Tag: Hurricane

APRIL 1941 PODCAST OUT -A HURRICANE PILOT, SHOTS FIRED, TRAGEDY IN SAINTS BAY, RATIONING, AND MUCH MORE.

It is April 1941. The Channel Islands are in their tenth month of being occupied by the German forces.

A look at the impact of rationing, an influx of German forces, a proposed raid to take back the islands and much more.   You can listen on your favourite podcast app or listen on the player below. Se below for photos as well of things we refer to in the podcast.

In this episode we cover the Hurricane pilot Sgt Robert Stirling who bailed out of his Hurricane and landed on the small island oof Lihou.  As mentioned in the podcast there is an excellent documentary called “Stirling’s War” which you can find here and watch for free. Tim Osborne who produced it was also mentioned in the podcast.  You can find details of his guided walks here.  

There was a tragedy at Saints Bay when three men died whilst attempting to collect Ormers. Shots are fired and a boat overturns.

Saints Bay Guernsey
Saints Bay Guernsey

If you are wondering what an Ormer is look here.

Saints Bay Guernsey

The St Sampsons Restaurant at the Hollies that we mentioned I managed to pop along and get a photo of the building.

Article from the Guernsey Evening Press

We also talked about the new book coming out from Blue Ormer. The Hans Max von Aufsess diary – “Gentle Violence  1943 – 45” which you can read about and pre-order here.

I hope that you have enjoyed reading the blog post.

I also co-host a podcast with Keith Pengelley in which we talk about the occupation of the Channel Islands month by month using first hand accounts, diaries and our research in the archives. You can find us on all the major podcast services. Just search “Islands at War” or visit our podcast page here.

You can also follow the blog on Twitter at @Fortress_Island where I share other information and photographs. If you prefer Facebook I also have a page there. 

If you would like to receive email notifications of future blogs, you can sign up to the right of this blog post or here. Feel free to look around the website, where I have categorised posts to make them easier to find and other resources such as tours, places to visit and films that may be of interest.

If you have questions or information to share you can contact me by email on Contact@Island-Fortress.Com.

You can also find articles, podcasts, TV appearances and other social media etc here.


I will be adding more as time permits. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope you enjoyed it. Please share it on social media or add a comment if you did. Feedback is always appreciated.

Also happy to be contacted with questions about the war in the Channel Islands, media appearances, podcasts etc.

© Nick Le Huray

THE RAF HURRICANE PILOTS IN GUERNSEY JUNE 1940 – PART TWO!

If you have been reading my blog for a while you may have read my post about the two Hurricane pilots who spent some time operating from Guernsey. I am extremely grateful to Philip Mobbs who contacted me after reading my blog post. He has provided some more information which warrants a part two to the story of these men.

The original blog post is here if you haven’t read it or you want to refresh your memory!

A TALE OF TWO PILOTS, HURRICANE GIRLS & A FRENCHMAN!

Phillip is writing a book about another 17 Squadron Hurricane pilot Denis Wissler, who was a good friend of Harold Bird-Wilson, aka Bird’y.

Phillip was kind enough to agree to me including on the blog exerts from Denis’s diary which provides more information.

“Denis had been on 85 Sqn in France and been evacuated back to England at the time of the Dunkirk evacuations, much to his annoyance he was then sent back out as a replacement to 17.  His diary entries of the period (with my text between) are below:

Monday 17 June

This was my day off but at lunch time we heard that the French had given up. We all went  down to the ‘drome and after about an hour we took off and flew to Jersey Airport, a flight of  about 25 mins.  A grand party was thrown for us and we had a damn good time.  I went to  bed at midnight.  We heard that the Russians had joined us and having drunk to it we heard  it wasn’t true.

When the news of the impending armistice reached Dinard the French Base Commander gave the CO, Squadron Leader MacDougall, one hour to leave or all the squadron’s Hurricanes would be impounded and destroyed.  Sergeant Desmond Fopp, a young Australian pilot, recalled:

‘The CO suddenly appeared and said that all serviceable aircraft were to be flown out immediately and climbed into his aircraft for take-off.  We hastily followed as he had omitted to say where to!  Due to a slow start (flat battery) I remember following the last dot in the sky and eventually landed in Jersey.’

Tuesday 18 June

What a day.  We got up at 5am and were driven to the aerodrome.  We sat about for a while and then I relieved 3 sergeants who were standing by in their aircraft.  Just as we were to  be relieved there was a flap and off we went. I did a patrol of 1.55 hrs over Cherbourg.  Having landed I was sent to Guernsey where I remained with 5 others for the rest of the day, and  night.  We heard today that we are off to England tomorrow oh I hope it is true.

Wednesday 19 June

We were woken up at 4am and brought to readiness.  We sat about and slept until 10 when we managed to rustle up something to eat.  We were then told we were to go at 1.30.  1.30  came but we had to wait for a DH89 to arrive.  We took off at about 3.15 and landed at Tangmere at about 4, and left for Debden at about 4.45 arriving about 25 mins later,  whoppee, back in England again.“

Phillip also provided some more information about the state of their aircraft and that claim of a Guernsey lady having flown to England in a Hurricane.

“Many of the squadrons Hurricanes were by this time unserviceable, Sergeant Fopp flew his back with a burst tailwheel.  Two pilots returned in a two seater Magister they had scrounged and another two found an abandoned Fairey Battle but managed to make it flyable enough to get them home.  In a post-war interview Bird-Wilson said that some of the local women in Guernsey had asked to be flown to England and that later he had met one at a party who said that she had indeed flown back in a Hurricane, the pilot having removed the radio to make space for her.  According to Edith Heap, a WAAF who served at Debden and had known Birdy, he had flown a girl back although he denied it.” – Phillip Mobbs.

Thanks very much to Phillip for taking the time to contact me and allowing me to share this. Do keep an eye out for his book when it comes out.

I hope that you have enjoyed reading the blog post.

I also co-host a podcast with Keith Pengelley in which we talk about the occupation of the Channel Islands month by month using first hand accounts, diaries and our research in the archives. You can find us on all the major podcast services. Just search “Islands at War” or visit our podcast page here.

You can also follow the blog on Twitter at @Fortress_Island where I share other information and photographs. If you prefer Facebook I also have a page there. 

If you would like to receive email notifications of future blogs, you can sign up to the right of this blog post or here. Feel free to look around the website, where I have categorised posts to make them easier to find and other resources such as tours, places to visit and films that may be of interest.

If you have questions or information to share you can contact me by email on Contact@Island-Fortress.Com.

You can also find articles, podcasts, TV appearances and other social media etc here.


I will be adding more as time permits. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope you enjoyed it. Please share it on social media or add a comment if you did. Feedback is always appreciated.

Also happy to be contacted with questions about the war in the Channel Islands, media appearances, podcasts etc.

© Nick Le Huray

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