There are many memorials like this in Saaremaa and I find it both poignant and moving. Several wars have affected the islanders and all they've wanted is to everybody leave them be.

During the Soviet era, a large amount of the population was sent to camps in Siberia. Boats were taken from them, to prevent them from emigrating to other countries.

Every memorial read something like "from this harbor XX people left / were sent to a far-away land".