Orkney Image Library

The house is clearly Westfield on the Old Finstown Road out of Kirkwall. It belonged to my cousin Nora (Slater) and her husband Walter Wallis in the 40s and 50s when I was a boy, but this photo is earlier. I'd always assumed Walter added the greenhouses as he grew huge numbers of tomatoes!

I'm sure this is Westfield Glaitness Road. Is one of the women violet cooper?

Is this the house opposite the Blue Star garage in Stromness?

I remember working as an apprentice painter with my father at Westfield for Walter Wallis and his wife around about 1955. They were doing quite a lot of renovations, a new bathroom and kitchen plumbing as well as having the house completely redecorated. Walter and his Wife were extremely nice People. Was Walter a retired Banker? Added by Phil Brough.

No,Phil,his son was a Banker,worked at B of S,22 Albert St. Name was Norman had daughter Jennifer and if I remember also a son. Think Norman had a brother also in a Bank in Edinburgh

Walter Wallis was a retired Commander in the Royal Navy (I believe he was on the Royal Oak at the start of the war but ashore the night the torpedo struck). Both his sons, Murray and Norman, were bankers, the former in Edinburgh, the latter in Kirkwall, where he was for several years the Bank of Scotland’s representative travelling round the north isles. He stayed in Westfield until he and his wife retired to the south-west of England, which is where she had come from.

Jennifer And Eric were the children of Norman Wallis, I believe. Anyone know the whereabouts of Jennifer?

I think this is my great grand parents William Cooper and his wife Grace Moodie, He farmed Scoulters stronsay but moved to New Holland Holm about 1907. He died at Braehead St Ola in 1929 and was buried in the Holland kirkyard Stronsay . Grace died the following year, Also in the photo is their daughter Jessie Anne [Mrs Sinclair , Seatter St Ola] and her daughter Gracie

Was sure i had added my name

Jim, would Jessie Anne and her daughter be the Ma Sinclair and "Gigs" that I knew? Gigs' sister Olive that was married to Sinclair (Sinkie) Drever (my great uncle). They lived next door to each other in Kirkwall, Willowdene in The Willows was it? It sure looks like Ma Sinclair to me.

Yes Lindsay, you are correct, I mind "Gigs" and Olive fine. Their mother Jessie Anne was married to James Sinclair, Stronsay, who was my g/uncle.
Unfortunately I , at 72, am too YOUNG to mind Jessie or James.
I really enjoyed writing that YOUNG bit!!

yes that would be correct

The house was called Clydebank when the Sinclair family stayed there . Olive was my mother.

Yes, it was Clydebank then, Billie. Your Mum was Olive and my Dad was Bill who later farmed Seatter in St.Ola and married Gwendoline Allan. Our Grandma was called 'Ma' by everyone apart from us 'young ins' as we all called her Nannie She is holding on to our Autie Grace (Gigs) as she was well known. A better Nannie we couldn't have wished for. We also had an Uncle Jim who went to Australia with his family.