Thursday 24 August 2017

Guernsey 2017 - Sights

 GUERNSEY
 
ST PETER PORT
 
St Peter Port is the capital of Guernsey and the islands main port.
 

St Peter Port
 
St Peter Port

St Peter Port

St Peter Port
High Street

The donkey is a symbol of Guernsey, and the populace is often referred to as donkeys.


St Peter Port
Donkey Statue

St Peter Port
V Birthday
St Peter Port
Guernsey's Blue Postboxes
 
CASTLE CORNET

Castle Cornet

Castle Cornet
Guernsey St Peter Port
Castle Cornet
Guernsey St Peter Port

Castle Cornet
Guernsey St Peter Port

Castle Cornet
Guernsey St Peter Port

LITTLE CHAPEL

Little Chapel


The Little Chapel is situated near les Vauxbelets in the parish of St Martin. It measures 2.7m long and 1.8m wide and is thought to be the smallest functioning chapel in the world. The original was built in 1914 by Bother Deodat.

The chapel is decorated with sea shells, broken china and pebbles.

Little Chapel

Little Chapel Altar 
Little Chapel
Guernsey broken china decoration

Little Chapel
Last supper broken china decoration
Little Chapel
Baden Powel broken china decoration
 
 V Little Chapel
 
Little Chapel
Gateway 
Little Chapel
Neighbours

GUERNSEY OCCUPTION MUSEUM

 
Guernsey Occupation Museum

Guernsey Occupation Museum
 
DOYLE MONUMENT
 
 
The Doyle monument is located on Jerourg Point on the south east coast of Guernsey. The monument is dedicated to Sir John Doyle, Governor of the Bailiwick of Guernsey from 1803 to 1816. It was Doyle who was responsible for the strengthening of the defences on the island after the Napoleonic Wars.
 
The original monument was demolished in 1944 by the occupying German forces in order to provide 360 degrees fields of artillery fire for the Batterie Strassburg. The current memorial was built in 1953.
 
Doyle Monument
Jerbourg Point

Doyle Monument Inscription
Jerbourg Point

 MOULIN HUET and PETIT BOT BAYS
.

Guernsey Bays
Moulin Huet and Petit Bot Bay

Petit Bot Bay

Moulin Huet Bay

Moulin Huet Bay

Moulin Huet Bay

 V Moulin Huet Bay

Moulin Huet Bay
Lunch location
 
GUERNSEY
Guernsey Cow
*

Guernsey 2017 - Herm

Herm
Channel Islands 
 Herm Island is located 5km east of Guernsey. The island is 2.4km long and 0.8km wide.

Herm Island
Source: Aotearoa
Herm Map
 The island is reached by ferry from St Peter Port. At low tide the harbour on the island can not be reached and a landing must be made at a a few hundred meters to the south. South west of Herm is a smaller island, Jethou.

V on the way to Herm - St Peter Port in the background

Herm landing looking towards Jethou

Herm looking towards Guernsey

Herm White House Hotel

Herm St Tugular Chapel
Herm St Tugular Chapel

Guernsey 2017 - 201 Squadron RAF


201 Squadron Royal Air Force has been affiliated to Guernsey since May 1939. The Squadron Museum is located in Cornet Castle, St Peter Port, and Squadron Standards are laid up in the Parish Church.

The origins of 201 Squadron lie in no 1 Squadron Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) which was formed at Fort Grange on 14th October 1914.

No 1 Squadron RNAS 1914
On the outbreak of war, the Squadron was engaged on coastal patrols, before deploying to France during 1915. The squadrons role included  reconnaissance, photography, bombing and artillery spotting flights, mainly around the Ostend/Zeebruge area.

