Orkney Image Library

This is what I found on the Kirkwall Royal British Legion site, sadly some did not survive the war.
Walls War Memorial
Smn. HARRY KIRKPATRICK R.N.R., H.M.S. “Patroclus”, 3rd November 1940.
A.B. THOMAS KIRKPATRICK R.N., H.M.S. “Pomona”, 7th January 1944, age 29.

Beryl the two Kirkpatrick brothers you mentioned above were brothers of Dan Kirkpatrick who later lost his life in the Longhope lifeboat in 1969.
A high loss of life from one family.
Our mother used to say that Harry and Thomas were both musical, playing the accordian along with our uncle Jimmy Thomson. That same talent in music lives on in at least six of their grand nephews and nieces today.

You are right about not many of them still being alive. However it is only a couple of years since Maggie Ann and Bennie Robertson died, they were my relations and I grew up knowing them very well. Also I grew up next door to Barbra Heddle, she was a formidable but fasinating woman, who had spent her life travelling the world. She worked in the West Indies and Alexandra in Egypt as teacher, the later during the war, where she clained to have taught Omar Sharif. I only wish as a child I had spent more time listening to her stories and looking at her endless slides, which incidently were donated to the church but appear to have been mislaid!! Isn't it a shame we don't know all the lives led in this picture and the many others on this web site.

Can I ask who made the above comments I think I know but no one has signed below, is it you Anna??.
I think Lillie Sutherland is stil alive?.
Any others?.

The above comments were no written by Anna I doot, but yer pretty close. Bet ye ken noo!

I think it must be Pauline.

Yes it is Pauline.
I also think Sandy Groundwater maybe alive, Tony used to phone him and Anna was going to phone him when Tony died.

Hugh Johnston was my grandfathers brother..he married Lillie Sutherland.

Hugh was born in 1909..so I think this would be him

Richard, I think Lillie is still alive. I knew them all when I was a boy, Hughie worked at Lyness Naval Base untill it closed in 1957, when Hughie was transfered to another posting maybe Helensburgh or somewhere like that.

Also knew Sammy, and just remember Bobby, known here as Cycle Bob as there were so many Robert Johnstons on Hoy (he owned a garage and repaired bikes)!!

They were all brought up on this farm where we live untill their mother died, before that I think they lived in Stenness.

Thanks for the reply John,

I was looking to get in touch with you to see what you knew of my grandfathers family..I only know a little.

please email me at [email protected]. I'd love to hear more...

thanks

Richard J.

PS I have a few pictures to upload too..but haven't gotten that far yet

What a great picture, now all I have to do is work out how I am related to all the Kirkpatrick's in this photo :)

I was told by great authority here on Hoy that all the Kirkpatricks in Orkney and Shetland derived from four brothers who traveled from the Borders of Scotland and were weavers. They settled here in Orkney and one went on to Shetland . This told to me by Mrs Maud McMillan (nee Kirkpatrick).
The lady is sadly no longer with us but was a great authority on the family name .

Thank you very much for taking the time to respond, I have been researching the Kirkpatrick line for many years and I am descended from those in Orkney. I have never heard that sorry, the one I heard was two brothers who fled from Dumfries after some trouble :) but I will certainly look into, truly appreciate it

Maude was also musical like so many of the Kirkpatricks. She played the piano and sang in Walls Old Parish Church choir for many years.

Barbara Heddle mentioned in the comments above was my great aunt. She did teach in the West Indies and in the 1960’s was headmistress at Inversnaid primary school.