Essential Shetland wartime reads

By Promote ShetlandNovember 11th 2024

Historian Jon Sandison shares a selection of books highlighting the impact of the two world wars on Shetland and its people.

The two world wars of the 20th century had a profound impact on Shetland, deeply affecting its population, society, and economy.

Shetlanders contributed to both wars at home and abroad, while Shetland itself, due to its strategic military location, also had an important role. This part of our local history continues to interest and captivate locals and visitor alike.

There's a broad selection of books that tell the tales of the impact of war on Shetland. Here is just a small selection of some of these texts which are worth reading if you are interested in this part of our island story.

Shetland and the Great War

Linda K. Riddell [Shetland Times Ltd. 2015]

For a comprehensive understanding of the First World War and how it affected our islands, you need go no further than this thoroughly researched book. Published during the centenary of the First World War, the book covers all angles, from the impact of the war on the islands' local identity, economy, and society to how Shetland's geographical position was interlinked to its role in war. In tandem, fascinating detail is provided of the role of Shetlanders in the services during 1914-1918, alongside the impact of the aftermath of war on Shetland. A further fascinating section covers War Memorials in the islands. This book is a must to accompany any visit to Shetland if you are keen to find out more about our local war history, and the stories highlight sites you can visit when here. It provides an extraordinary legacy to this part of our local history.

Doing His Bit. A Shetland Soldier in the Great War.

Robert M. Greig. [The Shetland Times Ltd. 1999]

A large number of Shetland men served in the army during the First World War and enlisted in various Scottish and British Army regiments, as well as in colonial regiments across the British Empire. While the Gordon Highlanders was a popular choice, the Seaforth Highlanders also saw a significant number of Shetland recruits. Robert M. Greig was one of them. This timeless book records his insights into the war. Between January and August 1920, he was a reporter with The Shetland Times and recorded his experiences in a series of articles. While his narrative gives an indication of his experience in the trenches and Western Front, it also reflects the thought processes of young Shetland men at the time. The book also incorporates a special introduction by Alex Cluness, which is in itself a special read. His final description of the book is that it is a 'simple truth as a soldier sees it'. If you have a wider interest in the experiences of the Western Front, then this book is an important addition to your bookshelf.

Shetland Merchant Mariners in the Great War

J. Laughton Johnston [Shetland Library. 2018]

Shetland's connection to the sea is well known. During the Great War, so many Shetlanders served with the Royal Navy and Royal Naval Reserves. The coast of Shetland, for example, was patrolled by a fleet of some 200 armed trawlers and drifters. As many as 1,755 Shetland merchant mariners served in the Great War, moving cargoes and goods around the dangerous mine-ridden and U-Boat-checked seas. Of this total, some 78 local merchant mariners lost their lives in action. Shetlanders of all ages served, ranging from 14 to over 70 years old. This book brings to the fore accounts of the ships they served on and their experiences of war. It conveys the personal stories of many of the merchant seamen and reminds the reader of the treacherous daily experiences of war.

The Giving Years. Shetland and Shetlanders, 1939-1945

James W. Irvine [The Shetland Publishing Company. 1991]

For a detailed, first-hand account of how the Second World War impacted Shetland and local folk, this is an important book to get your hands on. Although currently out of print, it can still be accessed through secondhand booksellers. Irvine, who went through the war himself, gives a remarkable account of the Shetland experience of 1939-45. It incorporates how the war came really close to Shetland via the invasion of Norway, but also how Shetland responded and had to adapt as a result. At the same time, the narrative builds up the accounts of so many Shetlanders who served abroad both on sea and on land. Key themes throughout the book include the Merchant Navy, the experiences of early 1940-41, as well as the Battle of the Atlantic, North Africa, and D-Day. The individual accounts of so many Shetlanders are included in this book and make absorbing reading. We are so fortunate that Irvine was able to write down the details of many of these experiences. Someday, an overarching account of Shetland during World War Two will be written in publication format. Until then, this is an essential book to pick up.

Air Raid Islands

Samuel Sjoberg [Biddles Books Limited. 2020]

The author has extensive knowledge of Shetland during World War Two, and particularly our islands' wartime archaeology and the air war, which took place in and around Shetland between 1939-1945. Shetland was a crucial RAF base during the war, with a thorough radar defence. This thoroughly researched and well-written book, written in a chronological format, tells the story of how following the outbreak of war in 1939, the Luftwaffe's interest in Shetland began within months. Moreover, with the invasion of Norway in 1940, Shetland found itself at the forefront of the war. With German bombers raiding our islands from early in the war, the book is a reminder that an air war took place on home shores. Air Raid Islands includes insightful first-hand eyewitness accounts, National Archive documentation, and newspaper reports. While this is a book about the air war, it is much more than that. It is ultimately about the defence of the strategic outpost of Shetland. Indeed, the author dedicates his work to the artillerymen who guarded the islands against air attack.

Uncle Davie's Red Cross Blanket. The Story of David J. Slater, a Shetland P.O.W.

Jonathan Wills [Bressabooks. 2024]

This book, which has just been published, emphasises the personal impact of war, relaying the story of the departure of the local Territorials in 1939 and, in tandem, the very personal story of the author's uncle, Davie Slater. He was among 10,000 men of the 51st Highland Division who were left behind and taken prisoner at St Valery-en-Caux in June 1940, following the fall of Dunkirk. The book provides an engrossing account of Davie's younger life in the fishing village of Scalloway and then his experience departing for war. It is as much a family history as a military history. This in itself wins the hearts of its readers. Wills wonderfully interweaves his uncle's letters to his father and sister in Scalloway, having written more than 200 postcards and letters to them. Combining historiography and war diaries with newspaper and national archive accounts, the author pulls the whole story together and puts the story into the wider context of war. It also incorporates PoW camp inspection reports on Stalag XXA by the International Red Cross to provide further insight into Davie's experiences as a prisoner. The book comes full circle with the last chapter reflecting on Davie's post-war years, marriage and daily work on the foreshore of Lerwick. It also includes maps linked to Davie's story, alongside many fascinating archive images. The story of the book is in the title: 'Uncle Davie's Red Cross Blanket'. I encourage you to read it to find out more.