On the night of 6th / 7th June 1915, Flight Sub-Lieutenant RAJ Warenford sighted Zeppelin LZ37 over Bruges. Positioning himself 150 feet above the Zeppelin, he dropped six bombs on top of the airship. The sixth bomb hit the Zeppelin and it crashed to the ground in flames. The blast from the explosion turned his aircraft upside down and damaged it's engine. He was forced to land in enemy territory, however he was able to make repairs, take off and return to base.

For his actions Flight Sub-Lieutenant RAJ Warenford was awarded the Victoria Cross, the first ever awarded for any type of air combat. Tragically he was killed just over a week later in an air accident.

Flight Sub-Lieutenant RAJ Warenford
VC Action - Destruction of Zeppelin LZ37

Flight Sub-Lieutenant RAJ Warenford VC

F/Sub-Lt RAJ Warenford VC
201 Squadron Museum Castle Cornet
Guernsey

The Squadron achieved another first on 26th August 1915 when Squadron Commander Bigsworth made the first ever confirmed airborne “kill” on a submarine, surprissin the U-14 off the Belgian coast near Ostend.

On 1st April 1918 the Royal Air Force was formed from the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service. The squadron was designated 201 Squadron Royal Air Force.

The Squadron would have another recipient of the Victoria Cross when Major WG Barker was awarded the VC for his actions on 27th October 1918. Despite being severely wounded he shot down three enemy aircraft.

Major WG Barker VC Action
27th October 1918 

Major 'Billy' Barker was already a well decorated air ace adding the VC to a Distinguished Service Order and Bar, and Military Cross with two Bars. He held the highest destroyed record of any pilot in WW1 and would return to Canada after the war as the highest decorated soldier.

Major WG Barker VC DSO+Bar MC+2Bars


The Squadron was disbanded at RAF Eastleigh on 31st December 1919. It had destroyed at least 2 submarines, 280 enemy aircraft, its personnel included 18 air aces (five or more confirmed kills) and the awarding of 2 Victoria Crosses.

World War One
Aircraft used by the Squadron

The Squadron was reformed at RAF Calshot 1st January 1929 as a Flying Boat Squadron. It was equipped with Southampton Flying Boats untill 1936, then Saro Flying Boats till the outbreak of World War Two. The affiliation of the Squadron to the Bailwick of Guernsey was announced in May 1939.

201 Squadron RAF
Southampton Flying Boats

201 Squadron RAF
Saro Flying Boat visits Guernsey

201 Squadron RAF
Flying Boat Pilot

When the Second World war broke out in September 1939, the Squadron was based in the north of Scotland. It conducted reconnaissance patrols in the North Sea and Norwegian Coastal Waters. In April 1940, 201 converted to Short Sunderland Flying Boats moving to Northern Ireland in October 1940.

Their role was to conduct anti-submarine patrols in during the Battle of the Atlantic.

Battle of the Atlantic - Coastal Command dispositions


Battle of the Atlantic
Air Cover on Convoy Routes

Battle of the Atlantic

The Squadron achieved their first confirmed U-Boat kill on 20th March 1943 when one of their aircraft surprised U-384 on the surface, sinking it in the subsequent action. A second kill was made two months later with the sinking of U-440.

Battle of the Atlantic
201 Squadron aircraft T surprises U-384

Battle of the Atlantic
201 Squadron sinking of U-384 

The Squadron moved to Pembroke Dock, Wales, in April 1944. They were tasked with patrolling the western entrance to the English Channel to protect the D-Day Landings and subsequent development of the Normandy Bridgehead. During the period 7th June to 18th August the Squadron sank 3 U-Boats in the Bay of Biscay.

201 Squadron U-Boat kills WW2

U-boat Date Location
U-384 20 March 1943 North Atlantic
U-440 31 May 1943 NW of Cape Ortegal
U-955 7 June 1944 Bay of Biscay
U-1222 11 July 1944 Bay of Biscay
U-107 18 August 1944 Bay of Biscay

During the Second World War of the Squadron's crews had flown over 20,000 operational hours. They were awarded, one Distinguished Service Order, 12 Distinguished Flying Crosses (and 2 Bars) and 11 Distinguished Flying Medals.
 
