Remembering Liberation Day for Jersey and Guernsey

CanadianGran the second world war was declared on my Mum's 7th birthday in 1939, so she was a similar age to your mum.
Her dad had a protected occupation in Portsmouth dockyard so their area was a sitting target for the bombing raids.
Our family was lucky to come through without any losses as far as I know.

Talking of food and wartime occupation, I read recently that swedes and turnips were for a long time right out of favour in France, since for so long they were about the only food left to them by the German forces.
I’ve certainly seen plenty of turnips - inc. baby ones - in French supermarkets recently.

I met a lady from Jersey CI at Utah Beach in Normandy last month and she was telling me all about their upcoming 80 years liberation celebrations.
If ever you're in Guernsey, the museum by the airport is very good. It tells individual stories about islanders, and is small enough to get round it in in hour or two. You then just walk across the road to check in for your flight.

Yes, Witzend parsnips are another one.

The Channel Island Occupation rarely appears to get a mention, which seems wrong; it must have been devastating 5 years for the population.
I vaguely remember a TV serial decades ago. Did the Bergerac series ever mention it except in passing? I believe John Nettles did a documentary about it

Of course there was the Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society book and film which paints a picture of the hardships endured at the time. One can only imagine what the people of the Channel Islands endured.

The Channel islanders never talk about the collaberators among their community.

We visited Jersey a few years ago and went to a museum dedicated to the war years, I found it very uncomfortable, there wee undertones to it, I find difficult to articulate, but I felt there was more collaboration than anyone wanted to talk about.

There was a very good series about the occupation called Enemy at the Door,still think its available to purchase.
Not sure how factual the series was.

If any one wants to have a look at the Guernsey celebrations on Friday 9th May.
BBC Channel islands was live in st Peter Port,local news is available for 24 hours only,so you have till approx 6pm today(Saturday) to view on catch up.

M0nica, I do remember my mother telling some stories of revenge after the war; women who had affairs or children with German officers were treated poorly, those that were felt to benefit from German trade were shunned, etc. It was often neighbour against neighbour, and for years things not forgotten and grudges held.

I remember reading that some women had their heads shaved and some were even tarred and feathered. Terrible times for all concerned.

I was in Jersey 30 years ago and talked to an old man who said that for all the residents were spared the horrors other occupied territories had, and the SS and Gestapo were never seen, it was still a worrying time. There was a curfew, radios were banned, rationing was severe, there was no freedom of speech and the Germans commandeered the best hotels and were far better fed than the residents. Also there was always a fear that if the Germans weren't obeyed to the letter, there could be reprisals.