My co-host on the Islands at War podcast Keith Pengelley has written this blog post which is a slightly tongue in cheek look at fire precautions. Well worth a read.
Picture copyright Keith Pengelley
My grandmother kept a number of documents relating to the lead up of World War Two; mainly dealing with everyday life here on Guernsey.
One of the items she kept was Public Information No 5 which dealt with fire precautions resulting from an air raid.
You will see from the photograph that it was issued from the Lord Privy Seal’s Office in August 1939. So a pretty generic UK wide information leaflet that gives a rather casual though detailed set of instructions of how to panic….sorry….proceed should one’s house be hit by the Luftwaffe..or indeed by any other air force…presumably even the RAF.
The information within seems now a trifle tentative…as I say…casual though detailed. I particularly like the inclusiveness. See under Home Fire Fighters…all are urged to get involved. A bit like Christmas…EVERYBODY we are assured has a part to play…even presumably Bob the dog. All large fires start as small ones…an assertive promise if not confirmation of impending doom.
Picture copyright Keith Pengelley
Once we are at least kidding ourselves that we can snuff out a large fire by intimidating a small one, we now turn our attention to THE FIRE BOMB itself. An “ordinary” fire bomb is not in the least like a high explosive bomb…on no…this one, whilst it may not explode at all (so don’t just stand looking at it !) it could blaze up and scatter burning material in all directions. So no need for a compass.
The Fire bomb we are told will not simply bounce of our roof but will make its way, unassisted to the first boarded floor below the roof. After period of consideration…it will the set about turning the roof spaces, attic and upper storeys into a blazing inferno. So keep the wireless low, it’s not going to pop downstairs and introduce itself.
Working on the assumption that we are aware that the upper part of the house is ablaze we now have to DEAL WITH A FIRE which means that we need to ACT QUICKLY. We must realise that, and this I guess is small comfort, a fire started by a bomb is just like an ordinary fire thus we need not worry about panicking in any way than we would normally panic. Plus of course every minute we delay will make the job of putting out the fire more difficult. Not the time to be putting the kettle on.
Fortuitously, our leaflet informs us HOW TO DEAL WITH A BOMB. WE must not just throw water (or tea) as that will do more harm than good….a fine spray will be far more effective so the procurement of a stirrup pump with special nozzle is the best appliance. This is best done as soon as possible as the nation will require around 40 million stirrup pumps and it would be best to be at the front of the queue….again….not the time to making a pot of tea.
Should a pump be procured…best keep it down stairs….not in the roof spaces or attic…then all could be well; simply spray around the bomb and this will make it easier to approach it.
Say what !
Picture copyright Keith Pengelley
At this point our leaflet rather gives up on what happens once the bomb is approached but it seems too imply that there may be an opportunity to coax it into a bucket. Remember to keep the bomb coaxing bucket downstairs…not in the roof space or attic because…yup….they will be well ablaze.
But back to the bomb…
If the application for a stirrup pump is still at the post office it may be possible to introduce some sand…yes…sand…into the bomb coaxing bucket…four inches should be fine…possibly five…not a time to quibble. Then simply scoop up the bomb and place it therein.
Remove the bucket to a safe place. Not upstairs because…exactly.
All done…well apart from the roof spaces, attic etc. they will be well ablaze….you can’t have forgotten.
Picture copyright Keith Pengelley
However…WHAT SHOULD WE DO NOW ?
Well here the leaflet comes up trumps. Clear the attics of “junk” old or otherwise that may have been collected there.Especially the inflammable stuff.
Have ready a number of buckets, shovels, scoops, pumps and nozzles. Possibly even a garden syringe.
Then you’ll be fine.
An anti-aircraft gun would be good. Even an air force. But there’s a war on….
So….don’t forget to look at the reverse of the leaflet…now !…not when the house is on fire.
There is though time. We are advised that IF THERE SHOULD BE A THREAT OF WAR ACT AT ONCE AS FOLLOWS:
Purchase buckets and keep filled with water, as you can’t bank on the fire brigade giving you any, move the bath downstairs but place the buckets and other appliances upstairs in a place near but not too close to where the bomb is going to land.
Rest assured that if living in a small house you may hear the bomb striking the roof but if in a larger house a watcher may be deployed on or near the top floor. Tell him, or her, to take a whistle.
