It is the December 1941 episode and we look at what Christmas was like for different families and across the Channel Islands.
We talk about food and some of the crazy prices being paid for livestock, difficulties in obtaining some some essentials.
Military activity hots up and the barrels are delivered for the huge Mirus Battery. This unfortunately causes a tragic death of a 6 year old girl who was crushed. This happened at Le Ville au Roi. In the photograph below you can see the junction itself.
Below you can see photographs of the vehicles used to pull the gun barrel.
Read more about the big guns in the article below.
Pearl Harbour happens and the Germans take measures against the Americans resident in the Channel Islands.
We look at various different families and how their lives were impacted so far.
We also touch on the German Officer who as a boy scout had been awarded a medal by the King of England.
Listen on your favourite podcast app or click the player below.
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.
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.
It is November 1941 and there is a lot going on! Link to podcast in player and then details and photographs and more below.
Dr Fritz Todt visits the Channel Islands to assess what fortifications.
We talk about espionage and the arrest of William ‘Bill’ Symes who was arrested for smuggling information out of Guernsey about the German occupation and forces. He ended up in a concentration camp, but was remarkably released to an internment camp. You can read more of his story here.
French workers arrive and then protest before running amok in Town.
Thank you to Simon De La Rue who sent us some information and photographs relating to the tragic death of Ernest Brouard along with some photographs that are below.
Ernest Brouard top left and his wife Lily bottom right taken in 1905.Obituary from the Guernsey Evening PressFuneral Notice from the Guernsey Evening PressA photo of two of Ernest’s grandchildren – Isabel and Richard De La Rue – photographed by a German soldier
I talked about a gentleman in Jersey who was complaining the RAF weren’t bombing Jersey enough and that Guernsey was getting all the attention! During a discussion about RAF activity in the area we gave a nod to one of Nick’s favourite podcasts Never Mind the Dambusters. Go check it out for all your Bomber Command related content.
Two Spitfires crash land in Alderney and we talk about what happened.
The Germans cause a potato crisis with far reaching implications and blame the potato growers!
The other podcast that may be of interest is Ham & Jam a WW2 Airborne Podcast.
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.
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.
Its October 1941 and the Germans are worried about a British attempt to retake the Channel Islands.
We had a couple of clarifications and corrections that we talked about. One being the American officer who was in fact Canadian. Learn more about Major Alan Chambers in the article below.
We talk about the Fortress Order and the French workers that arrive. Lists of men of military age drawn up. You can find out more here about the order.
During the podcast we mentioned the Digimap ariel photo map. You can find it here. The gallery of WW2 reconnaissance photos is here.
A look ahead to Liberation 80 for next year, a couple of forthcoming walks.
Guernsey Walking Tours which is Keith’s walking tours can be found here.
We also mentioned another tour guide that I am friends with Jo May whose website is on the link in her name.
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.
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.
In the September 1941 edition of the Islands at War podcast we cover a number of aspects of events that month.
As requested by many people we have expanded the podcast to include regular Jersey content so each month going forward there will a more about Jersey.
We kick off this episode with the incredible escape of Denis Vibert from Jersey in a tiny boat. Moving on to some rumours of a tunnel being constructed from Jersey to France!
The Guernsey Press organised a charity swimming gala. Pictures and report below. See if you can spot any relatives! 2,000 people, a tenth of the population, attended.
One person didn’t do so well as he ended up in court!
The Germans hold a review where German artistes could perform. Wish I had thought of this before we recorded the episode but it is kind of “Germany’s Got Talent”.
We also talk about RAF activity in the area and shipping attacks.
You can find the podcast episode on all the major podcast apps or listen in the player below.
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.
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.
August 1941 – In this episode Keith and Nick look at the German reliance on horses. Thanks to Nick’s friend Simon Edwards for helping resolve the conundrum of what to call this episode.
Then move on to how the Germans ruined the economy and left the Channel Islands virtually bankrupt. British banks lent money to the Channel Islands governments.
The unusual story of a German who was fluent in Guernésiais (Patois) and the mystery surrounding this. If you want to find out about Guernésiais your can find more info here.
German morale and disorder along with a Diphtheria outbreak.
We wrap up with listeners emails and questions.
