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The Herald Scotland
17 hours ago
- General
- The Herald Scotland
Revealed: the blood and guts tales of Scottish whalers
But as the converted Second World War Royal Navy corvette dipped and swayed in the pounding South Atlantic waves, his first challenge would not be with whales, but with the sea itself. 'It was a lively ship,' he remembers. 'She could roll pretty well, almost lifeboat to lifeboat. 'It was frightening to begin with, but you learned to cope.' Whale catcher vessel, Southern Jester, brings home its catch (Image: South Georgia Museum) The next challenge would be the gruesome sight of a factory ship's deck, swimming with blood and its crew smeared head to toe in guts. It was 1958, and the Shetland lad was among a stream of Scots who would make the long journey to a world of icy beauty where pristine seas bubbled with blood and the sickening stench of boiling whale meat lingered in the air. Over three years, he grew from boy to man chasing whales in the sub-Antarctic, one of thousands of mainly Scots employed to hunt and process vast numbers of whales to near oblivion. Brutal as it was, from seasickness to the nauseating sight of crews waist deep in entrails, blood and sludge, there would be excitement and a unique bond between men who, perhaps surprisingly given the environment, would go on to show tenderness and care for each other. Read more by Sandra Dick: Now their memories of living, working and bonding in the Southern Hemisphere's long-gone whaling industry have been gathered for a new digital archive that explores the reality of the British whaling industry. The Whalers' Memory Bank, including previously untold stories from former whalers, their families and communities from all corners of Scotland, will be unveiled by historian Dan Snow in Dundee on Friday. Its launch brings to a climax two years of work with former whaling communities by the South Georgia Heritage Trust and the South Georgia Museum to shine light on an uncomfortable chapter of Scotland's industrial heritage. A whale undergoes processing on the Flensing Plan at Grytviken Whaling Station on South Georgia (Image: South Georgia Museum) Whale numbers in the northern hemisphere had already been seriously depleted when attention in the early 1900s turned to bountiful numbers in the south. Britain became the world's leading whaling country, home to whaling companies that earned fortunes from whale meat, byproducts and oil. With largely Scottish workforces, they established huge whaling stations and ran fishing fleets and factory ships to handle their catch. Despite the violent seas and logistical challenges of the South Atlantic, whaling fleets would leave species there tottering on the brink. It came to an end in 1965, by which time whale numbers had slumped and the manufacture of items such as margarine, soap and cosmetics had shifted from using whale products to vegetable alternatives. Whalers take a break over a drink (Image: South Georgia Museum/Eric Stevenson) As well as highlighting whalers' stories, the archive explores the wider social and environmental impacts of the industry, including how whale produce became an essential ingredient in British life. While in some cases, the industry played a vital role in sustaining remote communities that might otherwise have dwindled. For Gibbie, now 83, whaling offered adventure and opportunity when there were few jobs for young men like him. 'We were living in a backwater, where nothing had really changed from the 1930s,' he recalls. 'Work was hard to come by and you had to leave to go to sea or move away for work. 'This was a fantastic adventure. Life on a whale catcher was to me a boy's adventure, a dream.' Grytviken Whaling Station on South Georgia (Image: South Georgia Museum) Once in South Georgia, he was thrown into the role of deck mess boy keeping the whale catcher ship clean, serving food, washing and scrubbing. Although the youngest on board and one of only four Scots among a crew of mainly Norwegians, he was quickly treated as one of the men. Within days and despite no experience, he was given the wheel of the ship only to rapidly wander wildly off course. Other times, he'd be at the helm peering into the darkness, trying to avoid ice floes while the crew played cards below deck. The violent and stormy seas left some whalers dangerously ill - conditions could test even the toughest sailor. Read more by Sandra Dick: But, he adds: 'It was fantastic and exciting. And we were wild and free.' While his whale catcher hunted down its prey, factory ships processed the carcasses, gutting their enormous bulk on board and leaving decks and water around blood red. It left an unforgettable impression. 