If the house does catch fire and you have approached the bomb and then successfully coaxed it into a bucket sand…go and find someone…anyone…..
A.R.P. St Martin’sNotice
Having taken a tongue in cheek look at the generic fire precautions we now can see that the Guernsey authorities issued localised A.R.P. Notices.
My grandmother retained her specific area details. These were for the parish of ST. Martin’s which is situated in the south west of the island. More specifically these would have been for the locality known as The Old Mill.
My grandmother was at that time resident with a number of other family members in an area known as Ville Aumphrey. The cottage still exists though passed out of family hands post-war.
We will though, in later episodes refer to that address.
The notice now informs us that sand dumps have been deposited in a field next to the tennis courts. Everyone in the area would have known where these were and indeed they still exist.
The notice further informs my grandmother that the nearest A.R.P. Post is Number 1 and who here wardens are. She may well have known them personally.
So….at the time of receipt, grandmother would have had time to collect her bucket of sand, settle down, make a pot of tea and await the incendiary bombs to fall.
Put that Bloney light out !
Picture copyright Keith Pengelley
Thanks to Keith for a very entertaining an informative article. You can catch Keith and myself on GNET Radio every other Monday evening or if you want to catch us on the podcast you can find details here and here. If you have any questions for us to address on the podcast email them to occupied@gnetradio.com.
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.
The pilot episode of the radio show ‘Islands At War’ is now available to listen to on demand. You can listen in your browser by clicking on the link below. Keith and I talk about the phoney war, refugees from France escaping through the islands, confusion about whether to stay or go, the German bombing raid and much more! If you have a spare 46 minutes go take a listen.
We will be releasing a discussion about each month of the occupation every two weeks. Any feedback gratefully received.
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 alluded a while back to something coming up that I couldn’t talk about but now I can reveal all! Well apart from the other things that are on the list of things that might be happening that I still can’t talk about that is! Starting on 5th February I will be co-host of a radio programme & podcast about the occupation of the Channel Islands.
I have been talking for a year or so about the idea of teaming up for this project with local tour guide, amateur historian and broadcaster Keith Pengelley. You can find out more about Keith and his tours here. He is a stalwart of GNETRadio as well as a tour guide and member of the team that looks after visitors to our heritage sites.
Each episode will cover a month of the occupation starting in June 1940. The idea being that we will talk about social issues, life under occupation and the military impact. We will be using diaries of those that were here, our combined research, our families experiences and also talking about other things that were going on in the wider European theatre of operations that impacted the islands.
We finally managed to align diaries and recorded a pilot show for GNETRadio which has now been scheduled for broadcast on 5th February of the pilot episode. We had so much fun with the pilot episode that we decided it was worth putting out. Rest assured the later episodes will be more polished, well we hope so anyway!
Click the link here if you want to listen live on 5th February at 19:00.
Our aim is to broadcast an episode every two weeks which you can either listen to live online or listen later by downloading it from Mixcloud or using the GNETRadio website.
I will be posting links here and on social media each time an episode is released for catchup on Mixcloud. Sign up here to be notified by email of these.
We have a lot of other ideas about where we can take this concept and will be working on these over the coming months and announcing them as we firm them up!
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 thought it would be a good time to provide a bit of an update on how things were going with researching an writing the book. Having signed a contract with Barnthorn Publishing at the end of December 2023 it certainly focused my mind as I now have a deadline for submitting the manuscript! January 2025 seems like a long way away but when it comes to writing a book it really isn’t!
I had researched and collected a large amount of information about the escapes from the Channel Islands prior to starting to write the book and well before signing up with the publisher. There is however much more information out there that hasn’t seen the light of day! I have been overwhelmed by the response following announcing that the book is underway. I have received a large amount of information and some photographs from family members of some of those that escaped.
In addition a number of my local historian friends have volunteered information and documents to assist me. For this I am truly grateful! If you are reading this and have any information, no matter how big or small that you might want to share please do get in touch! Email me at Contact@Island-Fortress.Com.
If you are worried that this will mean that the blog will be neglected fear not I will still be posting articles on the blog about the occupation in general.
What else is going on?
Well if I wasn’t busy enough with the book and the blog a few other blog related activities are happening. I have been providing information and contacts to the American TV show 60 Minutes for a forthcoming documentary that they are planning.