It really helps us if you share the podcast on social media and with your friends. Also ratings and reviews help.
Nick was delighted to be invited to talk to the well known historian and author Dr Philip Blood about the German occupation of the Channel Islands during the Second World War. Phil has written a number of books and contributes to the Fallout Sub stack. Please do go and take a look at the Substack site and if you like the content subscribe.
It was an absolute privilege for Nick to be invited to speak to Phil. Phil has a great amount of knowledge about life in the occupied territories of mainland Europe including the Channel Islands and how it was different to the mainland Europe experience.
We had a great chat about resistance and how it was different from mainland Europe, collaboration, food and much more.
Watch the YouTube video or listen to the podcast 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.
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.
I was chatting to my friend Jim Delbridge about what the next topic we could cover on his BBC Radio Guernsey & Jersey show. We were trying to think of something different that hasn’t really been covered before in our chats and I thought what about all the rumours that circulated around the Channel Islands! The show went out today, 28th July 2024, and we had a great chat about rumours.
There are plenty to choose from and they range from funny, bizarre, plausible to rumours that must have been worrying. When talking or writing about these rumours I like to categorise them as ‘Wish’, ‘Worry’, and ‘Wind up’ rumours.
You might at this point be wondering how on earth all these years on I know about the rumours that circulated and the veracity or not of the rumours! I have numerous diarists, both published and unpublished, to thank for this. The Rev Ord’s diary is a great source of these rumours and he records his assessment of them. He was respected, came into contact with many people through the church. They also confided in him, not just civilians, but also Germans as he was a fluent German speaker.
Often these rumours were based on something that had happened but was then misconstrued and the story grew and grew.
One has to remember that the local population had very little information, especially when the radios were taken away, and little to entertain themselves with during the course of the almost five years of the German occupation. Gossiping and rumours partially filled the void. One thing that does amaze me is how quickly these rumours got around the islands.
Wish Rumours
These are rumours that start to circulate because the local population wish or hope something is about to happen, happening or happened! As time went on they became more and more fantastic! A lot of these types of rumours centred around supposed activity of the allied forces around or in the islands, or the supposed retreat of the Germans and liberation of the islands.
One of these rumours started in the days immediately prior to the Occupation beginning. In the days immediately prior to the Germans arriving there were a lot of rumours about what was going to happen. Including that Channel Islanders were being forced to sleep in parks, which was untrue. After the initial evacuation a rumour was circulating in Guernsey that Ocean Liners were about to arrive and take the entire population to Canada.
Following the escape of eight men from Guernsey in September 1940 there was a rumour circulating the next morning that they had arranged to rendezvous with the Royal Navy to be picked up by a Destroyer or a Submarine depending on which version of the rumour you heard!
In February 1941 there was a rumour running rife in Guernsey that a Royal Navy submarine had surfaced next to a fishing boat and the Captain had a conversation with the two fisherman. He enquired what conditions were like and offered to take them to England. They declined as their wives were still in Guernsey. Anyone who heard this rumour should have known that by this stage that would not have been possible as fishing was strictly limited and involved having a German guard on your boat or German boats keeping an eye on the fishing fleet. That didn’t stop this rumour from circulating.
At varying times throughout the occupation there were rumours that Churchill & Eden had sent messages to the German Government to say that the Islands must be surrendered within forty days or they would be taken by force. Other rumours that circulated where that Eden and Churchill had died/left the Government etc. The King was also rumoured to have abdicated. Run away to Canada or more.
20th August 1942 Violet Carey records in her diary that the latest rumour is that two large boats are to take all the Germans back to Germany. This would have been a bit of a push given the shipping available at the time and the number of Germans in the Islands.
By December 1942 a rumour was circulating that the Islands were to be declared neutral, that the Germans would leave and the International Red Cross would take over responsibility for feeding the Channel Islanders. In addition to this the rumour said that a local defence force was to be raised, presumably unarmed to keep order as the Germans were not taking the enforced labour of various nationalities with them. The ships were rumoured to be sailing under the Jersey flag. Again this rumour was rather far fetched.
Worry Rumours
Worry rumours are those that came about because faced with an unpredictable occupying force who made endless rules and controlled every aspect of life. This led to rumours about what they were going to do next.
