The Shetland Project | Richard Chivers

Shetland Reconnaissance

Due to the Shetland islands geographical positioning as the UK’s furthest point north, it has had a long history of being used by the military to observe and defend the UK from foreign activity. During WW2 there were many observational posts that were used to defend key areas of the island to stop invasion. During the cold war strategic observational posts and communication systems were set up on Shetland, observing through radar any activity in the north, including that of the Russians. This included a radar station at Saxa Vord and NATO’s ACE High communications system, allowing long-range communications between NATO’s high command. At Saxa Vord the Radar station has recently been reinstated to monitor the Russian threat once again.

Richard Chivers visited key sites on the Shetland Islands, to photograph the landscape and the remaining Military buildings that exist.