'The factory ship was a vision of hell,' says Gibbie, who is chair of the Shetland ex-Whalers Association. 'I could see the deck and it was red with blood and meat, people cutting up whales and big holes in the deck leading to cookers down below. 'It was a terrible place; the smell was something else.' Humpback whale lunge feeding in the waters around South Georgia (Image: British Antarctic Survey) Whaling began in Cumberland Bay in December 1904 when whales were plentiful. In the first season 183 whales were caught. But demand soared for whale produce that could be used for lubricants, in food production and nitro-glycerine for explosives. By 1925, some 8,000 whales were processed at the Leith Harbour works, many weighing up to 90 tons. For Edinburgh-based whale company Salvesen, there were handsome profits of £300,000 profit a year - equivalent to £100 million today. Shetland man James (Jeemie) Balfour was among hundreds of Scots whalers (Image: Balfour Family) Over 1,000 workers were employed on South Georgia whaling ships and land-based processing stations, staying from May until October. Before the industry came to a halt, a staggering 176,000 whales had been processed island-wide. Although Gibbie recalls awful sights, there were also remarkable acts of compassion among the whalers. When one burly Norwegian fell ill with what Gibbie now suspects may have been aggressive motor neurone disease, men rallied to build a makeshift iron lung to help his breathing during his final days. Another, who sustained a dreadful fall from a ship's mast to its deck, was tenderly cared for at Leith Harbour hospital by a doctor carrying out delicate surgery aided by a mess boy. By October, most men returned home with pockets stuffed with wages to see them and their families through the winter months. A blue whale is hauled into position, ready to be processed (Image: According to Shetland native Helen Balfour, whose grandfathers both worked as whalers and who is Assistant Curator of South Georgia Museum at the former whaling station at Grytviken, whaling was a vital component that helped keep fragile island communities intact. The experiences left a mark on both of them, she says. 'My grandad Jimmy Balfour was there for ten seasons with mostly Norwegian crews. He could speak fluent Norwegian with the same accent that they had. 'My other grandfather, Alan Leask, came from Yell. A lot of men went whaling from there because there were so few jobs. Read more by Sandra Dick: 'Whaling was very helpful for the Shetland economy,' she adds. 'Quite a few men came home with enough money to invest in fishing boats or other businesses, and it meant they didn't have to find work at sea or move away.' Alongside insights into what life was like for whalers on South Georgia, the digital memory bank includes a 3D tour of a whaling station on South Georgia. The Whalers' Memory Bank has been backed by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and supported by the Scottish Fisheries Museum, the Scottish Maritime Museum, the Shetland Museum & Archives and Dundee Heritage Trust's Verdant Works. The Whalers' Memory Bank brings together whalers' stories, photographs and other material for the first time (Image: South Georgia Museum) The Salvesen Ex-Whalers Club and the Shetland ex-Whalers Association have also been instrumental in sharing their experiences and memories. Its launch is the centrepiece of a three-day festival organised by the South Georgia Heritage Trust in Dundee which includes interactive exhibitions, activities, talks from world-renowned polar explorers and scientists, and the unveiling of a new artwork, Commensalis, by Scottish sculpture Michael Visocchi which reflects on the whaling industry.