Philip Le Sauter has some fantastic turns of phrase in his diary about life in Jersey. On 23rd September 1941 he notes “Today’s rumours also concern our local Nazi builder – he is starting to build a tunnel to France, he is making a tunnel at St. Ouen from the beach to the Airport, and another at Gorey, and he is building another aerodrome at Gorey. Actually, he appears to be wholly concerned with fortifications, building pill boxes and gun emplacements.”
Now you are probably wondering how people just didn’t go an have a look to dispel the rumours. The issue being that if you didn’t live in the area you had to cycle or walk there to take a look, assuming it wasn’t in one of the forbidden zones.
In August 1943 Violet Carey recorded in her diary that there was a rumour going around that five Organisation Todt workers had tried to burn down St Peter Port, the main town, in Guernsey. Depending on which rumour you heard they were either: 1. In Prison 2. Already been shot 3. Been deported.
These sort of rumours really did cause worry as to what the very unpredictable occupiers were likely to get up to.
In addition to this there was a rumour going around that a German officer had told a local that if his wife and children were injured or killed in Hamburg by the bombing he would shoot five local women. Thankfully this never happened but given the situation it could well have so the worry was real.
One of the most sinister rumours that arose was in late 1944 when the Allies were advancing through France and onwards towards Germany. But while there was a sense of relief that the Germans were on the way to being defeated a certain amount of fear and foreboding existed. In Guernsey there many rumours going around, that gas chambers were being built, so that some civilians would be put in to reduce the population in order to save food. Given that the islands were effectively cut off and there were severe food shortages it is not surprising that this was given some credence.
Another rumour that circulated in both Guernsey & Jersey at this time was that the Americans were going to conduct a 1,000 bomber raid on the islands and that a warning had been issued on the BBC! Such a raid would have been devastating for the islands leading to enormous casualties. Of course those that had an illicit radio set knew that this was untrue, however they couldn’t say anything as to do so would have given that fact away! If they had said this and someone had overheard they could of ended up jailed or shot.
Nobody in the Channel Islands could possibly have known at the time as there was no such broadcast, but this rumour was actually not too far from the truth as the allies had considered bombing the Channel Islands in a number of plans that were formulated over the years to retake the Channel Islands. I wrote about these operations
Wind Up Rumours
Starting a rumour in the hope that it would reach German ears and then cause them to waste time and resources investigating them. These rumours could also be used as a form of resistance by making the German forces doubt if the news they were receiving was true. This wasn’t without risk and occasionally backfired on those starting or perpetuating them.
A classic example of this was in February & March 1941. A practical joke made the Germans look very silly but led to serious consequences for the two teenage maids that started the rumour that British parachutists had landed in Guernsey. They then pretended to be signalling to them which led to the Germans staking out the house and trying to capture the parachutists! Keith and I talked about this on the February 1941 episode of our podcast which you can find here. Keith and I talk about it in some detail on the podcast. Whilst it made the Germans look silly it resulted in serious consequences for those involved in the prank and for others that were suspected to be involved by the Germans.
There were many other rumours that were started either to wind up the Germans and cause them to waste time and resources or just to look silly. They also caused unsettlement in the ranks as Germans worried particularly in the later days as things were turning against the Germans.
Post War Rumours
Unsurprisingly some of these rumours found their way into local folklore and others sprung up. If I had a pound for every time someone told me a story about the occupation that is just not supported by fact I wouldn’t be working a full time job!
The veracity of these stories goes unchecked and are unfortunately perpetuated by some who write about the occupation years without checking if there is a scintilla of truth in them.
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.
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.
A message from A.J. Sherwill, was recorded in Guernsey on 1st August, 1940, and subsequently transmitted twice by Bremen Radio. Once on 24th August 1940 and again on 30th August. It was a controversial broadcast when viewed from the UK and also was viewed with some suspicion locally. Keith and I spoke about on the August 1940 episode of the ‘Islands at War’ podcast. You can listen below.
I thought it merited further examination and explanation than we were able to give it in the podcast.
In this blog I will add some more information and context to this broadcast; who requested it, who thought it was a good idea, the content of the message and how it came about! I will also talk about the the other message that was recorded but never broadcast.
