We are creating a Living Museum at HMS Tern….slowly, but surely the team of volunteers and paid staff are recreating the look, smell and feel of a training airfield in World War II on Orkney.
Our goal is to bring to life the historical setting and daily life during the Second World War through guided tours, events, and talks, all set in the beautifully preserved surroundings of an airfield in the landscape.
HMS Tern is owned and managed by The Birsay Heritage Trust. The Birsay Heritage Trust is a non-profit-making organisation and is a Recognised Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation, SCO 27642.
The Birsay Heritage Trust was established in 1998 by the members of the Birsay community who were concerned that important historical sites in the parish were rapidly decaying, disappearing, or at risk of being lost from living memory. The Trust protects, records, and shares Birsay’s heritage, and encourages the public to appreciate and help preserve the many aspects of the area’s historical places, stories, and traditional ways of life. The Birsay Heritage Trust structure fulfils the interests and aspirations of a wider public.
At the Twatt Naval Air Station, HMS Tern, Birsay Heritage Trust is currently working to conserve the surviving wartime buildings on the site, including the unusual control tower. It is planned to be part of the Defence of Britain program and to display aircraft remains in cooperation with Aircraft Research Group of Orkney and Shetland. The Trust aims to make the site more accessible to visitors, develop displays and interpretation boards, and share the unique stories of people who served there.
The work at HMS Tern sits alongside the Trust’s other activities. This includes preserving the Kitchener Memorial, which commemorates the sinking of HMS Hampshire; conserving the original Birsay whalebone and raising funds for a bronze sculpture to mark its historic location; supporting the world’s last working bere mill, Barony Mill; and maintaining and caring for St. Magnus Church.
There are many other aspects of heritage to be recorded and displayed, including archaeological sites, both prehistoric and more recent. You can participate and bring fresh ideas and energy to preserving the heritage of our part of Orkney.
Birsay Heritage Trust welcomes support from anyone anywhere in the world with an interest in history, heritage, wartime sites, archaeology, traditional ways of life, or the story of Birsay. You can help by visiting HMS Tern, making a donation, volunteering, becoming a member, or sharing memories or photographs.
Donations and volunteer support help the Trust conserve historic buildings, care for artefacts, improve visitor displays, and keep HMS Tern open for future generations.
The site is extensive, offering a wide range of attractions. From the control tower, where trainee pilots received clearance to take off and land during challenging training missions over the North Atlantic, to air raid shelters and even a cinema, there is much to explore. It provides a glimpse into the lives of the men and women stationed at this bustling outpost off the northern coast of mainland Scotland. Additionally, you can look forward to an increasing number of events and activities throughout the season.
The name of this blog is taken from the newsletter of the airfield which was published by personnel stationed there from 1939 until 1945. We aim to recreate the idea and add articles and interesting developments as the museum progresses.
To find us, enter the postcode KW17 2JH into your sat nav.
See you soon.