I have been to ... Fort Charlotte, Lerwick, Shetland Islands

The fort that currently stands near to the seafront of Lerwick is the third to have been built on the site.

The first fort was built during the First Anglo-Dutch War, and was replaced by a second during the Second Anglo-Dutch War. This second fort cost £28,000 in 1665, and even though it was unfinished it held off a Dutch attack in 1667. Unfortunately its garrison was withdrawn at the end of the war and not reinstated when the Third Anglo-Dutch War started, with the result that the fort was unmanned and burned to the ground by the Dutch in 1673.

The third (and current) fort was built on the same site in 1781. It was named after King George III's wife, Queen Charlotte. It was garrisoned during the Napoleonic Wars, and was later used as Lerwick's jail and courthouse and as a customs house and coastguard station. It has also served as a local base for Royal Naval Reserve, and currently houses the local Territorial Army unit and a Cadet Force unit.

Fort Charlotte is now managed by Historic Scotland.

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We entered the fort through one of the side gateways ...

... and emerged into the open centre of the fort.

An excellent guide to the fort was situated near to where we had entered.

We then climbed atop the gateway through which we had come, and this gave us a panoramic view of the fort.

Having climbed down again, we walked to the far side of the fort in order to see it from that point of view.

Along the seaward side of the fort were a number of replica 18-pounder cannons ...

... some of which had proof markings from 1991 to indicate that they could be used to fire salutes.

We then walked towards the barrack block ...

... which is still in use by the local Territorial Army unit, the G Troop, 212 (Highland) Battery, 105th Regiment, Royal Artillery.

We then made our way towards the rear gateway, and this gave us the opportunity to see the landward wall of the fort.

We then passed through the gateway ...

... and made our way uphill towards Lerwick's Town Hall.

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A short history of 105th Regiment, Royal Artillery (also known as 'The Scottish & Ulster Gunners')

105th Regiment, Royal Artillery was formed in 1986 as an Air Defence Regiment, with its HQ in Edinburgh and its batteries (207 (City of Glasgow) Air Defence Battery, 212 (Highland) Air Defence Battery, and 218 (Lothian) Air Defence Battery) in Glasgow, Arbroath, and Livingstone. A year later a further battery (219 (City of Dundee) Air Defence Battery) was added.

In 1993 206 (Ulster) Battery was transferred to the regiment from 102nd (Ulster) Air Defence Regiment, and 219 (City of Dundee) Air Defence Battery was disbanded. The regiment was then renamed 105 Regiment, Royal Artillery (Volunteers).

Twelve years later the regiment's role was changed, and it became a field artillery regiment, armed with L118 105mm Light Guns. At the same time 218 (Lothian) Air Defence Battery was disbanded.

Currently the regiment comprises:

• Regimental Headquarters (Edinburgh)
• 206 (Ulster) Battery
• Battery Headquarters and A Troop (Newtownards)
• B Troop (Coleraine)
• 207 (City of Glasgow) Battery
• Battery Headquarters and C Troop (Partick, Glasgow)
• D Troop (Colinton, Edinburgh)
• 212 (Highland) Battery
• Battery headquarters and E Troop (Arbroath)
• F Troop (Kirkcaldy)
• G Troop (Lerwick)

206 (Ulster) Battery and 207 (City of Glasgow) Battery are responsible for firing all Royal Salutes in Ulster (at Hillsborough Castle) and Scotland (at Edinburgh Castle and Stirling Castle) respectively. An NCO from 207 (City of Glasgow) Battery is also responsible for firing the famous daily 'One O'Clock Gun' at Edinburgh Castle.

April 9th: An interesting film about the German invasion of Denmark in 1940

I recently bought an Amazon Fire TV Stick and have been watching some of the films that are available. One of these was APRIL 9th (originally made in 2015 and entitled 9.APRIL in Danish), and I thoroughly recommend it to anyone with an interest in the history of the early part of the Second World War.

The film tells the story of a group of Danish bicycle infantry who are sent to try to stem the German invasion of Denmark on 9th April 1940. In the last days of peace a Danish bicycle infantry company based in South Jutland prepares for the possibility of war. A motorcycle reconnaissance platoon arrives to support them, and together they are mobilised and sent southwards when a border post is overwhelmed by the German invader.

The motorcycle reconnaissance platoon speeds ahead of the bicycle infantry, ...

... but is soon forced back by the advancing German armoured and motorised troops. The bicycle infantry company makes a stand, ...

... but it too is overwhelmed, and only the remnants of a platoon manage to escape. After stopping for a while at a farm to rest and recover, they then set off to rejoin the motorcycle reconnaissance platoon, who have set up a roadblock. Their efforts are hampered by the crowds of civilians who have come out to watch events, ...