The idea was first mooted on 5th July 1940 in the meeting of the Controlling Committee, the body formed to run the Bailiwick of Guernsey during the war. The President of the Controlling Committee was Ambrose Sherwill.
The President informed the Committee that the Commandant of the German Garrison has asked him to prepare a message of approximately 100 words, with a view to being broadcast through the German wireless station. Mr. Stamford Raffles suggested that the Commandant he asked if it can be requested that the British Broadcasting Corporation be asked to re-deliver the message and also that the English papers be asked to copy.
Minutes of the controlling committee 5th July 1940
Stamford Raffles, information officer, and the rest of the Controlling Committee must have thought it was a good idea as they didn’t oppose it and there is no more mention of it in the minutes. It would therefore seem unfair for Ambrose Sherwill to be singled out for criticism. That is if criticism was indeed fair which I will look at further into this blog post.
The Commandant, I use the English spelling but you could refer to him as Kommandant as the German terminology, was Major-Doctor Albrecht Lanz. Lanz was the first Commandant of Guernsey and was killed on the Eastern front during the battle for Smolensk in January 1942.
The Speech!
The speech was recorded by the Germans on 1st August 1940.
This is His Britannic Majesty’s Procurer in Guernsey, Channel Islands speaking to the people of the United Kingdom, and in particular to those who left Guernsey and Alderney during the evacuation which preceded the German occupation.
I imagine that many of you must be greatly worried as to how we are getting on. Well, let me tell you. Some will fear, I imagine, that I am making this record with a revolver pointed at my head and speaking from a transcript thrust into my hand by a German Officer.
The actual case is very different.
The Lieutenant-Governor and Bailiff, Mr. Victor Carey, and every other Island official has been and is being treated with every consideration and with the greatest courtesy by the German Military Authorities.
The Island Government is functioning. Churches and Chapels are open for public worship. Banks, shops and places of entertainment are open as usual.
Naturally, the sudden and entire severance of communications with the United Kingdom created innumerable problems with which we have wrestled and are still wrestling.
Perhaps the best indication of the measure of our success will be shown by the latest figures of unemployment, which are as follows: Males unemployed (of whom hardly any are fit for manual labour) 186; females unemployed, 191. Relief by way of public assistance is not above the normal figure.
The States have set up a Controlling Committee to speed up public business. My friends, Sir
Abraham Lainé, A.M. Drake, R.O. Falla, R.H. Johns, John Leale, Stamford Raffles, and Dr. A.N. Symons are collaborating with me on this Committee and are working like trojans.
The conduct of the German troops is exemplary.
We have been in German occupation for four and a half weeks and I am proud of the way my fellow-Islanders have behaved, and grateful for the correct and kindly attitude towards them of the German soldiers.
We have always been and we remain intensely loyal subjects of His Majesty, and this has been made clear to and is respected by the German Commandant and his staff.
On that staff is an officer speaking perfect English – a man of wide experience, with whom I am in daily contact. To him I express my grateful thanks for his courtesy and patience.
And now let me end on a more personal note.
To Elizabeth College, the Guernsey Ladies’ College, the Guernsey Intermediate Schools, the Guernsey Primary and Voluntary Schools, to both Teachers and Scholars, all our love and good wishes.
To all men of military age who left here to join His Majesty’s Forces, God speed. To all wives and mothers and sweethearts, God bless you. To all Guernsey children in England, God keep you safe.
God bless you all till we meet again.
And to Mary Rose, to John and Dick, Mummy and I send our fondest love and best wishes.
Tell Diana Raffles that her parents are well and send their love.Will the B.B.C. please re-transmit this message and will the daily papers please publish it
Evening Press 2nd August 1940 from my collection of newspapers.
Some Guernsey folk were angered that he had taken the opportunity to pass a message to his children when they couldn’t get a message to their own. It was however not a selfish act but an effort to prove that the message was genuine.
The German officer recording the broadcast then informed Mrs Sherwill that there was still time for her to record a message.
This is Mrs. Sherwill speaking for the mothers of Guernsey. We are all quite happy and contented with life over here if only we could have news of all our children to whom we send our very dearest love.
