Tag: podcast

APRIL 1942 PODCAST IS OUT.  THE POLICEMEN ARE SENTENCED, MURDER IN SARK, IMPACT OF MALNUTRITION, DEPORTATION OF JEWISH WOMEN AND MORE!

This episode delves into the daily life and struggles of individuals living under German occupation in Guernsey during World War II. 

It highlights the challenges of food shortages, the impact of malnutrition on health, and the complexities of justice as seen through a police scandal. Personal anecdotes and historical accounts provide a vivid picture of life during this tumultuous time, showcasing resilience and adaptation amidst adversity.

In this episode, the hosts discuss various historical topics related to Guernsey and Sark during World War II, including the murder of Dr. Goebel, the role of propaganda in the Guernsey press, and insights from the diary of Louis Guillemette. They also remember the Jewish ladies deported from Guernsey and explore the ongoing research into escape attempts from the islands. The conversation wraps up with a look ahead to future projects and events.

I hope that you have enjoyed reading the blog post.

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

© Nick Le Huray

MARCH 1942 – THE ENTIRE GUERNSEY POLICE FORCE ARE ARRESTED, GERMAN SECRET POLICE, ALDERNEY EVENTS AND A FUNNY STORY FROM JERSEY!

March is a busy month with a lot going on!

Not least the whole of the Guernsey Police Force being arrested.  We talk about how this happened.

A bit about the German Police and their methods.

A funny story from Jersey!

Alderney goings on! 

There are a couple of articles below and a film.

You can find Islands at War on all the good podcast apps.

GUERNSEY’S ENTIRE POLICE FORCE ARRESTED – 5 MARCH 1942
THE ROBIN HOOD POLICEMEN -PART TWO & A FILM

I hope that you have enjoyed reading the blog post.

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

© Nick Le Huray

JANUARY 1942 – RAF AIR RAID ON ST PETER PORT AND A NEW YEAR TRAGEDY!

In this episode we talk about the attack on German shipping in the harbour.  It was a spectacular low-level attack by three Beauforts of 82 Squadron Coastal Command.

Listen to me talk about the raid and the death of a local man who was a crane driver. For some photographs of the raid taking place and the resultant damage take a look at the two articles below.

RAF Air Raid on St Peter Port 17th January 1942
RAF RAID ON ST PETER PORT – 17 JANUARY 1942 – PART 2.

We then look at the tragic case of George Fisher who was shot by a German on New Year’s Eve.

Entertainment in the theatres is highlighted with the formation of a new group, and we talk about Frank Stroobant who was involved in this as well as island sports. He also wrote an excellent book about the occupation.

Display at the German Occupation Museum

We talked about the censor Sonderfuehrer Kurt Goettmann

Sonderführer Kurt Goettmann the censor. Image © The Priaulx Library via Occupation Archive 

The press censor Sonderfuehrer Kurt Goettmann appointed on the 27th January 1941 at the age of 32. His previous experience included working in press offices in both Paris and London. The censor role was to ensure that anything published followed the stringent rules set out by the Germans.

We also talk more about food as that is an ever present problem.

I hope that you have enjoyed reading the blog post.

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

© Nick Le Huray

MAY 1941 PODCAST IS OUT! FISH FURY, A SINGSONG IN SARK, A MAD IRISHMAN, SEIZED LAND AND MUCH MORE!

May 1941 and there is a lot going on!

We start off with controversial suggestions as to rationing of Fish which caused a fuss in the Guernsey Evening Press. Jurat (and later Sir) John Leale headed up the controlling committee after Ambrose Sherwill was arrested, see our podcast episodes September 1940, October 1940, November 1940 and December 1940 if you want to understand that saga!

The Chamber of Commerce really didn’t like the rationing options and wrote an open letter to the government in the Guernsey Evening Press and Leale responded. It really was a complicated situation which caused quite a kerfuffle! As you can see from the below.

We then talked about compulsory use of land and the notice.

We talked about Oberst Schumacher who was Feldkommandant in Guernsey. Essentially it was a branch of the Kommandantur 515 which was headquartered in Jersey. So he was the senior German Officer in Guernsey.

Then we were on to the orders about selling goods to Germans. A copy of which is below.

Next up it was photos for ID cards.

Revised curfew announced.

Talked about cameras being banned and we immediately thought about this photo!

We then talked about a couple of tours that are going on if you live in Guernsey or are visiting!

You can find Tim’s tour in Sark on the link below. Nick has been on it twice it is excellent!

https://www.visitguernsey.com/experiences/events/autumn-walking-festival/the-wwii-commando-raids-and-lancaster-bomber-crash

We also talked about a tour that Nick is contributing to with his friend and tour guide Jo May. It is a brand new tour. You can book online if you fancy learning about incarceration. fortification and escapes!

NEW TOUR – Incarceration, Fortification & Escapes | Visit Guernsey

I hope that you have enjoyed reading the blog post.

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

© Nick Le Huray

EARLY FORTIFICATIONS SPECIAL – ISLANDS AT WAR PODCAST! PART TWO!

You can find the Podcast at Islands at War on your favourite podcast app or click link below.

Following a number of questions around the fortification of the Channel Islands we were keen to talk about early fortifications.

In the show we deal with everything from the start to late 1941! Basically everything pre-Atlantic wall.

In this show we talk about early Luftwaffe operations and their part in the Battle of Britain, re-purposing of Napoleonic forts, minefields and mishaps, interest in the islands and more.

A few pictures and links follow below to illustrate what we talked about.

