Archivists are creating a “digital time capsule” to tell the story of Scots involved in whaling and are inviting contributions from those who worked in the industry.

The Whalers’ Memory Bank project has been launched to compile photographs and oral testimonies from those who worked in the industry, which provided a lifeline to Shetland during the post-war years.

The project has been created by the South Georgia Heritage Trust and the South Georgia Museum on the sub-Antarctic island, at the site of the former whaling station at Grytviken, to preserve a forgotten part of social history, including language and the experiences of wives left behind.

As many as 400 men worked aboard whaling ships, which sailed from October until May, starting in 1904 and ending in the mid-1960s.

Oil produced by the industry was used for margarine and cosmetics during the Second World War, and another by-product was animal feed.

As much as 50 tonnes of oil could be produced from 30% of a whale’s body weight, and other nations competing for the lucrative catch included Russia and Japan.

Gibbie Fraser, 82, chairman of Shetland Ex-Whalers Association, has contributed to the memory bank.

He worked on whaling ships for four seasons, starting as a 16-year-old in 1958, and said it was an “adventure” at a time when there was little opportunity for young men on Shetland.

You can read more in an article in The Herald web site at: https://bit.ly/3zi2EeY.