They are always in our thoughts and prayers. The Guernsey woman is always cheerful and philosophical under adversity – and the following story is typical of the spirit of the Island both before and since the occupation.
A Guernsey fish-woman in the market said to me just before the arrival of the Germans: “Ah! but ain’t some people awful, say! There’s a woman, she ses to me, she ses: ‘The Germans is to the back of the Island.’ ‘Ah well!’ I ses to her ‘Tell them to come round to the front.
Occupied Guernsey – Herbert Winterflood
Mrs Sherwill’s message was never broadcast, which Ambrose himself thought was probably due to the insolence of the second part which probably irked the Germans.
As for Ambrose’s broadcast that did go ahead although not quite achieving what he, and Stamford Raffles which was to be rebroadcast by the BBC and reported in the UK Newspapers.
The broadcast was barely reported in the Newspapers in the United Kingdom and for good reason. Churchill was reportedly furious. You can read the news coverage below. After that you will find my analysis of was it a good idea and the motivation.
In Guernsey it did make the newspapers. The following comments were made in a leading article in the Guernsey Evening Press of 2nd August, 1940, regarding A.J. Sherwill’s message. One has to bear in mind that the newspaper was subject to German censorship and indeed forced to publish propaganda articles written by the Germans.
We feel sure that everyone in Guernsey will feel a thrill of joy that a message from Mr. A.J. Sherwill, President of the States Controlling Committee, was recorded by him yesterday, and is to be broadcast in the near future from the Bremen Station in Germany, and that the B.B.C. are being asked to re-transmit the message and the daily papers to publish it.
The message has been made possible by the kind permission of the German Commandant, and it was made on a gramophone record, which has been sent to Bremen for transmission.
The possibility of some such transmission of good news was made to our Information Officer some days ago, by a representative of this paper and we are glad that a means has been found for putting it into effect.
The actual time of transmission by wireless from Germany is not yet known: it may be expected in the near future, and if Mr. Sherwill’s request is carried out, it is safe to assume that every Sarnian now on the mainland will hear it and, still better, read it at leisure. Mr. Sherwill’s message, in well chosen words, is one that is at once homely, loyal and true to the history of the Island since the evacuation of part of the population and of our life, under changed, but not unhappy, conditions since the German occupation. It is a message such as any Guernseyman, anxious to reassure his loved ones beyond the reach of correspondence, would have himself wished to send, and it is therefore one voice speaking for all and with the heart of each with it.
The thanks of Guernsey will be given to the German Commandant for this happy and considerate gesture, one which all islanders will deeply appreciate.
Guernsey Evening Press of 2nd August, 1940
What about Jersey?
The governing body in Jersey was the Superior Council, the equivalent of the Controlling Committee in Guernsey. Having looked at their minutes and other archive sources I can’t see that they were requested to make a similar broadcast. What is certain is nobody from Jersey made such a broadcast.
I can think of a few reasons for this but these are only my thoughts rather than actually any hard evidence either way. Firstly Jersey had a different Commandant to Guernsey, Captain Gussek who was Commandant in Jersey was a very different character to Lanz who was in charge in Guernsey. He viewed his command of Jersey more as a conquering hero and being of a temporary nature. He was about to lead his men on to the next stage to invade England on Operation Sea Lion. He was therefore less interested in the civilian administration of Jersey and any propaganda to be gained from it.
My second thought on why no broadcast came from Jersey was simply that there was a much smaller number of evacuees to the UK from Jersey. Only about 6,500 people had been evacuated from Jersey’s total population of circa 47,000 as opposed to almost half of the population of Guernsey being evacuated. A similar broadcast from Jersey would therefore have had much less propaganda value.
Analysis of why and was it wise?
As noted above Churchill was reportedly furious. He was noted to be furious about a number of things to do with the Channel Islands i the month of July so it is unsurprising he was furious about this in August. His initial fury was at having to give the islands up at all and then the less than impressive Operation Ambassador which you can read about here. This broadcast just annoyed him further.
With the passage of time and all the information that is available perhaps it is unfair that the speech was viewed by some as sucking up to the Germans and providing propaganda for the Germans.
