Northumbrian Gunner: Guernsey 2017 - Occupation Commemorations

North Esplanade
Guernsey St Peter Port

Located in St Peter Port near the North Esplanade is St Julians Pier. On the pier are a number of plaques that commemorate events relating to the German Occupation of the Channel Islands 1940-45. The main memorial is the Liberation Memorial.

Guernsey 2017 - German Occupation

In June 1940, following the fall of France, the decision was taken to demilitarise the Channel Islands and evacuate civilians. Those that left Guernsey would have departed form the Quays on which a commemoration plaque is located.

Guernsey Evacuation Commemoration

On the 28th June 1940 the German Luftwaffe conducted an armed reconnaissance raid on the Channel Islands, unaware that the Islands had been demilitarised. They bombed the harbours in Guernsey and Jersey. The air raid on St Peter Port killed 34 people.

Air Raid St Peter Port
28th June 1940

Guernsey Air Raid Commemoration June 28th 1940

In October 1940 the Germns issued their first anti-Jewish Order. Most of the Jewish citizens of Guernsey had been evacuated, those that remained, 18 people, were required to register with the German authorities. Restrictions were placed upon those people, including closing businesses, confiscation of radios and curfews.

On 21st April 1940, three Jewish women, who had fled to Guernsey in 1930s to escape persecution, were deported to France. Later, in 1942 they were shipped to Auschwitz where they died.

Guernsey Jewish Deportation Commemoration

In retaliation for the expelling of German citizens in Soviet / British controlled Persia during the Summer of 1942, Hitler issued orders for the deportation of citizens from the Channel Islands. Those residents who were not born in the Channel Islands were liable for deportation.

The memorial records that 1,003 citizens of Guernsey and Sark were deported and lists the 16 , men, women and children who died in captivity.

Guernsey Deportees Commemoration

The opportunities for resistance in the Channel Islands was limited. The Germans outnumbered the Islanders and the small size of the Islands meant there was no where to hide, consequently aggressive resistance was not practical.

Acts of Resistance were confined to minor acts of sabotage, listening to the BBC, and disseminating news. Help was also provided to British Commandos involved in reconnaissance of the Islands and to the forced labourers on the Islands.

Seven Guernsey residents died in captivity after being deported for Resistance activities.

Guernsey Resistance Commemoration

Source: BBC

Sidney Ashcroft - convicted of serious theft and resistance to officials in 1942. He is thought to have died after a selection of weak prisoners were taken from Straubing prison, Germany, on 24 April 1945

Joseph Gillingham - imprisoned for recording and distributing news, last seen on 2 February 1945

John Ingrouille - found guilty of treason and espionage and sentenced to five years hard labour. He survived a hard labour prison in Brandenburg, but died in a displaced persons camp on 13 June 1945

Charles Machon - brainchild of GUNS (Guernsey Underground News Service - an underground newspaper) , received the longest sentence of the five and was sent to Rheinbach prison in May 1944, then four months later on to Hameln prison where he died on 26 October

Percy Miller - sentenced to 15 months for wireless offences he was sent to Frankfurt-Preungesheim in July 1943 where he was caught passing a note to a fellow prisoner and confined in a punishment cell where he died on 16 July 1944

Marie Ozanne - refused to accept the ban placed on the Salvation Army she would preach in public and was vocal in her protests about the treatment of Jews and slave labourers and became ill in prison and after her release died from peritonitis on 25 February 1943.

Louis Symes - sheltered his son 2nd Lt James Symes, who was on a commando mission to the island with 2nd Lt Herbert Nicolle. Mr Symes was sent to Cherche-Midi prison in Paris where he died in unconfirmed circumstances - just days before his sentence was revised and he would have been released