Archive Of The Month, December 2010.

 

On the morning of the 7th of December 1941, Japanese forces launched a surprise attack on the US Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Four U.S. Navy battleships were sunk and four other battleships present were damaged. The Japanese also sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship and one minelayer. 188 U.S. aircraft were destroyed, 2,402 personnel were killed and 1,282 were wounded. The United States declared war on Japan the next day.

 

So how was this news reported in Orkney? This month’s delve into the archive is very kindly provided by Lucy Gibbon at the Orkney Library & Archive, and comprises extracts from two editions of The Orkney Herald published on the 24th and 31st of December 1941.