The Herald Scotland
10-05-2025
- The Herald Scotland
The Scottish communities who want more tourists
Considered a hidden gem tucked in rural Ayrshire, it has tended to be overlooked by tourists as they rush to tick off castles in Edinburgh and Stirling, Dunrobin on the NC500 route and picturesque Eilean Donan on Kyle of Lochlash. Eilean Donan is one of Scotland's most photographed castles (Image: Getty) These days, however, the medieval ruin is no longer a passive observer to Scotland's booming tourist sector. Instead, it sits at the heart of a thriving grassroots movement that's reshaping Scottish tourism and turned locals into unlikely visitor attraction bosses, toilet block and campsite operators, accommodation providers and 'keepers' of castles. Driven by growing frustration that the tourist pound might be passing them by, dozens of community-led tourism initiatives have sprung up, keen to tap into what VisitScotland says is a £10.8bn visitor economy. At the helm of everything from castle visitor centres like at Dundonald Castle, to Highland ice rinks, Moray campsites to Stirlingshire hostels, the groups are then using the profits they make from tourists, to plough back into local projects. The result is a range of benefits to locals – from education to health, to jobs and rising demand for goods and services from local suppliers. Unlike some areas which have bemoaned the problems of too many tourists, these communities are rolling out the red carpet, hoping to attract many more. In South Ayrshire, while Historic Scotland oversees the castle, the community-run visitor centre has helped increase visitor numbers: last year saw more than 29,000 local and international visitors to Dundonald Castle. Tourists now stay longer, are said to connect better with locals and are then inspired to explore the wider area. Profits have helped the centre become a bustling hub for community events, artists and clubs, giving locals access to new cultural, educational and wellbeing activities. It's also led to jobs training opportunities and brought new investment to the area. Indeed, such is its success, that the charity has just been given the go-ahead to develop extra space for more community activities, events, education and to enhance the visitor experience. It's becoming a common theme across the country, where locals who are no longer content to simply wave visitors through as they head to Edinburgh, the Isle of Skye or the latest tourist hotspot, have instead resolved to stop them in their tracks. Read more by Sandra Dick: According to SCOTO - the Scottish Community Tourism network which champions community-led tourism projects and has just marked its third anniversary – often they are providing key services like toilets, tourist information hubs, affordable hostels and campsites, that were once in the hands of public bodies. 'Scottish community empowerment legislation has meant more and more communities are becoming active players across the visitor economy, and often filling gaps left by public sector cut backs,' says Carron Tobin, executive director of SCOTO. 'We have communities through social enterprises and charities providing visitors with all sorts of facilities and experiences – stay, eat, buy, do, find and enjoy – and often as a means to an end. 'Community-led tourism allows communities to bring new money into the local economy to tackle local priority issues, like addressing population drift, supporting local producers and makers, retaining pubs and shops, upgrading local infrastructure, celebrating and conserving local culture and ultimately achieving much greater community cohesion.' SCOTO points to The Callander Hostel, run by Callander Youth Project Trust and which offers visitor accommodation alongside training for young people who might otherwise have left the area in search of work. Further north, Aviemore Ice Rink, run by Aviemore and Glenmore Community Trust, provides an all-weather visitor attraction that encourages visitors to spend money in the village, and ice sport skills for locals. In Moray, the community-led Findhorn Village Conservation Company took control of a mounting problem with campervans and motorhomes to run their own campsite and toilet block. The income from visitors then helped to cover the costs of new paths and infrastructure, and protect fragile sand dunes. At Wick, a local development trust which took over the lease for Wick River Campsite from Highland Council has plans to invest profits back into local regeneration projects and upgraded facilities. And on Arran, local group Arran Communities took control of the public toilets to ensure they remaining open, were clean and cared-for. Back in rural Ayrshire, Friends of Dundonald Castle, one of the pioneers for community-run tourism - now has 15 staff and over 65 passionate volunteers who have turned the imposing stone walls of the 14th-century castle into a year-round hub of activity. Dundonald Castle has become a focal point for community events such as archaeological digs (Image: VisitScotland/Friends of Dundonald Castle) According to Dr Kirsteen Croll, the Visitor Centre General Manager, income from visitors brings benefits to locals that many tourists probably don't even realise they are contributing to. 'The impact of Dundonald Castle extends far beyond visitor numbers,' she says. 'The site has become a cornerstone for meaningful connections across local sectors. 'The project has helped bring investment into rural areas like Dundonald, sustained jobs, skills, and small businesses. It has encouraged visitors to stay longer and explore wider while connect them to Scotland's cultural identity and landscapes. 