A poignant day of events will help the people of Orkney mark the centenary of the end of the First World War.
Remembrance Sunday, November 11, marks 100 years since the armistice brought an end to hostilities.
News that the Great War was finally over was met in Orkney with much fanfare, until the full scale of devastation and lives lost began to sink in.
A spokeswoman for Orkney Islands Council said: “We are working with partners and organisations to produce a programme of events throughout Remembrance Sunday, to enable Orkney to come together again – this time to mark the centenary of the armistice and to remember all those lives lost in the Great War and later conflicts.”
At six in the morning on Remembrance Sunday, a lone piper will stand at St Magnus Cathedral, “joining” 1,000 individual pipers across the United Kingdom to play the traditional Scottish lament ‘Battle’s O’er’, played at the end of battle.
The traditional Remembrance Sunday parade will begin at 10.30am before a short service led by the Salvation Army Captain.
It will lead to a two minutes silence at 11am before a special Armistice Service takes place in the cathedral.
The council spokeswoman added: “In the afternoon, volunteers will begin to create a large-scale portrait in the sand at Scapa Beach of an Orcadian soldier killed during the First World War as part of Danny Boyle’s 14-18 NOW commission, Pages of the Sea.
“At 3pm, Orkney’s young people will join forces with the Orkney Rocks! choir and others to remember those lost and the impact the war had on those left behind, in a special concert at the Orkney Arts Theatre.
“Then, at 4.55pm, a lone bugler at the St Magnus Cathedral will join 1,000 individual buglers from across the UK and oversees territories in sounding the historic ‘Last Post’.”
Finally, a beacon wil be lit on the St Magnus Cathedral kirk green at 7pm.
Convener of Orkney Islands Council, Harvey Johnston, said: “We are grateful to everyone who has worked with us so far to ensure we have a fitting programme of events here in Orkney for people to mark this momentous occasion and pay their respects to forbears who suffered so much.
“I hope people will involve and immerse themselves in these events as much as they can.”