Fascinating--I was just reading an account in a 1952 National Geographic Magazine that talks about housing built during WWII and the strategic importance of Orkney & Shetland during the war. In one account a Shetlander(?) said people would count the number of ships going over, 'and' the number of ships returning! Judy ----- Original Message ----- From: Sigurd Towrie To: ORCADIA-L@rootsweb.com Sent: Friday, April 16, 2004 5:59 PM Subject: RE: [<orcadia>] Hell's Half Acre On 16 April 2004 04:39, Stella wrote: > On another subject. How did Hell's Half Acre come by it's name? There are two theories. One is that the name stemmed from World War 2, when a number of service men and women were stationed at Hatston. The other is that it was the traditional "home" of the tinklers (tinkers). After the war, Hatston's damp, wooden, rat-infested huts survived until the early 70s and were used as public housing. And anyone who spent any time in them would say the name suited perfectly. And I can vouch for that. -- Sigurd Towrie Blackhall - Kirbister - Stromness - Orkney Heritage of Orkney: www.orkneyjar.com Home: sigurd@orkneyjar.com Work: sigurd.towrie@orcadian.co.uk ==== ORCADIA Mailing List ==== To unsubscribe from the Orcadia mailing list, send an e-mail with the word 'unsubscribe' in the message body to orcadia-l-request@rootsweb.com