Last week the Italian army had been driven out of Egypt; now it took up defensive positions in Libya while the British dealt with the numbers of prisoners they had taken, sorted out their supplies, and prepared to resume the offensive. The Italian army wasn’t doing any better in Albania, where it was being steadily pushed back by Greek forces. Also this week, Hitler ordered his generals to draw up plans for the invasion of Russia, codenamed Operation Barbarossa, and the RAF conducted its first night raid, on Mannheim in Germany.

The county had raised almost £6,000 earlier in the year to pay for a Spitfire; now came the news that it was to be christened. The County Council unanimously decided to name it “Caithness”. (The other names which had been proposed were: “Pride o’ Caithness”; “Cock o’ the North”; “Caithness Knockout”; and “Archie”.) It would take another couple of months for the plane to come into service, in February 1941, and when it did the John O’Groat Journal included a photograph, complete with “Caithness” emblazoned beneath the cockpit.

Another group of survivors came through Thurso this week, after the SS Towa of Rotterdam travelling in convoy from Canada to Oban (with a cargo of “wheat and 48 auto trucks”) was torpedoed on 11 December. Among the Dutch crew of 17 was one Y. Darrielvis, whose occupation was a “donkeyman”: the steam engine on a ship to operate the winch was called a donkey engine, and so the operator was known as a donkeyman.

Finally this week, the John O’Groat Journal sarcastically recommended that residents of Thurso start practicing the high-jump, because the Town Council had refused to buy a jumping sheet for the use of the Fire Brigade, even though it only cost £6 14s. By way of contrast, it had been proposed at the same meeting that the Provost and Town Clerk travel to a meeting in Edinburgh by first class rail (“a waste of money at the best, but in these times a pure farce”). As for the people of Thurso, “to save their lives in the event of an air raid, should their houses be wrecked, they will have to jump for it”.

Coming soon! Week 69, 23rd - 30th December 1940, will be published on Monday 23rd December 2013. To view previous issues please use the menus on the right hand side of the page.
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