An event will be held shortly before Liberation Day celebrating the 80th anniversary of the return of evacuees and refugees who came back home after the end of the Second World War.
It’s being organised by Overseas Aid & Development Commission.
Being held on 28 April at Les Cotils, with tickets available from HERE, it’s going to mark the 75th Anniversary of the UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) which works to protect and find solutions for refugees, displaced, and stateless people around the world.
This May will mark 80 years since the end of the Channel Islands Occupation at the hands of German forces during the Second World War. Shortly after Liberation Day was celebrated on 9 May 1945, those who had been displaced because of the war started to return home.
17,000 people had been evacuated in June 1940, and some of those evacuees started to return home within weeks. The majority were back in Guernsey by the end of the year – although some didn’t return at all.
Those who had been deported also started to return, with those not coming home including those who had died as a result of their detention by the German forces elsewhere.
The Vice-President of the Channel Islands’ Occupation Society, Paul Le Pelley, a local historian, will be sharing much more information on those affected by the Occupation and the displacement at the event at Les Cotils on 28 April.
Mr Le Pelley said the evening will include testimony from evacuees – including some who were sent to live in towns in northern England (evacuees in Winsford, Cheshire pictured top).
“Just before the Occupation of the Channel Islands many people living in the Bailiwick of Guernsey were forced to leave their island homes,” he said.
“A great number thought that they would be able to return very quickly. Some joined the British Armed Forces; many others made their own arrangements to move to the English mainland and stay with family and/or friends until the fighting on the French mainland ended and peace was reinstated. Yet others were encouraged to send their children to the British mainland in school groups and many mothers with very young children were encouraged to remove themselves to a place of safety in the UK whilst their husbands remained behind to continue family businesses and/or protect family property. Few expected the separations to last more than a few weeks, let alone five years.
“My talk will cover what happened to these displaced people – these refugees – over the next five years, and the work of the various Channel Islands (Refugee) Societies that were set up to help them. I will also include the story of the almost 1,000 Bailiwick of Guernsey residents of British birth who were deported to Germany in 1942 and 1943. Even more Guernsey residents were found guilty of various misdemeanours against the German authorities and sentenced to prison terms in either France and/or Germany. Many of the deportees and those imprisoned did not survive their incarceration and lie buried overseas. The return to the islands of those displaced – either as voluntary evacuees or compulsory deportees – will also be told, together with what happened on their arrival.”
During the event at Les Cotils, there will also be a display of artefacts relating to the evacuees, kindly loaned by Guernsey Museums.
A presentation from Vicky Tennant, UNHCR’s Representative to the United Kingdom, will elaborate on the situation of forced displacement, current challenges, and the ongoing and evolving work of the organisation she serves, which is receiving support from Guernsey.
Also, outside on the front lawn of Les Cotils Centre, will be a modern UNHCR Family Refugee Tent with survival equipment and a small display on some of the UNHCR’s operations and how the Commission has helped to support its life-saving efforts.
Ms Tennant, UNHCR’s Representative to the United Kingdom said: “UNHCR works all around the world to support and protect people who have been forced to flee their homes. The stories of Guernsey’s evacuees serve as a reminder of the hardships of all those impacted by war and conflict. Today, millions around the world experience similar struggles, and it’s through cooperation across many sectors, compassion and dedication that we can help rebuild lives and offer hope and solutions. We are grateful for the support from Guernsey in our life-saving efforts to protect and assist refugees worldwide.”
Emma Cherniavsky, CEO of UK for UNHCR, said: “We are deeply grateful to the States of Guernsey for its ongoing support in aiding refugees, reflecting the generous and philanthropic values of many across this territory. With critical funding now uncertain and millions still displaced worldwide, partnerships such as this have never been more vital in helping UNHCR deliver relief to those who need it most.”
Deputy Chris Blin, the President of the OA&DC, said: “The story of the evacuation is a fascinating one and Paul’s presentation will help bring this to life, including hearing from an evacuee who has not publicly spoken of her experiences before. UNHCR was actually established in the aftermath of the Second World War to help protect people forced to flee conflict and persecution and there are certainly similarities between the plight of the Guernsey population during the Occupation years, particularly the evacuees, and the situation of people UNHCR now support around the world. The Commission has therefore been proud to support UNHCR. In recent years this has included, from the Commission itself, Disaster and Emergency Relief Awards to feed and help refugees and people displaced by famine and conflict in Sudan and the surrounding region, similar work in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and to alleviate the effects of extreme monsoon floods in Pakistan. In addition and separately, the States of Guernsey has provided support for Ukraine. The Commission is consequently very pleased to host this event and welcomes the UNHCR Representative to the United Kingdom and a senior delegation from the UK for UNHCR to the Island, including the Chief Executive Officer. I am also looking forward to welcoming all those who take an interest in the Occupation and the work of UNHCR to the event – a tip from me would be to arrive early so you have time to visit the tent on the front lawn, on the way to the Harry Bound Room where the presentations will be.”
Tickets to the event at Les Cotils on 28 April are available from HERE.