In early January I recorded a podcast episode with the lovely folks from History Hack which will be out in due course. If you don’t listen to their podcast I recommend you do as covers all aspects of history. They are a great bunch of historians and great fun if you get to meet them in person.
I was on Radio Guernsey talking about escapes from Guernsey with Jim Delbridge. You can catch it at the link below for another couple of weeks if you are reading this on the day it is posted.
Another suggestion that I received was a Zoom Q&A about the occupation which it seems that there is a lot of interest in so will be happening in February! I have persuaded another knowledgable local friend Alasdair Davidson to join me on this. Look out for further details! Subscribe to the blog for free here so you don’t miss out!
And there is more!
There is more coming to supplement the blog which I had a meeting about this week but can’t say more than that at the moment! All will be revealed in a few weeks time!
Thanks for reading the blog and please do share it with your friends.
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.
Thanks very much to Jim Delbridge of BBC Radio Guernsey for inviting me in to talk about my forthcoming book. It was a pleasure to speak to Jim about the escapes from Guernsey.
We talked about escapes in general and the Frederick Hockey escape in particular. If you missed that one the blog post is below at the end of this post..
You can catch the interview here. Jim was sitting in for one of his colleagues. Interview starts at 1:13:00.
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 we are about to celebrate Christmas with our families all together and with as much to eat and drink as we want I thought it would be a good time to reflect on Christmas during the occupation of the Channel Islands.
I will look at it from the perspective of those trapped in the Channel Islands, those in exile in the United Kingdom and those who had been deported to Germany. Their experiences were quite different.
1940
Christmas festivities in the islands, in the first Christmas under occupation, were not too different than in previous years; aside from a multitude of regulations to comply with. In Jersey this was partly due to a lot of secret pig killing that had been going on. If the Germans had caught wind of the amount of food that was available on islanders tables’ that Christmas they would have been quick to adjust the situation.1
In Guernsey the Essential Commodities Committee allowed additional rations for the Christmas period. Fifty percent extra of meat was allowed, along with the ration of butter and cooking fat being doubled. In addition the remaining supplies of currants and raisins were released.2 This, coupled with the fact that some people had kept back provisions that they had been ordered to hand over undoubtedly helped the Christmas dinner tables look relatively normal.
The issue of tea had stopped in the middle of November 1940, with all stocks being collected and held centrally. In time for Christmas a one off ration of tea was issued.3
On Christmas Eve the Guernsey Evening Press front page announced that the islanders who had been sent to a Paris prison in October were to be released and returned to the island. They had been sent to prison following the commando raid by Nicolle & Symes. Sadly the reprieve came too late for Louis Symes who died in prison. You can read more about this here.
The Germans had also announced the return of islanders’ radios on Christmas Eve following their earlier confiscation so at least they could also enjoy the BBC Radio broadcasts. These radios were returned on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
A Christmas fund had also been raised to ensure that all children remaining in the islands had at least one Christmas present. Entertainment was also arranged around the parishes including the screening of three suitable films for children at the Regal Cinema.
In Jersey, Philip Le Sauteur, manager of a builders merchants, noted in his diary that it was the first Christmas Eve that he had not had a slap up feed of tea and buns. 4
In the UK, whilst the adults were desperate for news of relatives still in the occupied Channel Islands, the evacuated children were treated to Christmas parties for their first Christmas away from home. This news was announced by the Ministry of Health who arranged for at least one Christmas party to be held in each district of England & Wales. Santa was played by members of the armed forces.5 Some of the children were also desperate for news as they had been separated from their parents and were living with strangers that had effectively adopted them for the duration.
1941
The Germans extended the curfew hours so that islanders could stay out until 1am.
Hartley Jackson, the vicar of St Stephens Church, was furious when he saw that the Germans had “improved” his Christmas message in the Star Newspaper by inserting “The recognition that Christ was born into the world to save the world and to bring peace on earth is the need of Britain and her other Bolshevist allies!”
In his diary Reverend Douglas Ord notes that 2lbs of potatoes each were to be issued for Christmas and that men were to receive extra tobacco rations. He laments that unfortunately the womenfolk were not to receive anything extra, despite their ceaseless work to keep families fed and looked after. He also records another death by starvation which is a continual occurrence even by this stage of the occupation.
