Week 95: 23-29 June 1941
By the end of this, the first week of Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union, over 2,000 Soviet planes would be destroyed, leaving the defenders without air cover, and over 600,000 Russian soldiers would be captured, missing or killed. The German armies made rapid advances, but already it was evident that Hitler and his generals had underestimated the sheer numbers of Soviet reserves. On 23 June German soldiers entered the village of Ablinga and massacred 42 villagers.
Caithness was still being harassed by German aircraft. On 23 June the Chief Constable
at Wick was informed by the Head Warden at John O’Groats: “… at 01.30 hours today a bomb was dropped by a plane and that it fell into the sea about 100 yards from the Duncansby Road Lighthouse.” The Lighthouse-keeper said he heard several fighter planes flying around “and then a little later the sound of a bomber plane’s engines. He went to the doorway, and just then he heard a whistling noise and went back into the lighthouse. The bomb then struck the water.” The warden added that the lighthouse should be camouflaged: “It can be seen a long distance away owing to the white paint.”
Later the same day J.S. Storm, Deputy ARP Controller in Thurso, reported: “I have been informed that a German aircraft machine-gunned a ship in Scrabster Roads just after the “All Clear” was sounded this morning. The ship returned the fire.”
Over on Orkney, Hetty Munro of Thurso went to an ENSA [Entertainments National
Service Association] show, put on to entertain the troops. She recorded in her diary that “On Wednesday there was an ENSA show with George Formby & Beryl. They really are marvellously good and he didn’t mind how many encores he sang. Very pleasant people to meet, too, they just talk the same off stage as on.”
Meanwhile in Caithness the Director of Education was organising a visit by the Ministry of Information Film Van to go to Crossroads School in Dunnet. “The display is very interesting and the members of the party are willing to give an evening show for the benefit of the general public”. We don’t know what the programme was, but the National Archives have put some clips of Ministry of Information films online, with titles such as “Salvage With A Smile” or “More Eggs From Your Hens”. See http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/focuson/film/activities/world-war-2/1.2-propaganda-clips-pc.htm
Finally this week, the John O’Groat Journal reported a joke reflecting the national cigarette shortage. An Edinburgh schoolboy was reported to his headmaster for
smoking a cigarette on a tramcar. “Next day the unfortunate youth was summoned to the “head’s” study. No sooner was he inside the door than the headmaster said: “Look here, my lad, if you tell me where you get your cigarettes, I’ll excuse you homework for a week.”
Coming soon! Week 95, 30th June - 6th July 1941, will be published on Monday 30th June 2014. To view previous issues please use the menus on the right hand side of the page.
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Comments
Adults and pupils were crowded into a blacked out classroom (all school windows had blackout inserts made from tar paper ready for use) The films were shown on a couple of projectors which were fascinating to watch. The film strip frequently broke and it seemed to take for ages to get going again, the quality was very poor, black and white with lots of flickering, sparking and very grainy too. The the power was supplied from a very noisy generator carried in the big black Ministry of Information Van making the whole thing so fascinating.
We saw , if I can remember, five minutes films about growing better crops, make do and mend, propaganda films about the way the war was going and how good our troops were and I was particularly impressed with several sea going items which maybe inspired me to go to sea. It all ended too soon and we had to then trudge uphill the three miles home – no parents with cars in those days.
We had at least two more showings before the war ended and we then happiness when we had the Highlands and Islands Film guild which came to the Bower Hall every month to show a full length Movie