A headland skirted by cliffs located 10 miles (16 km) north of Stromness on the Orkney Mainland, Marwick Head faces northeast into the North Atlantic Ocean. It was off Marwick Head that the cruiser HMS Hampshire struck a mine in a storm on the 5th June 1916 while transporting Field Marshal Lord Kitchener, the British Minister of War, and his staff to a conference in Russia. A total of 643 men lost their lives, including Kitchener. An attempt to maintain secrecy resulted in the navy blocking access to the area which undoubtedly prevented more survivors being rescued.
The Kitchener Memorial, which is located at a height of 87m (285 feet) on top of the cliffs, commemorates the incident.
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