On our last full day on Sylt, I woke up feeling unwell. After using the campsite’s internet connection from the reading room, I noticed that the funds in my bank account had just about run out. So we chose to pass the day nearby, in order not to spend money on transport.
We walked down into Hörnum village. After sitting on the beach, we wandered down a little toward the great sandy area at the southern tip of the island. Hörnum-Odde is known for its shifting sand and, according to some, is the point on Sylt most vulnerable to erosion. In recent years, it has been through a dramatic loss of several metres of its area.
We walked to Hörnum harbour. From here, boats leave on cruises to the neighbouring islands and to Helgoland. We had thought about leaving Sylt for the afternoon, but my financial situation made this impossible.
At the opposite end of the quay, we noticed the new property developments and the vast golf course. This used to be Hörnum’s sea-plane base, which was the scene of the first bombing raid on German soil of the second world war. Although Hitler had set Sylt aside as a bird sanctuary, it was believed that German sea planes were being used in mine-laying and attacks on British ships. It came after a raid on Scapa Flow and was one of the events that marked the end of the Phoney War.
Source: Flightglobal Archive
The weather got cloudy and we went for dinner at the campsite’s restaurant. Tom was kind enough to pay for this.
The next morning we would travel back via Westerland. Before leaving the island, we took a little time to on the Kurpromenade and think about the village of Eidum. This was lost to the sea in the fifteenth century and is now about two kilometres out to sea.
- Time: IN THE AIR: Raid on Sylt (1 April 1940)
- Hansard: British bombing raids, HC Deb 20 March 1940 vol 358 cc2000-1
- Flightglobal Archive: War in the air (continued) (pdf)