From Mudlarking to the German Occupation of Guernsey during WW2 - told by the people who were there

What was it like working for the Guernsey Secret Underground Press during the German occupation of WW2? What was it like as a child to steal potatoes from the Germans? What about the slave labourers building the fortifications? In 2021 I had the opportunity to speak to 5 people who told me their stories. One of these people was Magda Royall, the daughter of Jerzy Mroch - a Slave Labourer, who fell in love with a Guernsey woman.

Molly Bihet was 9 years old when the war started and she told me how life became increasingly difficult as time went on, with severe food shortages. Mary has gone on to write four books and you can find these at her website:- https://sites.get.gg/acw/

Mary Sim's parents worked for GASP - the Guernsey Secret Underground Press. Mary belongs to the Occupation Society and would love to hear from anyone if they have any stories relating to the Occupation or GASP. You can contact here here: - http://www.ciosguernsey.org.gg/

Thank you too to Brian Gabriel and Brian de Jersey for recounting their memories of that time.

The German occupation of the Channel Islands lasted for most of World War II, from 30 June 1940 until liberation on 9 May 1945. The Bailiwick of Jersey and Bailiwick of Guernsey are two British Crown dependencies in the English Channel, near the coast of Normandy. The Channel Islands were the only de jure part of the British Empire to be occupied by Nazi Germany during the war.

As time progressed the situation grew gradually worse, leading to forced labour, mass deportations and ending in near starvation for both occupied and occupiers during the winter of 1944.

If you have any stories to share, please get in touch. You can contact me at [email protected]


#guernseyoccupation #channelislands #guernsey