A mass burial took place near Heylor in 1674, when an unknown number of the crew of the Wapen van Rotterdam, a 1,000 ton ship with 60 guns belonging to the Dutch East India Company, were killed in action during the Third Anglo-Dutch war.

It was common practice for both English and Dutch warships to take shelter in Ronas Voe from storms and it was while sheltering there that the Wapen van Rotterdam was trapped in the voe and mercilessly attacked by three British warships.

They were the RN frigates 'Newcastle', with 54 guns, the 'Cambridge' with 74 guns and the 'Crown' with 48 guns. It must have been some spectacle for the local folk, who in all probability had more in common with the Netherlanders, than they would have had with the English.

The bodies of the unfortunate seamen were buried at the Hollander's Knowe, near to the Ronas Voe Fish Factory. In all probability this would be the first record of war graves in Shetland. The grave site pictured above is marked by a small red granite cairn and it bears a plaque that reads simply 'Hollanders Graves'.

 

These two scenes show the now peaceful Ronas Voe.

Pictured left is the view looking west to the voe's entrance and the other scene is taken from above the cairn looking inland towards Swinister.