About 400 Orcadians served in the Royal Navy during the Great War.  While a few served on the large warships of the Grand Fleet, research has shown that most spent the war years on the many small boats which toiled to make the Navy's bases and ports safe to use.  The biography of a Royal Naval Reserve sailor from North Ronaldsay, Thomas Thomson who lost his life while carrying out minesweeping duties, can be downloaded as a pdf from the North Ronaldsay section of the website, or directly using the link below.