'This in turn enables communities to share and benefit from the stories of their hometown.' Read more by Sandra Dick: The visitor shop provides evidence of the spin-off benefits for local producers: there's produce from the village butcher, a local baker and even candlemaker, Stanecastle Candles. Packing and cleaning supplies come from a local business, even the ice cream and cheesecakes are supplied locally. Beyond the visitor centre, the charity has worked in collaboration with others to install a new footbridge and is working with SusTrans and South Ayrshire Council to improve trail access and community infrastructure. It offers training and work placements, there are community archaeology digs and education programmes designed to reconnect people with their heritage. 'Behind the castle walls and beneath its rich history lies a true community engine,' adds Dr Croll. Over 200 miles north in the heart of the Highlands, Loch Ness Hub & Travel shows tourism can go far beyond postcards and packed buses. Launched in 2020,it offers everything from e-bike hire and Highland cow tours to ticketing for local attractions and motorhome waste disposal. Last year, £10,000 of profits were reinvested into the Glen Urquhart Rural Community Association, helping to deliver school meals and transport for out-of-school clubs. Loch Ness Hub & Travel runs Highland cattle tours for visitors (Image: Loch Ness Hub & Travel.) 'We're deeply rooted in the community,' says Russell Fraser, chair of SCOTO and spokesperson for the hub. 'Communities are having to continually carry the heavy load in terms of delivering public services, such as public toilets, and tourism is a vital conduit to delivering these essential services. 'By empowering communities across Scotland, tourism can genuinely be delivered as a force for good.' The group collaborates with various sectors and suppliers to bolster the local economy, including supporting regional artisans and producers. 'The visitor economy is vital, not only to Scotland as a whole, but the entire rural network across the Highlands and Islands,' he adds. 'It provides stimulus to related industries and local supply chains, including food and drink, arts and culture, retail, construction and transport.' Meanwhile at Scotland's southwest tip, the ancient town of Whithorn has welcomed pilgrims for centuries. Now, it's a point of reference for those seeking inspiration in community-led regeneration. The 18-bed bunkhouse operated by charity group All Roads Lead to Whithorn (Image: Hazel Smith/All Roads Lead to Whithorn) Formed in 2014, All Roads Lead to Whithorn began with the rescue of a crumbling Victorian town hall. It now offers accommodation, events, sports facilities, and even stargazing guides. Its 18-bed bunkhouse signposts local services, restaurants and places to visit, and is stocked with locally sourced soap, cleaning products, meat, dairy products, bread and honey. Hazel Smith, the Trust's chair, says the group now plays an important role serving visitors and supporting locals. 'It has grown arms and legs,' she says. 'There's so much going on here, this is Scotland's cradle of Christianity, there's history, archaeology, museums and the amazing Roundhouse project. Whithorn Roundhouse is a full-scale replica Iron Age roundhouse (Image: The Whithorn Trust) 'But still it's quite a quiet area of the country for tourism. 'And we want more people to know about us.' The group now runs its own visitor facilities and events, such as its Beer and Cheese Festival. Supported by income from visitors, it has transformed a derelict Georgian hotel into energy-efficient family homes, and delivered free meals to 'in need' families. 'In a time when rural towns across Scotland face depopulation and economic uncertainty, the visitor economy is so important,' she adds. 'Our project shows how the harnessing of heritage, place and community spirit can create a thriving economy which benefits not just our visitors but the people who live and work here.' Community group All Roads Lead to Whithorn stages an annual Beer and Cheese Festival to lure visitors to the town (Image: Hazel Smith/All Roads Lead to Whithorn) Amid the successes, however, is a word of warning from SCOTO. 'This does need to be in balance so communities don't feel overwhelmed or negatively impacted,' says Carron. Yet according to VisitScotland figures, there can be rich pickings for communities that do seize a slice of the country's booming visitor economy, said to be valued at £10.8bn and which supports 245,000 jobs. It has launched a new campaign which aims to build greater understanding of how tourist spending can create a ripple effect that brings a wide range of benefits from boosting local supply chains to arts and culture, retail and transport, to social benefits for communities. VisitScotland says behind the headline figures are impacts that support jobs, stimulates investment and sustains communities. Read more by Sandra Dick: According to Vicki Miller, VisitScotland's Chief Executive: "The visitor economy is much more than holidays or day trips at certain times of the year. It is a sustainable long-term benefit – it's jobs, investment, better places to live, work, visit, and happier people. " She adds that award-winning community projects such as those at Dundonald, Whithorn and Loch Ness set a gold standard for others to follow. 'These initiatives are the perfect examples of the visitor economy in action,' she says. 'From creating jobs and attracting investment, to enhancing wellbeing and encouraging regeneration, they have each made a valuable contribution to their local communities, helping make Scotland a better place to live, work, do business, study and visit.'
The Herald Scotland
27-04-2025
- The Herald Scotland
Did hero's ski escape from Nazis inspire classic 007 scene?
