Supported by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund
To mark the centenary of the Armistice which ended the fighting in World War I, North Queensferry Heritage Trust presented an exhibition focussed on a major event which took place on our doorstep, with national and international significance. . .
The Exhibition was hosted in North Queensferry Railway Station until March 2019, and drew national Press and Media Coverage
An expanded version of the exhibition material is available on-line HERE
This on-line version incorporates all of the images and text used in the exhibition and copies of the following artefacts that were displayed.
Facsimiles of the Armistice Documents in French and English.
Facsimiles of Historic booklets which showed how the news was reported.
A copy of Beatty’s sailing orders to the Grand Fleet revealed the detailed planning of “Operation ZZ”
Replicas of the log-book of HMS Cardiff which led the High Seas Fleet from “Rendezvous X” to their anchorage in the Forth, reveal the mix of everyday operations and high excitement experienced at the time.
The detailed orders issued to the Armed Trawlers from Granton which guarded the German ships at anchor in the Forth.
Extracts from the diary of W.B. Adam, who spent his gap year between school and university as a midshipman on a mine-layer that took part in the Surrender pageant.
Newsreel footage captured by news reporters on board the ships in the Forth and Submarines at Harwich.
Audio Recordings of first-hand accounts of the surrender from W.B. Adam a lowly midshipman,
Commodore Tweedie in charge of the destroyer flotillas of the Grand Fleet,
his eight-year-old daughter Mona,
and Lord Cameron, who was then a Midshipman RNVR.
The stories of the fallen who died in WWI and WWII commemorated on the North Queensferry War Memorial
Communications and Codes in WWI – wireless, Aldis lamp, signal flags, codes.
The progression of Naval Warfare from the Victory at Trafalgar to the mighty Dreadnoughts of WWI.
The Emergence of Germany as a nation state with global ambitions, and a plan to defeat the Royal Navy.
The creation of new Naval Bases particularly Rosyth and the evolution of their defences in response to the growing threat in the North Sea.
The genesis of Naval Air Power, and the first Naval Air Station in Scotland at North Queensferry. The Royal Naval Air Service and The Royal Flying Corps amalgamated to form the R.A.F. in 1918.
The outbreak of war, and highlights of key Naval Battles of WWI
The events leading to the signing of the Armistice on 11th November 1918
The Surrender of Germany’s High Seas Fleet in the Forth, and their submarines at Harwich.
The subsequent Scuttling of the surface fleet at Scapa Flow, and how this accelerated the negotiation of the Versailles Peace Treaty in 1919.
Ironically many of the ships ended up back in Rosyth where the were broken up for scrap after being raised from Scapa Flow.
The triumph of Britain’s Sea Power
(There are two reels of film – look below the video screen to select reels 1 and 2)
Gaumont Newsreel – The Surrender of The German Navy
If you would like to learn more about World War 1, you can sign up at Extracts from The Times History of the War to see a weekly digest of coverage of the events from The Times newspaper.
There are more than 220 articles in the archive. Here are links to a selection, in chronological order, relating to the War at Sea in WWI. With thanks to The Times for permission to use these articles.
The East Coast Raids – November 1914
The work of the Mercantile Marine
The Shipping Problem August 1914 to February 1917
Work of the Mercantile Marine – part 2
Fishermen and the War – part 2
The Evolution of Naval Engineering
The Anti-submarine War 1915 to 1918
The Navy’s Work Completed – this article includes the surrender and scuttling of the German Fleet.
The BBC two-part documentary Scotland’s War at Sea is sometimes available on BBC iPlayer. This covers the events of the naval war at sea in WW1.
Scotland’s War at Sea – Part 1 the dreadnoughts
Scotland’s War at Sea – Part 2 battle of the U-boats
alternatively you may be able to find these documentaries on YouTube.