News
ODIN is still here, it’s evolving!
Dear All,
It has been perhaps more than a year since you last received any communication from ODIN and it is exactly because of this lack of activity that I am writing to you today. I would like to take this opportunity to apologise for the radio silence but also assure you that ODIN is still very much alive as a wartime interest group. Although lacking in publications and events over the past year or so, the Orkney Defence Interest Network has continued to serve its purpose as a port of call for people interested in Orkney's wartime heritage, bringing together individuals with similar interest or research areas.
I am sure you all can appreciate how life has a tendency of becoming very busy and just how quickly time vanishes. The six person team that has formed the core ODIN committee since 2010 has felt this acutely as each one of us has become increasingly involved in a variety of projects and ventures that have drawn greatly on our time. It has been our lack of time that has accounted for the radio silence. We all strongly believe in the value of ODIN as a network for drawing groups and individuals that are passionate for Orkney's wartime heritage together and it is with this in mind that we feel it is time for ODIN to evolve.
The committee feels that ODIN's role as a networking group can be well served virtually through the website and its forum albeit with a lot more active content, news and updates. We also felt a regular newsletter/factsheet could also supplement the website and keep everyone in the loop as to what is happening around Orkney with regards to its wartime heritage. To these ends, Andrew Hollinrake and myself are looking to expand the website and look into newsletter/factsheet ideas but ODIN as a network needs to hear from the individuals and groups around Orkney that are interested in the wartime heritage of the Islands. We are therefore looking for anyone who would like to contribute to the website and/or newsletter/factsheet whether it be on a one off or regular basis. We'd also like to encourage you to login to the forum and either get involved with the current conversations or open new topics of discussion and share your interest with one another.
SO if you would be interested in becoming a correspondent for your parish or island, sharing any wartime related news, discoveries, changes in condition of wartime sites or would like to write a small piece about something you have been researching then we'd love to hear from you. Equally anyone interested in being involved in helping to put a small newsletter together or writing book reviews of Orkney related wartime literature do please get in touch. We don't ask for a lot of your time or long term commitment as we are all very busy but lots of small contributions could make ODIN a vibrant and fascinating centre for sharing and exchanging information.
To conclude I would just like to say that ODIN is still very much here and is evolving but it needs YOU! With your support we can not only have a great virtual group but can also look forward to some events and site visits as well so please get in touch.
Wishing you all the very best and looking forward to hearing from you soon...
Regards,
Gavin J Lindsay
NEW FEATURE: Artefact Of The Month
Artefact of the Month is provided courtesy of the custodial staff of the Scapa Flow Visitor Centre & Museum operated by Orkney Museums & Heritage. As the museum has a wealth of fascinating artefacts and exhibits, we at ODIN decided that this was an excellent place to begin. However, we do hope that over time, ODIN members may wish to share their own artefacts and stories though this feature.
Click here to see the Archive Of The Month.
Remembering Scotland at War: Fortress Orkney
Remembering Scotland At War: Fortress Orkney
Please go and have a look at this brilliant website. There is a new collection titled Fortress Orkney with some great material from WWI and WWII. Lots of images, audio and movies. Highly recommended!
Click here to see the exhibition. (Note: Fortress Orkney is on the second page!]
NEW FEATURE: Archive Of The Month
Highlighting the collections held at Orkney Library and Archive. We are very grateful to Lucy Gibbon, Assistant Archivist, for providing the material for this feature. Lucy will be selecting items of interest with a war-time connection. This is just a taste of the wealth of material held at the archive and recommend you visit the archives to see the original documents and more.
Click here to see the Archive Of The Month.
Welcome to ODIN!
Hello there, and welcome to ODIN’s newly launched website. We hope you’ll find it an exciting and interesting website and that it joins your Favourites as a place to visit regularly, and we encourage you to participate. It’s intended to be a place to get involved - if you have something to say, a building or site you need folk to get involved in, a photo to get information about, a question to ask, a story to tell. And if you don’t want to risk the technology yourself, then email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Johanna Werb-Pieterman, the web-designer of Orcadia Design, has generously given ODIN this website and we are very grateful to her for all she has done and the support she is giving us. We reckon it’s a tremendous site, but email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you find a problem.
One of the best and most useful features of the website will be the forum – the place for ODIN participants to get together and talk. Orkney’s defence heritage is appreciated across the world and we hope the site will become the place for interested folk to gather and exchange ideas and knowledge and find out lots more.
The Summer 2010 Factsheet is also another exciting addition to the Orkney experience and we hope it will be a useful to visitors and Orcadians alike in providing lots of information about Orkney’s wartime material, all on one sheet.
The factsheet has details of ODIN’s Summer 2010 events programme and we look forward to seeing lots of you on these outings – the ODIN visit to Ness Battery on 27 June is a tremendous opportunity.
Never been to Sanday? Well, come with ODIN and see this jewel of Orkney’s islands, and its remarkable World War II material. And enjoy the walks which are an excellent way of seeing what’s there, and being with like-minded folk!
Thank you for visiting www.odin.uk.com, and hope we see you here again many times.
Anne Billing
ODIN Chair