The dramatic Second World War race to safety sounds straight from a spy Bond film - and may very well have inspired one. Decades before Roger Moore's 007 evaded enemy fire in a high-speed ski chase that thrilled film fans in The Spy Who Loved Me, Gail Halvorsen's father was living it for real. His downhill race for his life eventually led him to seek a route out of Norway to fight the Nazis alongside the Allies. Toralf Halversen escaped Norway on board the M/B Traust,a fishing boat which became part of the Shetland Bus mission (Image: Contributed) That meant hitching a ride on the Shetland Bus, a covert operation of small boats disguised as fishing vessels that operated under cover of darkness and in turbulent winter seas between Norway's west coast fjords and Shetland, 200 miles away. The boats, at first operated by Norwegian resistance fighters and later taken over by British command working with their Norwegian counterparts, played a crucial role in transporting special agents and arms across the North Sea. In the other direction, the small boats carried refugees and Allied soldiers to the shelter of the Shetland Islands. By the end of the war, around 200 covert crossings had been made, despite the threat of Nazi attack from above and below, challenging seas and brutal weather. To mark the Shetland Bus operation's remarkable efforts, a small convoy of historic Norwegian vessels which took part in wartime missions, will soon arrive in Lerwick as part of events to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day. Read more by Sandra Dick: Gail, who lives in Midlothian, plans to be there to pay personal tribute to the small boats that defied the Nazi threat to carry her father and other Norwegians to safety. Toralf was just 19 years old when he became one of the first Norwegian resistance fighters to escape Nazi-occupied Norway on an early version of the Shetland Bus. Before then, though, he had quit school to spend months camped in mountains with the Norwegian fighters as they carried out a series of operations against the occupying Nazi forces. Toralf Halverson went on to fly sea planes from Oban and Sullom Voe (Image: Contributed) He recalled the moment he realised Nazi troops had occupied Norway in his diaries. 'Like so many others I was awakened on the morning of April 9 by the noise of aeroplane engines,' he wrote. 'I did not know the planes were German JU-52. Neither did I know that the black cross on the fuselage was an iron cross, the symbol of the German Air Force.' With the war on the doorstep, he resolved to lend support to the country's emerging underground resistance movement. Had he been caught, he would likely have faced torture, prison or a Nazi concentration camp. Gail says her father's diaries tell how he set off with fellow students to hike miles in search of a Norwegian resistance group to join. 'From what we know, he led the others and was their spokesman,' she says. 'He probably lied about his age to join.' Read more by Sandra Dick: He was accepted into the newly formed 9th Infantry Regiment, putting his life on the line in operations intended disrupt the Nazi occupation. Some resistance tactics focused on sabotage of equipment and infrastructure. Others were more audacious operations including planting bombs and engaging Nazi forces. Their lightweight Madsen machines guns and Krag–Jørgensen bolt action rifles could barely match German howitzers and fast action machine guns - a key role of the Shetland Bus was to deliver better equipment to help their fight. Young as he was, Toralf was at the forefront of the resistance effort, including one dramatic episode when he had to flee on his skies with Nazis brandishing guns in pursuit – inspiration, perhaps, for James Bond creator Ian Fleming, who spent part of the war working on the Shetland Bus missions. Toralf's diary recorded the warning words from his Commanding Officer as he set off on a ski patrol intended to put German ski troops 'out of commission'. Toralf Halvorsen went on to fly sea planes from Scottish bases (Image: Richard Halvorsen) 'Remember the good old rule for soldiers,' he said. 'If you don't shoot, he will. If you don't stab, he will. Shoot first and stab first.' On the patrol's return, however, Toralf found the resistance camp deserted and the route blocked by a broken bridge. Toralf and his comrades faced days of trudging through snow covered mountains in search of shelter with the German threat all around. 'My father and another man from the resistance were chased and had to split up to try to improve their chances of getting away,' says Gail. 'He had three days of skiing with Germans following him. 'But he knew the terrain better than they did. 'Eventually he found a farmer's hut where he recovered from snow blindness because he'd had to leave his ski googles behind.' Toralf later made his way to Bergen where he'd heard small boats were quietly whisking people like him out of the country. 'He got on one very small fishing boat,' says Gayle. 