Ord and his wife spent Christmas Day with friends and family although their only “Christmas box” was the news from the BBC that “Benghazi has fallen” as the shops had nothing to sell.6
Philip Le Sauteur, recorded the situation in Jersey in his diary on 27th December. Whilst there were no sweets, except for a few given to school children, and fruit was absent his mother still managed to conjure up a Christmas pudding of sorts. They had some unwanted company on Christmas Day as a German Corporal, presumably billeted with them, joined them for lunch. He was quite clearly an avid supporter of the German cause however Le Sauteur notes that he was a “good tempered chap” and they were able to have a lively exchange of views. He finished the entry with a note that they hadn’t been affected by Russian prisoners stealing or begging for food unlike other parts of the island.
Evacuee children in the UK were again entertained with the WVS and Scouts organising parties, food and toys across the UK. These parties managed to cobble together an excellent tea, despite rationing and as well as the playing of games they sang songs including Guernsey’s anthem ‘Sarnia Cherie’.7
At least by this Christmas it was possible to send and receive the short Red Cross messages although they took months to come through. If you want to read about how these messages worked you can read my blog on it here.
New Year’s Eve in Guernsey saw an incident that marred the ringing in of the new year. A number of Germans indulged in drunken activities which included them firing their pistols and rifles into the air at midnight. Despite having been warned slightly before this not to go outside George Fisher, a resident of Collings Road, did go outside and was accidentally shot.8
Fisher was recorded by the coroner as having died due to an ‘excessive haemorrhage caused by a bullet wound’. The news of the manner of his death was not reported accurately in the local newspapers as they were controlled by the Germans. The Evening Press did however report the name of the German NCO who had fired the fatal shot, although they omitted to report that the German was so drunk he could hardly stand.
1942
Islanders could no longer rely on listening to the BBC to entertain themselves as the Germans had taken their radios away on 8th June 1942 and were to hold on to them until the liberation. Some risked the stiff penalties and held on to the radios. Others made crystal radio sets to enable them to continue to listen albeit at great risk. One of the side effects of the manufacture of crystal radio sets was that public telephones were soon without earpieces as they had been appropriated for crystal sets.
As food was becoming scarcer the cost of a Christmas turkey had escalated from £2 17s 6d at auction the previous year to £25 on the black market. At the time of writing this in December 2023 £25 is the equivalent of £1,452 and the equivalent of the 1941 price is £156.9 It was at this time that the Germans imposed price restrictions as they were ‘Shocked and horrified’ at the prices being asked. This legislation had little effect other than to force people to turn to the black market or theft.
Unlike the previous year the curfew was not extended to 1am and people had to be indoors by 9pm throughout the Christmas period. Ord records in his diary an encounter with a fellow who wished him a happy Christmas and opined that they hadn’t extended the curfew because they knew they were losing the war.
Some Christmas traditions continued with the panto carrying on.
Notice from the Star newspaper in Guernsey on 5 December 1942
This was the first Christmas for those deported in September 1942 to Biberach, Wurzach-Allgau, and Laufen. Red Cross parcels had not yet started to arrive at all of the camps so they were on meagre rations of watery soup twice a day and a one kg loaf between five people each day.
Those evacuated to the UK continued on as in previous years with parties for the children and life carrying on as usual, within the constraints of rationing. They were probably in the best position of everyone at this point in the war.
Mr & Mrs H J Morgan of Yeovil advertised in the local newspaper that they had a copy of a booklet, produced by the Channel Islands Refugee Committee, which told of conditions in Guernsey and the German pronouncements. This was based on information obtained from the ‘Guernsey Press’ and the ‘Star’ between 16th September and 2nd October 1942.10
The advert advised that they would be happy to show the booklet to anyone and that a copy was available at the office of the newspaper. This booklet was the ‘Channel Islands Monthly Review’.11 Given the dates of the newspapers and the lack of any escapes from Guernsey in this time period, other than one escape on 15th September 1942 it is safe to assume that this information came from this escape and the commando raid on Sark, Operation Basalt. The information must have been passed to the review by military intelligence.
This would seem to have been the most information provided to the public since the escape in September 1940 which I wrote about here.
Back in Guernsey Christmas 1942 did not pass without another incident with a drunken German and a firearm. This time the victim was a cow which was shot whilst some Germans were out horse riding.