Taken from a copy of the Guernsey Press
Anti-aircraft gun at the airport in Guernsey
A Messerschmitt BF 109 E of JG53 At Guernsey Airport.
Fort Hommet © Nick Le Huray
Fort Hommet which was added to by the Germans.
Fort Grandes Rocques © Nick Le Huray
MIN(E)D WHERE YOU WALK! MAJOR BLASCHEK AND AN ACCIDENT.

Some of the books we mentioned:

A GUIDE TO GERMAN FORTIFICATIONS ON GUERNSEY

Festung Guernsey

I hope that you have enjoyed reading the blog post.

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

© Nick Le Huray

ISLANDS AT WAR PODCAST – NOVEMBER 1940

The next episode is out! You can find some of the things we talked about including pictures in this post.

You can find the podcast on all the major podcast apps or here.

RSS feed is here: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2314718.rss

We continue to talk about Hubert Nicolle & James Symes and the aftermath of their surrender. The impact on the local community, the fate of those that helped them, and much more.

We also talked about the propaganda photographs that were taken of the civilian prisoners that were shipped off to Prison in France. Below you can see the picture we referred to which was reprinted in the Guernsey Evening Press Weekender Supplement in 1985. The man holding the briefcase is Herr Lensch their interrogator. After this photograph they were taken to prison.

Below you can find the fishing boat that we talked about.

Nick stood by the boat for scale.

The newspaper extracts about Civil Transport are below.

Guernsey Evening Press 19 November 1940
Guernsey Evening Press 30th November 1940

We also talked about four RAF aircrew that were in a dinghy for 48 hours before landing on the island. Since we recorded I have tracked down who they were and which aircraft they were in when shot down.

16/11/1940 1350hrs an SOS was picked up by the St. Eval Direction Finding Station on a bearing of 139 degrees true. Avro Anson Mark I N9889 MW-S 217 Squadron had ditched in the Channel. The crew managed to get into their dinghy. P/O R.E. Troward 42914 , Sgt A.R. Weston 940106, Sgt Wilson and Sgt J.B. Steedman 973774 became Prisoners of War when they landed in Guernsey.

We mentioned in an earlier episode that these types of aircraft flew regular missions around the Channel Islands.

When we talked about this particular crew the information that we had was that one of them had died the day after arriving, at least that was the rumour at the time. There seems to be some uncertainty if that was indeed the case, although I can only find POW records for three of them at present but I also can’t find a record of a war grave in Guernsey for Sgt E Wilson who was the one that I can’t find a POW record for.

The account below talks of some hilarity at the identity card depots.

Guernsey Evening Press 28 November 1940
Bucker 131

Hope you find the above useful.

I hope that you have enjoyed reading the blog post.

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

© Nick Le Huray

OCTOBER 1940 EPISODE OF ISLANDS AT WAR PODCAST IS OUT!

It is October 1940. More details below but you can listen here.
The two commandos, Nicolle and Symes are still at large  and moving around the island. Much happened in the run up to their surrender, their treatment after they surrender and the consequences following this. I wrote a more detailed article here about them.

A SECRET MISSION 3/4 SEPTEMBER 1940 – NICOLLE RETURNS WITH SYMES


More British forces personnel surrender as part of the amnesty.

Food is already getting short so we talk about an unusual recipe that was used take a look at the link below.

https://www.bailiwickexpress.com/jsy/news/occupation-food-recipes

Clothes rationing article we talked about:

Notice in the Guernsey Press October 1940.

A short soundbite of the podcast is here.

The books we referred to are:

I Beg to Report…Policing in Guernsey During the German Occupation – William Bell

Guernsey Occupation Diaries, 1940-45 – Author: Douglas Ord (ed. John Nettles)

The Commando Who Came Home To Spy – William Bell

If you listen on a podcast app please do give us a review as it really helps us.

Thanks to Gnet Radio for recording the podcast and thanks to Jim Delbridge for the use of his song ‘5 to 7’ as our theme.

ISLANDS AT WAR – SEPTEMBER 1940 – PODCAST OUT NOW

The latest episode is out. You can find it on all your favourite podcast apps and you can find it here.

In this episode Keith and Nick talk you through the events of September 1940.

We take a look at the following the civilian perception of what is going on in the war, various commando raids, an escape, RAF operations in the area, a failed rescue attempt, islanders serving in the British forces and much more!

In this episode we mention Captain Parker who was captured (photo below) and details of his reparation.

Photo from display at Occupation Museum.
Reported 29 April 1944 in Guernsey Press

You can find details of the escape here.

DARING EIGHT ESCAPE TO ENGLAND – 6 SEPTEMBER 1940. THE FIRST DETAILED NEWS OF CONDITIONS!

We also mention a new podcast about Bomber Command called “Never mind the Dam Busters” a podcast about RAF Bomber Command. You can find it here and on all your favourite podcast apps.

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.

Thanks to Gnet Radio for recording and our producer Sean Johnson.

Hope you enjoy.

July 1940 Episode of ‘Islands at War’ Podcast is out!

The latest episode of the ‘Islands at War’ podcast is out. In this episode Keith and I talk about the first month of occupation.

In this episode we cover the following:

Arrival of the German Forces.

The initial orders from the Commandant.

The initial Commando raids being ‘Operation Anger’ and ‘Operation Ambassador’ and their results.

Germans buying up everything in the shops.

The locals reaction to events.

You can find the podcast on all the usual podcast apps. Please do give us a like and subscribe. If you have a moment it would be great if you could leave us a review. It costs you nothing but helps us out massively.

You can also find the podcast here with links to all the podcast apps.

I hope that you have enjoyed reading the blog post.

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

© Nick Le Huray