World War One in Shetland
World War One 'still affects Shetland to this day' - a very interesting read about the impacts the conflict had on the Shetland population.
In Shetland, the loss of life because of World War One, is considered, in proportion, one of the largest for any area of the UK. This would have had a huge impact on the fishing-crofting community of Shetland. Women had always had to manage at home for months, or even years at a time, whilst men went to sea for fishing or to serve on merchant ships. These were dangerous working conditions, and mortality rates for working at sea was very high - for many many years before WWI, women had outnumbered men in Shetland. Because of this, Shetland women and mothers had learnt to be very resilient, working the land in all weathers, and contributing to family income with their own spinning and knitting work.
Recently I’ve been researching Shetland Women and Mothers, and will be presenting stories at images in a Talk and Workshop at Bressay Heritage Centre, Thursday 22nd November, 7.30 pm.
This evening will be part of ‘Motherhood, Loss and The First World War’ project, a centenary commemoration project led by Big Ideas and funded by the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), with a National Lottery grant from Big Lottery Fund to work in Home Nations.