... but the latter soon disperse when the advancing Germans arrive and the defenders are forced to retreat yet again.

They eventually arrive at the town of Haderslev, where they join the defenders. A German atack is not long coming, and the platoon carries of fighting ...

... until it runs out of ammunition, at which point it surrenders, only to find out that the country's government had surrendered to the Germans some hours earlier.

The film has subtitles (something that not all viewers will like) but it seems to be well researched and the military equipment looks very authentic. For those who have a particular interest in weaponry there is one scene that shows a Madsen Light Machine Gun being fired from a rather complex looking tripod mount, and another where a German armoured vehicle is engaged by a 20mm Madsen Anti-tank Cannon that is mounted on the sidecar of a motorcycle combination.

I have been to ... Scalloway Castle, Shetland Islands

Scalloway Castle is on Mainland the largest island on the Shetlands and was built in 1600 by Patrick Stewart, 2nd Earl of Orkney (c. 1566 – 6th February 1615). Stewart had just been made an Earl, and the castle was one of the residences he used when on Shetland. Construction of the building took seven years, and when it was completed it also served as a meeting place for Shetland’s thing or parliament.

Patrick Stewart did not remain in power very long, and in 1609 the Shetland lairds made complaints to the king about Patrick's poor governance of the islands. Patrick was subsequently imprisoned at Edinburgh Castle, and executed for treason in 1615 when he encouraged his son Robert to retake his Orkney possessions.

In the meantime control of the islands had passed to the Bishop of Orkney (James Law), and it is recorded that he held his first court at Scalloway Castle in August 1612. From then on the castle went into a slow decline, and by the 1650s it was being used to house a small garrison of soldiers. By the early 1700s its condition was described as poor, and some the original ornamental stonework had been removed and used in building projects elsewhere on Shetland.

The ruins are now maintained by Historic Scotland.

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Scalloway Castle must have been quite an impressive building when it was completed, and its style is definitely 'Scottish Baronial', with lots of turrets ...

... and towers.

The main entrance is on the ground floor, and shows evidence of some sort of carved ornamentation over the door.

When we entered, we went up a short flight of stairs ...

... and along a corridor ...

... before we entered what remains of the building's Great Hall.

Another corridor ...

... gave us access to the castle's undercroft, which was used for storage and as a kitchen area.

We then returned by the same corridor ...

... to the castle's entrance.

Spanish Civil War: Day-by-Day: 3rd August 1936

The Nationalists began an offensive in Estremadura.

The Shetland Bus

The Shetland Bus was a clandestine operation set up by the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) and the Special Operations Executive (SOE) Norwegian Naval Independent Unit. The latter was renamed the Norwegian Naval Independent Unit (NNIU) in mid 1942, and when it became an official part of the Royal Norwegian Navy in October 1943, it was renamed yet again and became the Royal Norwegian Naval Special Unit (RNNSU).

The main purpose of the Shetland Bus was to transport agents to and from Norway and to supply the Norwegian Resistance with weapons, radios and other supplies. On occasions they also brought out Norwegians who might be arrested by the Germans for taking part in Resistance activities. In addition the group became involved in special operations, such as the failed human torpedo (or Chariot) attack on the German battleship Tirpitz (Operation Title) ...

... and the raids on Vågsøy (Operation Archery) and Lofoten (Operation Claymore).

The group was organised by Major Leslie H Mitchell and his assistant, Lieutenant David Howarth RNVR. At first it was based at Lunna Ness, north of Lerwick, but the boats were eventually moved to Scalloway where repair and maintenance facilities were provided by William Moore & Son, which had a well-equipped workshop. Eventually an additional slipway (named the Prince Olav's Slipway) was added to the facilities.

When it first started the Shetland Bus used fourteen ordinary fishing boats but these were eventually supplemented by three US-built SC-497-class submarine chasers. The boats used by the Shetland Bus included:

