A copy of Britain’s top-secret plans to free the Channel Islands – discovered in a cardboard box 80 years after the Occupation – was among the “star lots” sold at an auction in the UK this week.
The “extraordinary and rare” document contained details of ‘Operation Nestegg’, which was the codename for the British forces’ mission to liberate Guernsey and Jersey “as nearly simultaneously as possible” in May 1945.
Previously the property of Royal Naval sub-lieutenant Walter Page, it was discovered in a cardboard box as part of a job lot at a previous auction.
It went under the hammer at the Hansons Auctioneers’ sale in Derby yesterday.
Described as “extraordinary and rare”, it had a guide price of £800 to £1,200 and was sold for £3,800 (£4,780 including auction fees) to a bidder in Surrey.
Hansons Auctioneers’ militaria expert, Matt Crowson, said: “It was a great result, with bids online and in the room, and the vendor was delighted. The document is an important piece of military and social history from a tumultuous time.”
He continued: “The liberation of the Channel Islands ended five years of Nazi German occupation, and signified freedom for its inhabitants, and the end of the hardships endured, including shortages of food, restrictions of movement, and fear of what awaited ahead.”
Mr Crowson added: “The archive encapsulates the British Government’s determination and resolve to claim back the only part of the British Isles occupied by German forces in World War Two.
“It deservedly proved to be one of the star lots on the day, and shows the growing popularity of good and unusual World War Two items at auction.”