If you had been in his position, one month into being occupied by the enemy that has rolled across Europe in quick fashion, cut off from a large portion of your population who have been evacuated and are anxious for news of their loved ones who are still in the Channel Islands. What would you do?
At the time he recorded the speech he had no idea how news from the Channel Islands could be sent or if it was ever going to be allowed. Talks about the use of the International Red Cross setting up a message system had not yet begun.
He took the decision, approved by the Controlling Committee, to take this speech and pass the message to those in the UK that their families were safe, that they were being well treated, at that point of the war, and to allay the fears of Channel Islanders in the UK.
Some of what he said may have been slightly naive or maybe it was just a case of at one month in to the occupation he hadn’t as yet get to grips with what he may or may not be allowed to say and hedged his bets. Better to get his message across to those desperate for news rather than recording something that the Germans then refuse to broadcast.
What he probably hadn’t have foreseen was how the German propaganda machine would use it with an introduction stating that it was proof that it wasn’t so bad to be living in an occupied country and that rumours of ill treatment were untrue.
For those that thought Sherwill was going too far and being too co-operative with the Germans and doubted his loyalty to the King they were soon to be proved wrong. In October 1940 he was sent to prison in France for helping Symes and Nicolle when they were here on a commando mission. You can read about that here.
Conclusion
Looking at all the evidence available I really think that it is harsh to say that Sherwill shouldn’t have made the broadcast. He did so with the best of intentions to quell the worries of those that had been evacuated. He had after all been left ‘holding the baby’ when the British government decided to withdraw from the Channel Islands.
In the end the broadcast did no harm to him as he received a knighthood post war and became Baliff of Guernsey from 1946 to 1959. For those not familiar with the role of the Bailiff he is the head of the judiciary and the most senior islander with a non political role. The Baliff also acts as the equivalent of the speaker of the House of Commons in the Guernsey parliment.
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.
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.
As many of you will know I am writing a book about escapes from the Channel Islands. Whilst doing some research I found a reference to a court case involving am Irishman, Joseph Ridgeway, who claimed to have escaped from the Channel Islands in January 1944. I thought the escape would be interesting to write about so did some more digging in the archives in Guernsey, Jersey and the UK.
He was prosecuted in Carlisle in December 1944 for assuming ‘a name other than that by which he was originally known.’ Having researched this further it would seem that his name was not the only thing that wasn’t true. His claim of escaping would also seem to be untrue! It becomes even more curious!
If he had been in Jersey until January 1944 he couldn’t have avoided having registered with the German authorities and I can find no record of him having done so. The Jersey Archives contain a record of all of these registration documents and he cannot be found under his assumed name or his real name. He also doesn’t appear in any of the lists that exist of people that escaped after the Germans arrived.
You can read about the court case in the articles below. You can find the rest of my thoughts on this after the articles.
Interestingly the£2 cost of telephone calls to investigate this would have been £77.21 in today’s money at the time of writing!
The only Joseph Ridgeway I can find in the Jersey Archives, with the same year of birth, is a man who applied to return to Jersey after the war.1 In his application he states that he left the Channel Islands on 21st June 1940. That means that he would have left on one of the evacuation ships rather than his story of escaping.
All in all a bit of a mystery! If you know anything about this drop me a line!
Keen to learn more about the occupation? Read on!
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.
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.
Two weeks have passed already since the last podcast!
We are back for episode 3! We now have an appropriate theme tune thanks to our friend Jim Delbridge. He has kindly allowed us to use his song “5 to 7” from his album ‘The Navigator’. You can find details below about the song and the video.
You can find the podcast on all the usual podcast apps as well as here or listen below.
Keith and Nick talk you through the events of August 1940 the second full month of the islands being occupied by the German forces. We talk about matters both civilian and military.
Freedom of worship except for some. Major Marie Ozanne see more about her and a video here. Food & Essentials. The Bailiff’s controversial broadcast on German Radio. You can find full details of the broadcast here. A mission to rescue two commandos.
During the podcast we talk about some adverts from the Guernsey Press which are below.
We now have some intro and outro music thanks to our very talented friend Jim Delbridge.
If you listen to the podcast and like it please do like and share it with your friends. It would be great if you could also comment on the podcast on your favourite podcast app.
