ISLANDERS AT WAR
- ON THE FRONT LINE -
ISLANDERS AT WAR
ON THE FRONT LINE
Jersey people have known war. From the English Civil War – when the island gave sanctuary to Charles II – to the Second World War Islanders have done their duty. There is always time to remember. With the launch of the feature film Dunkirk in 2017, Islander Clive Kemp was persuaded to talk about his experience of living to fight another day…
“I can see it now…there was just mayhem”
- Clive Kemp
Leo Harris’s father, a successful garage owner, brought his wife and two sons to Jersey from Edinburgh before the Second World War to escape the threat of German bombing raids. He opened the Marina Hotel at Havre des Pas - which is how the Harris family came to be trapped in Jersey when German troops arrived in July 1940. Leo and his older brother, Francis, saw the Occupation through the eyes of youngsters but things turned serious in 1944 when Francis was imprisoned for helping himself to a German rifle. He was not released until Liberation Day, 9th May 1945…
How did Jersey men and women react to occupation by German troops from 1940 to 1945? Those in charge knew they had to be careful about upsetting the occupiers for fear of reprisals on the local population. Others, especially youngsters, wanted to take more direct action. To find out more follow the 'Resistance Trail' below...
Resistance Trail
In 1985, to mark the fortieth anniversary of the Liberation, BBC reporter and producer Beth Lloyd set out to interview those who were there. She ended up with enough material to fill eighteen programmes. Most of those who were interviewed are no longer with us, so her documentary series is an important historical record…