A one-day exhibition inside one of the buildings of the former World War II airfield. There are vintage cameras on display, along with a wide range of wartime photographs taken by 771 Naval Air Squadron who were based there. Andrew Hollinrake will be there all day to answer questions about the Photographic Unit.

HMS Tern was one of four wartime airfields in Orkney. It started operating in 1941, its main role being to provide training facilities for the Royal Navy. Many different squadrons were based there, with planes ranging from Gladiators and Swordfish to Skuas and Seafires. Along with the other Orkney airfields, it would house aircraft from the Fleet’s aircraft carriers when they were in harbour in Scapa Flow.

Birsay Heritage Trust with the help of Aviation Research Group Orkney & Shetland (ARGOS) have been working to clear the site and open up more of the remaining buildings for visitors. The Control Tower, Cinema and Fire Station are the main focus at the moment, and all three feature on guided tours.

The normal 2 pm tour will run, the suggested donation for which is £8 adult, £5 under-18. The rest of the day has no charge, but donations to the work of the Trust and volunteers are welcome.

The HMS Tern website has details of how to get there. There are updates on their Facebook page.

This will be the opening event for the inaugural Orkney Archaeology Festival, details of which will be announced shortly by Orkney Archaeology Society. It will run from Thursday 11 to Sunday 15 September.