'His 'job' on board was to lie at the front and look out for mines and rocks.' A memorial to the Shetland Bus operation sits outside Scalloway Museum (Image: Liberation Convoy) The treacherous journey on board MK Traust 2 took several days to reach Lerwick. Once there, he started a new phase in the war as an Allied fighter. In Elgin, meanwhile, another young man was also involved in the covert Shetland Bus operations. Jack Cowie was at the heart of Elgin's close community, an upstanding bank manager who, from the comfort of his office, saw young men of the town march to war. Elgin bank manager Jack Cowie became a Captain in the Gordon Highlanders and played a key role in the Shetland Bus convoys (Image: Graeme Jack) A troublesome heart murmur meant he could not join them on active service on the frontline. But he was not to be defeated in his quest to play his part. His organisational skills, knack for communicating and managing people took him to the heart of the Shetland Bus operation. British and displaced Norwegian military leaders knew resistance groups needed supplies of arms, equipment and people to support their efforts to sabotage German troops, prevent their access to food and whale oil for glycerine, and to gather intelligence. A sea route between Shetland and Norway would enable the delivery of secret agents but the risks were high: ten of the Shetland Bus boats were lost and 44 men died before US Navy submarine chasers arrived to support the effort. The toll may have been greater if not for the backroom efforts of men like Jack. From an undercover base in Aberdeen and in his role as Captain Cowie of the Gordon Highlanders he became the liaison officer for the Shetland Bus operation. It was so hush-hush that even his nearest and dearest knew little of what he was up to. Now, though, with the 80th anniversary of VE Day on the horizon, precious details of his secret role have emerged through his daughter Isabell Jack's faded memories. Pages from fake ration books handed to Allied agents and resistance fighters as part of the Shetland Bus mission (Image: Graeme Jack) Her recollections – although tantalisingly sparse – have offered his grandson, Graeme Jack, the chance to learn a little more of what made him the right man for a vital job. 'He was a reluctant hero,' says Graeme. 'He didn't want the attention on him. 'But those travelling in and out of Norway on these boats needed to be supported. That was his role. 'He used his organisational and people skills as part of this secret unit which had been set up to support the Shetland Bus.' Isabell, now in a nursing home and with dementia, has offered tiny snippets of detail, recalling her father mentioning the Shetland Bus operation but keeping its secrets close to his heart. 'It was a secret operation so not much was said to us as children,' she says. Propaganda fliers and posters aimed at Hitler and Quisling, the famous Norwegian political leader who collaborated with the Germans. (Image: Graeme Jack) 'Dad was well liked and had a nice manner about him, with a warm sense of humour, and integrity and I think this helped him in this role. 'He was proud of what he did, but he wasn't a man to make a fuss.' He returned to his bank job after the war, with a few items to show for his role: some Norwegian propaganda fliers and posters, and fake ration books thought to have been used by agents and Norwegian resistance. While for some of the young men brought from Norway to Shetland, such as Toralf, the war would take them to new frontiers. Norwegian resistance fighter Toralf Halvorsen retrained as a sea plane pilot (Image: Richard Halvorsen) From Shetland, he was recruited to a Norwegian training camp in Canada where he learned to fly seaplanes and later Short Sunderlands - flying boats. They took him back to Scotland; he flew from Oban and later Sullom Voe for surveillance and bombing raids on German U-Boats in the North Sea. It would be five years before he returned to Norway. The war also changed his career path – having yearned to become an architect, he instead went on to work in aviation, travelling the world with Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS). Toralf Halvorsen pictured bottom row, fourth right (Image: Gail Halverson) He died, aged 59, when Gail was just 18. Years later she stood at the same spot at Sullom Voe where a grainy photograph captured her father looking towards the sea planes as they prepared for their dangerous missions. 'I thought 'here was a man of 22 years old, piloting a large plane with a crew of 11, doing 13 hour stints in freezing cold. 'He was responsible for all those lives and still just 22,' says Gail, who will be in Lerwick to mark the Norwegian connection during VE Day commemorative events. 'It must have been terrifying every time he went out to fly. 'You realise what they went through,' she adds. 'They were all heroes in those days'. The Liberation Convoy to mark Norway's role in the Shetland Bus and wartime naval operations will arrive in Lerwick on May 6. Find out more about the Liberation Convoy here
