Reflections on a wartime legacy

Their close proximity to France and their loyalty to the United Kingdom has led to the islands being fought over between France and England for centuries. During the Hundred Years War French forces invaded the islands, and there was another short-lived invasion of Jersey in January 1781. Napoleon Bonaparte saw them as a thorn in the side of France because Royal Navy ships had safe anchorages from where they could sail to engage French vessels. 

Between 1940 and 1945 the Channel Islands gained the unique distinction of being the only British territories to be occupied by German forces. During those five long years the civilian population experienced deportations, hunger and an uncertain future. They also witnessed the islands being transformed into fortresses as the Germans built reinforced concrete bunkers, anti-tank walls and gun emplacements. 

Fortunately, when the end of the war came, the German garrison surrendered on May 9 1945 without a shot being fired. For many months afterwards British troops were engaged in dismantling these emplacements and removing the debris of war. The main challenge was how to deal with the hundreds of bunkers and tunnels left behind. Attempts to demolish them proved impossible. They were, after all, designed to withstand heavy bombardment. It was decided to leave them, although some were sealed up with concrete. From the late 1940s on they became curiosities for tourists to visit while on holiday.

Growing up on Jersey, these relics became places for me to explore with my friends. There was hardly a point on the island that did not have at least one site to investigate. As young boys we did not understand the significance of the bunkers, towers and tunnels. To us, they were places to visit using a flashlight as we looked for bits in the dark. But our families would tell us stories of the occupation, mainly personal anecdotes about food and the awful martial music accompanying columns of marching troops. 

As we grew older we gained a better understanding about the occupation, but the bunkers and tunnels still held a fascination for us boys. Even into the early 1960s, 15 years or more after the war, there was still the chance that some dangerous object might surface. For that reason we received visits at school by men who told us about these dangers. Even then, we were not deterred from going into these dark and smelly places. In fact, if anything, we were more inclined to venture there knowing we had been warned to leave them alone. 

Gradually, though, as more of the bunkers and tunnels were taken over by private ownership and put to use for other purposes, including growing mushrooms, they were off limits. Some were converted into fisheries and cafes, while some were turned into museums. In 1961, enthusiasts on Guernsey established the Channel Islands Occupation Society, with a branch established on Jersey 10 years later (www.ciosjersey.com). The CIOS researches all aspects of the Occupation Years and maintains a numbers of sites on the islands. 

As a student of military history I learned how the islands had once formed part of the vaunted “Atlantic Wall” and were turned into fortresses with thousands of troops from the 319th Infantry Division of the LXXXIV Corps. The CIOS has since done remarkable work and today the bunkers and other defenses across the islands are considered to be among the best preserved sites of the Atlantic Wall.

One incident in particular I remember was in the early 1960s when I was taken to a bunker in the parish of St Peter. There, with a group of people, I cleared out years of debris, along with hundreds of spiders. Later I learned that the site was owned by Richard Mayne, a local historian and a cousin to my mother — which is probably how I became involved. Richard turned the bunker into a museum to display his collection. Reflecting on the experience I count myself privileged to have been involved in the project. Years later I visited the museum and thought how it made a perfect match. When Richard died, much of his collection was bought by another local military historian, Damien Horne, who owns and operates a similar museum overlooking St Ouen’s Bay on the western end of the island.

Even the fortifications from earlier periods in the island’s history were incorporated into the Germans’ defense plans. Martello towers from the time of the Napoleonic wars in the 19th century were modified for 20th century purposes. A couple were destroyed to improve the field of fire, but others became observation posts and places to house searchlights. 

Tens of thousands of tons of concrete and steel were taken to all of the islands and slave laborers brought in to build the defenses. Bunkers were even built into the fabric of Elizabeth Castle and Mont Orgueil Castle on Jersey. These had no electric light and so we boys would dare one another to go exploring them in the dark on our own. We would make up stories about what they had been used for and if anyone had died in there.

We didn’t get any more sensible as we grew older. I remember how in 1973 I took my then-girlfriend to the island for the first time. One evening I met up with some old friends and as the evening grew late we ended up at the entrance to what today are the Jersey War Tunnels in the parish of St Lawrence and featured in a recent issue of MT&VM. Standing there in the dark we lads began calling and hooting and then falling silent to say: “Hush! Did you hear something?” The girls were terrified while we bad lads laughed. I don’t know what happed to the girlfriends of my friends, but three years later I married the girl I had terrified that night on Jersey. Fifty years on, she still remembers that night, but she continues to visit bunkers with me, including the Maginot Line in France.

Not all the bunkers were built underground. Some, such as the strongpoint at Corbiere in the southwest corner of the island, were partially above ground. At the eastern end of St Aubin’s Bay the elevation known as South Hill overlooks the harbor in St Helier, the main town on Jersey. It is a commanding viewpoint and its significance was not lost on the Germans, who wasted no time building installations there for coastal guns. The guns were long gone when I used to explore the area with my friends, and we were too young to understand the strategic importance of the site. These spots are not as widely visited as other locations such as the site at Noir Mont or La Hougue Bie in the parish of Trinity. 

The Germans certainly crammed a lot into the island measuring only 9 miles in length by 5 miles across at its widest point. Even more than 80 years after the Liberation, these hundreds of sites still fascinate visitors. Whenever I return home, I always undertake a walk to some of the lesser-visited locations. The curious boy still lingers in the objective adult.  

We know you love military history and vehicles, but do you collect anything else? Ever wonder about the baseball cards in a box in the basement or Grandma’s old coins in a jar?  Do you love old cars or spin vinyl? Head on over to Collect.com and see what you are missing. Collect.com is the who, what, when and where of the collecting world! https://www.collect.com/