1943
Potatoes had been scarce for some time and one would have to queue for hours in order to obtain your ration. It wasn’t unusual to find that the queue for the market trader or shop that you were attempting to purchase supplies from ran out before you reached the front of the queue. During Christmas week a supply of 2lbs of potatoes was authorised but this had the unfortunate consequence that the following week supplies were completely exhausted and none were to be had until April.12
Evacuated Guernsey children singing was broadcast on the BBC at 10:45am from the UK. Although how many of those in Guernsey would have heard it? They had to listen on illegal radios and usually only risked that for the news.13
One evacuee received a Christmas parcel from Mrs Roosevelt, the wife of the US President.
In Jersey, permission had to be sought from the Germans to sing carols out of doors.
B/A/W50/125 Jersey Heritage Archives – Bailiff’s Chambers Occupation Archives
Life for those that had been deported was somewhat better as they received regular Red Cross parcels, one per person per week, and sometimes parcels from relatives in the United Kingdom. The Red Cross parcels included; milk, fruit, jam, fish, soap, and cigarettes. Some toys and board games were also received. The December parcels also included sweets and small Christmas puddings.
This Christmas another edition of the ‘Channel Islands Monthly Review’ was able to provide a great deal of information about life in Guernsey for the period ending 23 August 1943. The review mysteriously says that the information is compiled from several sources without divulging anything further. Given the dates referred to it is likely to be from escapes from the islands. You can read the news if you open the scanned copy of the review on the link below.
Electricity supplies were rationed and cut off at the mains. Gas supplies were strictly rationed and eventually exhausted just before Christmas 1944. This reduced those with no other method of cooking to attempt to cook in their fireplaces, but that was only if they could obtain wood or coal both of which were scarce.
The Guernsey authorities had argued with the Germans and succeeded in being allowed to issue six ounces of beef, six ounces of rice, a little cheese and some cooking fat. A typical Christmas Day meal in many houses therefore consisted of some fried potatoes for breakfast, followed by a meal with some meat and a pudding fashioned from some apples and rice for lunch. There was no milk to use in the pudding. A pudding in these times was a luxury. Bramble tea substitute was the drink that was typically had. 14
I have tried bramble tea and can assure you dear reader that it tastes nothing like tea or indeed anything else one may wish to drink.
If they were lucky they may get some thin soup made with cattle carrots, turnips or parsley.
Carrots and parsnips eaten in a house without heating or light was Christmas day dinner.
Letter received in May 1945, after the liberation, by Florence Adey from her relatives in Guernsey.15
The Taylor family Christmas Day lunch consisted of one dog biscuit, an apple, some seaweed and a tiny portion of meat from their ration for each of them.16.
Islanders did get a late Christmas present in the form of the arrival of the Red Cross ship ‘Vega’. The ship arrived in Guernsey on the 27th December with parcels for the islanders before sailing on to Jersey on the evening of the 30th December.
SS Vega picture from the Guernsey Weekly Press 15 May 1945
The parcels contained things that they had not seen for years such as salmon, corned beef, lamb, coffee, tea, jam, chocolate, condensed milk and marmalade.
Those in camps in Germany received the last of their parcels in December 1944 after which the German transport system collapsed so they were unable to be delivered.
From the February 1945 edition of The Prisoner of War. A free monthly newsletter produced for those in the UK by the Red Cross and St John, War Organisation in London. This card was sent from Laufen Internment Camp by a Guernsey civilian to his mother in England.
For the evacuated children the Christmas parties continued as in the prior years. Fortunately for most of them this was to be their last Christmas away from their homes and relatives.
If you have made it this far thank you. You will probably be feeling, like me, extremely grateful for the Christmas you are about to have compared to that experienced by those during the occupation. We will be surrounded by friends and family with as much to eat and drink as we want. Swapping presents, not worried about being bombed, and able to go about your business as you please.
I hope all of my readers have a happy and healthy Christmas and New Year. Thank you for your support since I started writing the blog. I really value all of the comments, feedback and information provided. It takes a lot of time to pull these blogs together and this makes it all worth it.
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.
