p7 go to Lyness!

We caught the Houton ferry to Lyness on 30th May to round up our World War II topic from last term. The Scapa Flow visitor centre is a great place to visit and has so much to see that we didn't get round all the exhibits.
We were lucky with the weather and it made the trip even more enjoyable. 
We started with a nice walk to the cemetery where we investigated some headstones and got an idea of scale of loss. The cemetery has a special atmosphere and it made us realise how young so many of the lost servicemen were. It was interesting to see graves of men from other countries too.

On the boat

Gathering information from the headstones

Big guns!

Alanah trying to picture bomb!

We went into the empty oils tank to watch some videos of Lyness during the wars and learn a bit about the site.

Inside the oil tank.

We didn't have long left in the Interpretation Centre but there are many interesting exhibits.

Planning manoeuvres! 

Trying the uniforms ...

...and the tea!

What is this strange contraption?

Stromness museum

On Wednesday 26th September we went to Stromness to search for evidence about the Hudson Bay Company and John Rae. We started our search by looking for plaques on buildings on the street. We found buildings that had been recruitment offices for the Hudson Bay Company and one that was a hospital for sailors coming home with scurvy.

We had a look in Logins well where the ships used to stock up with water before going on their expeditions.

Outside the museum

searching for evidence

John Rae's fiddle

Some moccasins with intricate Indian beadwork 

The scrimshaw on these tusks and teeth is amazing!

Inuit dog sleigh and reindeer - made from bone or ivory

We were particularly interested in the hunting weapons.

Eating our lunch