Orkney Image Library

Stewart the man forard in the ships boat looks like Engineer Bob, Might they have been landing survivors from one of the boats rescued during the second war?.
Might this have been taken from the Lifeboat Slip?.

It's not a still from the filming of "The Spy in Black" is it?

Looks like there's an oily sheen on the water if you tilt the screen.. No idea what or where, but feel fairly sure this would be near the loss of their ship, and the pic taken from a rescue ship in the area... wonder if there would have been more lifeboats, as this one seems to be mostly what looks like passengers and a few crew members

Aye Jimmy I think hids a ship's lifeboat wae the grab ropes, an by the bow, no goin very fast.
The oarsmen are no trained, wae the port bow touchin the bottom an the aft wavin in the air far higher than a boatman wid.
No name or number on the boat, an why is everybody packed forard an the stern empty? The 'bowman' doesno hiv a rope ready tae throw, so they seem tae hiv a bit tae go yet.
Seems tae be a rescue wae most o the passengers wimmen, bit where or when I hiv no idea.

It is "The Spy in Black" right enough. I dug out my old video of it. This scene is about a minute from the end and shows survivors of the "St Magnus" (actually the first St Ola) after she had been sunk by the U-Boat whose commander (played by Conrad Veidt) had just taken her over at gunpoint. You only see the lifeboat for about three seconds, which isn't long enough to notice that Valerie Hobson, who played the heroine, doesn't seem to be in it. I don't think any of the principal actors did any filming in Orkney. The only difference between this photo and the film is that one or the other has been printed back to front.

Thanks for the info Paul, the picture is on a French postcard (carte postale).

If this is a still from The Spy in Black, the lady midships facing the camera is probably my mother, Minnie Gorie, daughter of the Captain of the St Ola. I can't see my sister, Ola, who was one also of the extras in the film.