Jersey Heritage Archive – Discontinuation of the issue of tea, stocks being held at the Overseas Trading Corporation Ltd. Special Christmas issue of tea. Ref B/A/W32/2/32 ↩︎
One of the myths surrounding the German occupation of the Channel Islands, outside of the islands, was that there were no acts of resistance. This is simply not true. Many Channel Islanders risked serious consequences by carrying out various acts throughout the occupation with some paying the ultimate price.
I will be dealing with this in detail on the blog during the course of this year. I thought an overview in advance of that might be of interest. Particularly as I have been interviewed by History Rage on their podcast on this subject. If you missed the podcast you can find it here and also on the all the usual podcast services. It is Series 8 Episode 2.
Whilst there were no acts of armed resistance, such as in other occupied countries, there were many acts of resistance, defiance and disruption. These acts caused some Channel Islanders to be deported to prisons or camps in mainland Europe. A number of these people paid the ultimate price, eight from Guernsey and twenty one from Jersey. There were over 4,000 prosecutions for breaking German laws in the Channel Islands.1 The list is acknowledged to be incomplete and doesn’t include those deported to internment camps under the mass deportations. In the context of a total population of the Channel Islands of approximately 68,400 this a large percentage.2
Why was there no armed resistance?
A broad explanation for no armed resistance or partisans was for a number of reasons :-
1. These islands are small and lacked any mountains or forests to disappear into after such acts. In other occupied countries they could be forty or fifty miles away after an attack.
2. Most men of military age had left the islands to join the British armed forces.
3. All weapons had been confiscated at the start of the occupation.
4. They had made it quite clear that any acts against the occupying forces would result in severe reprisals. These threats were not unfounded as the islanders were to find out.
5. The population was faced with ratios of one to three or one to two Germans at various points during the war.
6. The British had removed all weapons when they demilitarised the islands.
7. At no point did the British attempt to supply weapons or organise any resistance. The reason for this was that just as they viewed the Channel Islands of no strategic value they also felt that there was no value in encouraging such resistance. It would have just led to reprisals without actively aiding the war effort.
That isn’t to say that the Germans were not worried about the possibility of armed action being taken against them.
So what resistance was there?
There were many different types of resistance, defiance and disruption during the occupation of the Channel Islands. It varied from small personally significant acts, that made the perpetrator feel better, to organised groups disseminating news from the BBC, acts of sabotage or disruption, escapes and sheltering those that the Germans were looking for.
Small personal acts
Small personal acts were many and varied. Probably the most well known was the “V” sign campaign. The campaign came about because the BBC were encouraging those in all of the occupied territories to make the Germans feel threatened and uneasy. Channel Islanders took this onboard and started utilising the “V” for victory sign.
Xavier De Guillebon – Photograph of the display at German Occupation Museum
Xavier De Guillebon was the first Channel Islander to be punished with imprisonment in Caen Prison. As the “V” sign campaign escalated the Germans threatened to have any perpetrators of this shot. Fortunately this didn’t happen.
Other personal acts were the wearing of V for victory badges made from coins. These were usually worn under the collar of a jacket and upon sighting a friend it was turned over to show the badge.
Examples of the badges fashioned from coins. These examples are on display at La Valette Museum in Guernsey.
Another example of actions taken against the Germans was an incident where two police constables spotted a very drunk German on the streets of St Peter Port. He was near the top of some steps and they gave him a shove resulting in him falling down the steps and sustaining significant injuries.3 They then called an Ambulance and were thanked by the Germans for helping their colleague. If they had been found out they would have probably been sent to prison for three months and fined two years pay.
News sheets
There were at least two organised groups that circulated news sheets after radios had been confiscated for the second time. These groups produced news sheets that were circulated at great risks to themselves.
One group was known as GUNS (Guernsey Underground News Service) and I wrote a blog post about them. You can read it on the link below.
There were acts of sabotage of varying levels during the course of the occupation. I have picked a few as examples.
Probably one of the longest running acts of sabotage was in Jersey. The Germans had kept on the civilian controller of the airport, Charles Roche. It is estimated that he was responsible for at least twenty eight German aircraft being written off between 1940 and 1942. Jersey War Tours wrote an excellent piece on this which is worth a read. You can find it here
Another example of the type of activities that were carried out to sabotage German plans is the “Matthew’s Sark Party”. Despite being forced by the Germans to work for them they managed to use this to carry out acts of sabotage. A summary of this is in the article below.
