Glimps Holm or Glims Holm ( non, Glums Holm) is a small uninhabited
islet
An islet is a very small, often unnamed island. Most definitions are not precise, but some suggest that an islet has little or no vegetation and cannot support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/or hard coral; may be permanen ...
in
Orkney,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
.
Geography
Glimps Holm lies in Holm Sound, one of the eastern entrances to
Scapa Flow, between
Mainland, Orkney
The Mainland, also known as Hrossey and Pomona, is the main island of Orkney, Scotland. Both of Orkney's burghs, Kirkwall and Stromness, lie on the island, which is also the heart of Orkney's ferry and air connections.
Seventy-five per cent of O ...
and the island of
Burray
Burray () is one of the Orkney Islands in Scotland. It lies to the east of Scapa Flow and is one of a chain of islands linked by the Churchill Barriers.
Geography and geology
Burray lies between Mainland, Orkney and South Ronaldsay, and is ...
. The
Churchill Barriers
The Churchill Barriers are four causeways in the Orkney islands with a total length of . They link the Orkney Mainland in the north to the island of South Ronaldsay via Burray and the two smaller islands of Lamb Holm and Glimps Holm.
The ba ...
link
South Ronaldsay to the Orkney Mainland. Glimps Holm is connected to
Lamb Holm
Lamb Holm is a small uninhabited island in Orkney, Scotland. The Italian Chapel, constructed during the Second World War, is the island's main attraction.
Lamb Holm is classified by the National Records of Scotland as an uninhabited island tha ...
, to the northeast, by Barrier number 2, and to
Burray
Burray () is one of the Orkney Islands in Scotland. It lies to the east of Scapa Flow and is one of a chain of islands linked by the Churchill Barriers.
Geography and geology
Burray lies between Mainland, Orkney and South Ronaldsay, and is ...
by Barrier number 3.
History
Scapa Flow had many entrances, making it difficult to protect the anchorages in this natural harbour. Blockships had been sunk to close the narrow passages, but these proved inadequate. The
Churchill Barriers
The Churchill Barriers are four causeways in the Orkney islands with a total length of . They link the Orkney Mainland in the north to the island of South Ronaldsay via Burray and the two smaller islands of Lamb Holm and Glimps Holm.
The ba ...
were built during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
to block the eastern entrances. Much of the labour for the
causeways was provided by over 1300 Italian
prisoners of war, captured in North Africa and stationed in Camp 60 on
Lamb Holm
Lamb Holm is a small uninhabited island in Orkney, Scotland. The Italian Chapel, constructed during the Second World War, is the island's main attraction.
Lamb Holm is classified by the National Records of Scotland as an uninhabited island tha ...
and two camps on Burray.
Footnotes
Uninhabited islands of Orkney
{{Orkney-geo-stub