• Aksel (M40G): Sank with the loss of the entire crew of six men in December 1942.
• Heland (M5V): Preserved at the Sunnmøre Museum in Norway.
• Vita (H95B): It was seized by the Germans in September 1941, and the crew were arrested. Currently being preserved and renovated for display at the Sør-Trøndelag Coastal Museum at Hitra, Norway.
• Olaf (M73V): Badly damaged in May 1942, it was returned to its owners after the war. They sold it in 1948.
• Nordsjøen: Sank in heavy weather off the coast of West Norway in October 1941.
• Blia (H197S): Lost with all hands (and the thirty refugees who were aboard) during a storm in November 1941.
• Sjø: Captured by the Germans in September 1942. The crew were arrested and later shot.
• Arthur (M192B): Scuttled after the failure of Operation Title. The crew managed to escape to Sweden, but a British agent who was with them was captured and shot.
• Sandøy: Attacked by German aircraft in December 1942. The boat was sunk and all seven crewmen aboard were lost.
• Feiøy (H10AM): Disappeared without trace in January 1943. All eight crewmen were lost.
• Bergholm: Attacked by German aircraft and sunk in March 1943. One crewman was killed but the rest of the crew (including the skipper) eventually made their way back to Shetland.
• Brattholm: Attacked and sunk be a German torpedo boat in March 1943. Of the crew of eight and the four agents who were aboard, only one survived. The rest died during the attack or were captured, tortured, and shot.
• Frøya (M32G): Bombed and sunk by a German aircraft in April 1942. Of the crew of seven and the two agents they were carrying only one died. The rest either made it back to Shetland or were captured and imprisoned by the Germans.
• Streif (H261B): Whilst returning from a mission to Norway, the boat lost all power and eventually drifted as far south as the Netherlands! The crew gave themselves up and were imprisoned by the Germans.
• Bodø: Lost with all hands in January 1943 after hitting a mine off the Scottish coast.
• Hitra: One of the US-built SC-497-class submarine chasers. She was retained as part of the Royal Norwegian Navy until she was deactivated in 1953. She was formally decommissioned in 1959. After being sold into private ownership she served in a variety of different roles until 1982. She was then bought and eventually restored to her original configuration. She is currently preserved and on show at the Royal Norwegian Naval Museum, Horten.
• Vigra: One of the US-built SC-497-class submarine chasers. She was retained as part of the Royal Norwegian Navy until she was deactivated in 1953. She was formally decommissioned in 1959 and then sold to Sea Scouts. She sank near Malmö where she was being used as a sand barge.
• Hessa: One of the US-built SC-497-class submarine chasers. She was retained as part of the Royal Norwegian Navy until she was deactivated in 1953. She was formally decommissioned in 1959 and then sold to Sea Scouts. She was lost on the coast of Bohuslän.

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The Scalloway Museum on Orkney has a large display devoted to the role of the Shetland Bus. It includes models of some of the boats used.

Aksel (M40G)

Nordsjøen

Blia (H197S)

Arthur (M192B)

Vigra

Hitra

JDS Kashima

Despite the fact that the River Thames no longer carries anywhere near as much traffic as it used to, every so often something larger or more unusual than the occasional cargo ship or cruise ship can be seen passing Woolwich Reach ... and yesterday was one such day.

JDS Kashima (TV-3508) is one of a number of training ships operated by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). What makes her unusual is the fact that she was specifically designed for the task, and not converted from an older, front-line ship that was becoming obsolete. She was laid down on 20th April 1993, launched on 23rd February 1994, and commissioned on 26th January 1995, and is the only ship in her class. Her design resembles that of a frigate or destroyer, but although she is armed, her main role is that of a training ship and what armament she does carry is intended to be used for instructional purposes.

Kashima's characteristics are as follows:

• Displacement: 4,050 tons
• Dimensions:
• Length: 469 ft
• Beam: 59 ft
• Draft: 15 ft
• Propulsion: CODOG (COmbined Diesel Or Gas turbine) with 2 × Mitsubishi S16U-MTK diesels and 2 × Rolls-Royce Spey SM1C gas turbines (each producing 26,150 shp) powering 2 controllable-pitch propellers
• Speed: 25 knots
• Complement: 370
• Armament: 1 × OTO-Breda 76 mm gun (1 x 1); 2 × triple 21-inch torpedo tubes (2 x 3); 4 × saluting cannon (4 x 1)
• Aircraft: None, but she is equipped with a helicopter landing zone at the stern

Kashima's homeport is Kure and she is currently the flagship of the JMSDF Training Fleet.

JDS Kashima's main armament, a single OTO-Breda 76 mm gun.

Although not equipped to permanently carry an helicopter, JDS Kashima is equipped with a helicopter landing zone at the stern of the ship.

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Whilst we were awaiting the arrival of JDS Kashima, Sue and I saw several interesting vessels on the Thames. These included the Earl of Pembroke (a wooden, three masted barque that was built in Sweden in 1945 and that is currently used for maritime festivals, charters, charity fund raising, corporate entertaining and film work), ...

... one of the Thames Clipper catamarans that run a regular service along the River Thames, ...

... and two tugs, the Zip Bear, ...

...and the SD Seal.