Other acts of sabotage included cutting telephone cables or removing wooden poles from fields. In the latter case it is entirely feasible that some of these wooden poles were removed by Germans desperate for firewood.
Guernsey Evening Press – 2nd March 1945
The poles had been placed there to inhibit the landing of gliders or parachutists and were rigged with explosives. It was therefore a very risky endeavour to go near them. Fortunately the only account I can find of a casualty is of a cow which wandered in amongst them.
Sheltering escaped forced workers and others
During the course of the occupation many escaped forced workers were sheltered by locals. Some were successfully hidden for a number of years and, some until liberation in May 1945.
Probably the best known story is that of Louisa Gould and Russian Bill. You can read about this tragic story here.
As well as forced labourers there were instances of prisoners of war being helped to escape. You can read about two Americans here.
Escapes from the Channel Islands
An estimated 225 people escaped from the Channel Islands over the course of the occupation. These escapers were able to provide valuable intelligence to M.I. 19, a branch of military intelligence. This consisted of not only the state of islanders but also the defences on the islands.
This was a risky proposition because of the risk of being shot whilst trying to escape and the risks of being at sea in boats that were often unsuitable for the task.
Defiance
One of the best known acts of defiance is that of Major Marie Ozanne. I wrote a blog about her on the link below.
There were various different threatened repercussions in response to these acts. Ranging from being made to provide guards to patrol in the case of sabotage or “V” signs to threat of the death penalty. Examples of various notices published threatening serious consequences.
From the German Occupation MuseumGuernsey Evening Press – 19 March 1941
From August 1st 1942, all inhabitants of the Channel Isles who are held in custody for any reason by the German Authorities, either in the Channel Islands or France, are liable to the DEATH PENALTY if any attacks or acts of sabotage are made against the Occupying Power in the Occupied Territory.
In addition, I declare that, henceforth, I reserve to myself the right to nominate certain members of any Parish who will be liable to the Death Penalty in the event of any attacks against communications, as for instance harbours, cranes, bridges, cables and wires, if these are made with the assistance or with the knowledge of the inhabitants of the Parish concerned. In their own interest I call upon the population for an increased activity and watchfulness in combating all suspicious elements, and to co-operate in the discovery of the guilty persons. The population
of the Island are once more reminded that, in accordance with the German Military Law and in agreement with the Hague Convention, penalties are as follows.
Espionage: The death penalty.
Sabotage: The death penalty.
High Treason: The death penalty or penal servitude for life.
Der Feldkommandantur, Gez. KNACKFUSS, Jersey, den 27.7.42. Oberst.
Memorials
There are memorials in both Guernsey & Jersey to those that died as a result of their acts of protest, defiance and resistance.
The Jersey Memorial has a similar inscription which reads:
During the period of the German occupation of Jersey, from 1 July 1940 to 9 May 1945, many inhabitants were imprisoned for acts of protest and defiance against the Occupation Forces in H.M. Prison, Gloucester Street which stood on this site. Others were deported and held in camps in Germany and elsewhere from which some did not return.”
Jersey Memorial
Conclusion
As will have become clear from this post there are many stories to explore in this area and I will be dealing with these future blog posts.
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.
Just a brief blog post to flag this two part interview with Bill Morvan by his Granddaughter. An interesting account about his life, as a schoolboy, during the Occupation of Jersey.
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.
At the outbreak of war in 1939 Channel Islanders were only able to be conscripted into the British forces to serve outside of the Channel Islands for limited purposes. The Islands had militias but their purpose was for the defence of the Islands themselves.
For centuries it had only been a requirement that Channel Islanders would serve overseas in two specific sets of circumstances. To accompany the Sovereign in person to recover England or to rescues the Sovereign if they were captured.
There was some confusion in Whitehall at the outbreak of war about the position was and what exactly to do about it. The War Office not being sure if they could liaise with the Islands directly or whether this had to be through the Home Office. Eventually the Home Office agreed that the War Office could liaise directly with the Lieutenant Governors of Jersey and Guernsey.
Whilst this was going on Jersey had already passed a resolution on the 16th September 1939 placing all their resources at the disposal of the Crown.