 
In 1948, the Soviet Union blockaded the land corridors from West Germany through East Germany to Berlin. To break the Berlin Blockade the Western Powers brought in supplies by air, an operation which would be designated the Berlin Airlift, The operation lasted from 26 June 1948 – 30 September 1949.

Berlin Airlift 1948
Air Corridors
 
During the operation 201 Squadrons Short Sunderland's were  found to be particularly suitable for carrying salt being the only aircraft proofed against corrosion.


Berlin Airlift 1948 201 Squadron Short Sunderland
 moored on the Havel Berlin unloading salt 
 
The Squadron would continue with Short Sunderland's until it disbanded in February 1957.
 
201 Squadron RAF
Tower Bridge London 1956
 
The Squadron reformed  in October 1958 equipping with Shackletons. The Squadron was involved in reconnaissance operations in the Caribbean, the Malaya Emergency, and the Arabian Gulf.
 
201 Squadron RAF
Avro Shackleton
 
201 Squadron became the first unit to equip with Nimrods in November 1970. Based at RAF Kinross, the Cold War saw them tasked with surveillance of the Soviet Fleet in the North Atlantic. 

201 Squadron RAF
Nimrod

 
201 Squadron RAF Museum
 

201 Squadron RAF
Nimrod Sonar
 
The Squadron would once again be deployed on active service when their Nimrods deployed to Ascension Island during the South Atlantic conflict to retake the Falklands. Their role was to conduct surveillance missions off the Argentinian Coast, an operation which involved refuelling 3 times form Victor Tankers.
 
Links to Guernsey were re-in forced with the laying up of the Squadron Standard in the Parish Church St Peter Port in March 1985
 
201 Squadron RAF
Laying up of Squadron Standard
March 1985
 
Operational service continued with the Gulf War in 1990, flying surveillance and targeting operations against the Iraqi Navy. During the Balkans conflict they supported NATO operations patrolling the Adriatic. Returning to the Middle East, 201 Squadron were involved with the Invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan.
 
201 Squadron RAF
St Peter Port Guernsey
 

FromToAircraftVariant
Oct 1914Feb 1915Various
Dec 1916Jan 1917Nieuport 17
Dec 1916Dec 1917Sopwith Triplane
Dec 1917Feb 1919Sopwith Camel
Oct 1918Oct 1918Sopwith Snipe
Jan 1929Dec 1936Supermarine SouthamptonMk.II
Apr 1936Jun 1938Saro LondonMk.I
Jan 1938Apr 1940Saro LondonMk.II
Apr 1940Jan 1942Short SunderlandMk.I
May 1941Mar 1944Short SunderlandMk.II
Jan 1942Jun 1945Short SunderlandMk.III
Feb 1945Feb 1957Short SunderlandMk.V
Mar 1946Apr 1946Short SeafordMk.I
Oct 1958Dec 1970Avro ShackletonMR.3
Oct 1970Feb 1983Hawker-Siddeley NimrodMR.1
Jan 1982Mar 2010BAe NimrodMR.2
Source:wikipedia


The Squadron Standard hangs in the Parish Church in St Peter Port and records the Squadrons Battle Honours.

Battle Honours
 
Western Front 1915–1918*: Arras*; Ypres 1917*; Somme 1918* Amiens; Hindenburg Line

Channel and North Sea 1939–1945;Norway 1940*; Atlantic 1941 -1945*;Bismarck*;                   Biscay 1941-1945;Normandy 1944*
 
South Atlantic 1982; Gulf 1991; Iraq 2003

Honours marked with an asterisk(*) are those emblazoned on the Squadron Standard


St Peter Port Parish Church Guernsey


201 Squadron RAF Standards
St Peter Port Parish Church Guernsey

201 Squadron RAF
St Peter Port Parish Church Guernsey