Orkney Image Library

The first German plane to be shot down by British anti-aircraft guns during WW2 crashed into the Pegal Burn. It was shot down on 17th October 1939 by Orkney's own 226 Battery which was stationed at Lyness. My father, William Rendall Seatter, was one of the gunners. Anyone wanting to know more about this should read W. S. Hewison's book "This Great Harbour Scapa Flow".

What a lovely photo, we had many picnics there when I was small. I use it as my desktop background.

I spent several summer breaks in Hoy, as a young schoolboy, staying at my Gran's house at Upper Setter, just above Stonequoy Farm. I was mad keen on Airfix models, and in particular the warships and planes of WWII. Hence, I thought Orkney, with it's rich wartime history was just a brilliant place to visit, to hear the stories and to see the places. One time, we visited Pegal Burn around 1972, and I waded into the water knee deep at a place where it was relatively flat, but the sides very steep. It was there that I found a large bullet head, sitting vertically on the rock, balanced perfectly in the water. I reckoned it had been there for some time because it's colour was the same as the rock (a bright sandy colour)and when I picked it up, there was a dark circle where it had been.
I kept it for years, but sadly lost it in the 1980's. I have often thought about going back to the burn for a 'proper' look!

When our kids were small we used to go down into the burn at Pegal where they had great fun playing in the rock pools and like all boys our son Matthew was interested in the stories of the German plane. It was still possible to find little parts of it strewn around the area at that time.
Next time you come to Hoy Rube come to visit us and I might be able to let you have a momento to replace your lost bullet.

That's a very kind offer John. I've been planning to take my eldest daughter with me on a trip to Hoy to show her where her dad 'used to hang out' as a kid on summer holidays. My whole family hail from Orkney and coming over from Caithness (where I grew up) to visit in those seemingly long summers of the early to mid 70's, was for me, just brilliant. If I smell cut hay, or even silage (not the best smell in the world!) I find myself thinking back to those days.

My father watched the plane being shot down. He was working on the tunnel at the time. His biggest memory was finding fingernails on the road. I once found a bit of the plane.