Jersey was first to pass a law which meant that all men, of British nationality, between the ages of eighteen and forty one could be directed by the Jersey Government to join the British armed forces. Jersey passed this law in January 1940 with the input of the War Office into the drafting of the law. The drafting of this law would prove to be a problem later on as they had unintentionally created a loophole.
The Guernsey Government had also passed a resolution of a similar nature in September 1939 to draft a law to enable the Guernsey Government to direct men to enlist in the British Forces in a similar manner to the Jersey proposal.
The Guernsey law was sent in draft to London for their agreement in mid February 1940, a month after Jersey had passed their law. It was during the discussions about the draft Guernsey law that it became apparent that there was a problem. If a Guernseyman was was invited to enlist under the law, all they needed to do was answer no to the question on the enlistment form “Are you willing to be enlisted for general service?”. This would then enable them to avoid being conscripted.
They then discovered that this was also a problem with the law already passed by the Jersey Government. This left them in a bit of a bind as to how to resolve this with drawing attention to it.
This discrepancy was noticed by the Guernsey Government and there was a bit of a an argument about whose fault it was, with the blame being put at Jersey’s door. In the end it was discovered that it was a hasty amendment made by the Home Office that had introduced the problem and that the original draft sent by by Jersey had been correct.
The Lieutentant-Governor of Jersey wrote to the War Office on 24th April 1940 outlining the problem with the legal position and that the calling up of men would have to be delayed until the matter had been resolved. There is extensive correspondence around the matter.
B/A/W19/1 Baliff’s Chambers Occupation Files – Jersey Heritage Archive
It was eventually concluded that only option to resolve the situation, without drawing attention to the loophole, was to amend the legislation in the UK. The bill received it’s second reading on 30 May 1945 in the House of Lords.
My Lords, I crave the indulgence which I believe is usually granted to a newcomer to your Lordships’ House, more especially as during the short period since I was called to my present office we have been living under great strain. I have not been able therefore to give that time to a study of the procedure and forms of debate in your Lordships’ House which I certainly would have been able to give at any other time.
The purpose of the Bill to which I now ask your Lordships to give a Second Reading is to legalise the enlistment of men called up in the Channel Islands under the local national service laws for service in the armed forces of the Crown.
Though compulsory service has always existed in the Islands in some form or another for the purposes of defence, the islanders have by ancient charter been immune from serving outside the Channel Islands, except for the purpose of rescuing the Sovereign. Shortly after the outbreak of war the States of the Islands waived this traditional right and decided to offer men who were fit for service abroad to serve in the armed forces of the Crown under the same conditions as men in this country.
Lord Croft requesting the second reading of the bill, 30 May 1940, Hansard
During the debate several Lords spoke of the loyalty of the Channel Islanders.
I would also like to re-echo what my noble friend Lord Strabolgi said about the patriotism of the ChannelIslands.
Lord Jessel, Hansard, 30 May 1940, Hansard
I must also state the pleasure which we feel in observing that the ChannelIslands, that most interesting part of these Islands, join as they have always done in the past in making their contribution to the welfare and defence of the Empire.
The Marquess of Crewe, Hansard, 30 May 1940, Hansard
The Scotsman – Friday 31 May 1940
On 3rd of June 1940 the Government of Guernsey had reported to London that the relevant local legislation had been passed in the States of Guernsey and that Alderney had also ratified the application of the law.
Hansard records that the UK legislation, the National Service (Channel Islands) Act, 1940, had received Royal Assent on the 13th June 1940.
The Privy Council approved the Guernsey law on 26th June 1940. This made the law somewhat academic as the majority of those that wished to leave the Channel Islands had already done so. It was also only two days before the Germans bombed St Peter Port and St Helier and only four days before the Germans landed. The majority of men who would have been caught by the legislation had already left the Channel Islands and volunteered before the law was in place. This long drawn out process and somewhat confused administrative procedure turned out ultimately to be for nothing.
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.
Today I came across a tweet from The History Islands (@HistoryIslands) highlighting this film by Tristan Tull. (@RegentsMedia) from 2021.
The film is about life in Jersey during the Occupation. Surviving islanders telling their stories interspersed with archive footage, animations and photographs.
Whilst there have been a number of other documentaries over the years this one has a different style. It doesn’t trot out the same old footage. I really enjoyed watching it and recommend it. Tristan has kindly made this free to watch on Vimeo. You can click the link below to watch it.
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.
