A documentary showcasing life on Herm in the early 1970s has been released by BBC Archive for free, featuring explanations of the lives and work of residents by the then leaseholder Major Peter Wood.
The documentary, part of the Look Stranger series, was released in 1972 and interviewed the residents who kept the island ticking.
It was filmed decades after the lease was purchased by Major Wood from the States of Guernsey for £15,000, with one of the conditions of the lease to repair the crumbling island infrastructure after the Occupation years.
He says he was drawn to the island for a “sense of adventure” and to build a community, with 10 to 11 families living in Herm at the time of filming and almost all of them contributing to the running of the island.
But Major Wood notes there are few jobs for the wives and states his belief that it was for men to “provide the living” and “women’s place” to provide for the family.
The accountant of Herm notes the strange situation of having to pay the wages of his neighbours, while Major Wood later goes on to describe the relationship between residents as a commercial one, and argues the importance of having a clear head of the island, such as himself.
One of the few women working is the school teacher who says while there are fewer children to teach, their varying age ranges means each child becomes a classroom of one.
She notes the struggles to provide them with practical experiences such as a full football match or observing machinery, but says the parents feel their best years are in Herm before they have to go to school in Guernsey at the age of 11.
Other quirks of the island at that time are described by Major Wood’s wife Jenny, who described how a bonfire would need to be lit at the top of the island if there was a medical emergency and their radio telephone was malfunctioning.