing over Shetland, fighter squadrons had to be ready, patrolling island skies against the raiders as well as protecting shipping and convoys. The first Hurricane flight into Sumburgh arrived in July 1940, forming into a new fighter squadron.

Just before Christmas in 1940, a German Junkers Ju88 had been carrying out hit-and-run raids against shipping and land targets throughout Shetland. While passing over nearby Scatness, the rear gunner strafed a heavy anti-aircraft battery, circling around Sumburgh Head before heading north – a stark reminder of the constant target this part of Shetland had become.

The airport was hit hard in early 1942. In February, a Junkers Ju88 attacked low out of clouds from the south-west of the airfield. Passing over the RAF camp at Scatness, it continued over the airfield, strafing huts and hangers with machine gun fire. Two bombs were released on the main runway. Two airmen died as result and six others were wounded. Given the surprise nature of the attack, no anti-aircraft guns had time to open fire.

Just over a month later, German aircraft raided and dropped bombs on the airfield – one of which exploded near the Jarlshof archaeological site, while others fell into the sea in the West Voe. The aircraft was fired upon by an anti-aircraft position at Scatness.

Air Crashes

Yet the enemy was not the only danger. The relentless pace of wartime flying brought tragedy of its own, as crashes around the south of Shetland claimed the lives of airmen.

In October 1940, a Blenheim of Royal Canadian Air Force took off on a homing exercise with a destroyer. Climbing against a westerly gale, the port engine failed. The aircraft stalled and crashed into the sea near Lady’s Holm. All three crew members were killed. One body was retrieved – Pilot Officer John Howard Patterson – who is buried in Lerwick Cemetery.

A Bristol Beaufort returning from a shipping strike off Norway in March 1942 went off the runway, continuing over the grass, crashed into a flight office and caught fire. With ammunition and a torpedo still on board, a large explosion followed.

Later that month, a Halifax of 35 Squadron crashed at nearby Fitful Head while trying to land back at Sumburgh. The crew had been returning from a bombing operation against German battleship Tirpitz, moored at Fættenfjord in Norway. A crew of seven were killed. It was a tragic period for the south mainland. On the very same day, another Halifax of 76 Squadron – also part of the wider attack on the Tirpitz – crashed into the sea nearby. Seven crew were lost, one of whom is buried in Lerwick.

In November 1943, aircraft from 627 Squadron were tasked with taking part in an attack on U-Boat pens at Trondheim. On the return journey, the crew of a Mosquito radioed for help on approach to Shetland as they were running dangerously low on fuel. A warning followed about the high ground ahead. Moments later, contact was lost. The wreckage was later discovered on the western side of Royl Field. Two crew were killed.

Sumburgh Head Lighthouse Radar

On the southern tip of Shetland is Sumburgh Head. A walk from Grutness via the nearby Compass head provides archaeological evidence of the Chain Home Low Radar Station – originally a naval radar location for detecting U-Boats. It later became known as RAF Grutness, as the radar was also used for detecting aircraft, albeit with a limited range. Complementing this, you will see various defensive pill-box strucures that guarded this position. Two quarries beside the road provide evidence of the excavation that took place here during the war.

A jewel in the crown of South Mainland visitor attractions is Sumburgh Head Lighthouse. Designed by Robert Stevenson and constructed in 1832, it was the first lighthouse in Shetland. A naval network of radar stations was in place here during WW2, incorporating three buildings and tasked with plotting and tracking movements of ships and aircraft.

A key highlight of a visit to the lighthouse is the Radar Hut, which relays the fascinating story of events that took place on 8th April 1940. The radar here played a significant role in foiling the impact of a German Luftwaffe raid on the British Home Fleet at Scapa Flow in Orkney, which had been subjected to sustained attacks over several days. Preserving the Home Fleet was vital to the Allies’ overall success. George Clifford Evans, a Sub-Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, was in charge of radar operations that evening. The barrage created what was said to be the ‘loudest continuous sound ever heard in the British Isles’.

With the German invasion of Denmark and Norway in April 1940, the decision was taken to expand radar cover in the Northern Isles, including the nearby R.A.F. Noss Hill, and Scousburgh, north of the airfield at Sumburgh.

Dunrossness War Memorial

Wherever you travel in Shetland, you are never far from a war memorial. Each memorial tells a story not only of conflict and sacrifice, but of the communities left behind, such as at the Parish Kirkyard at Dunrossness.

The First World War memorial is a rough-hewn stone with a polished face, bearing the names of twenty men from the district. They served across the forces of the British Empire: in the Royal Naval Reserve, the Army, Colonial units and famous Scottish regiments such as the Gordon Highlanders and Seaforth Highlanders.

Nearby stands a striking Celtic cross of polished granite, adorned with a traditional design. It commemorates six men lost during the Second World War. Most served with the Merchant Navy – a reminder that for island communities, the sea was both a livelihood and a battlefield. Merchant seamen faced constant dangers keeping vital supply routes open across waters patrolled by enemy submarines and aircraft. Together, these two memorials tell a powerful story.

Four servicemen also lie here in Dunrossness Kirkyard. All were members of the Royal Naval Reserve who died during the Great War. Their graves serve as a quiet reminder that not every casualty lies on a foreign battlefield.

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Ultimately, the wartime story of the South Mainland in Shetland is not simply one of airfields, radar stations, wrecks, defences and memorials. It is a story of people: the sailors lost off Helli Ness, the young Shetlanders guarding vital cables, the aircrews straining to reach Sumburgh through darkness and storm, or the soldiers standing watch over the airport.

Today, this beautiful landscape may appear peaceful, but beneath the cliffs, beaches, ruins and memorial stones lies a powerful reminder that even the most remote communities were drawn into the great struggles of the twentieth century. As you go through South Mainland, you are visiting a living memorial – one that asks us not only to remember the sacrifice made here, but to value the peace that followed.

By Jon Sandison A born and bred Shetlander, Jon Sandison is a Shetland History teacher, local Military Historian, and Battlefield Guide with a lifelong passion for military history, especially within the Northern Isles across both World Wars.

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Sources and Acknowledgements

• 11th Battalion, A&S. War Diary. TNA: WO 166/8587
• Air-27-1786-5 404 Squadron.
• Air Raid Islands. Sammy Sjoberg.
• Gordon Carle.
• https://www.sumburghhead.com/history
• Imperial War Museum.
• Operation Archery: The Commandoes and the Vaagso Raid, 1941. Ken Ford.
• Peak Distraict Air Accident Research.
• R.A.F. Museum.
• Shetland Amenity Trust.
• Shetland Crash Log. David Hanson.
• Shetland Museum and Archives.
• Sumburgh – Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust.
• Sumburgh and Tingwall. Airfield Focus. Peter V Clegg.
• The Dunrossness Story. James W. Irvine.
• The Giving Years, James W. Irvine.
• TNO AIR 27/1786/5 404 Squadron.
• Trove Scotland.