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Question: What would you get if you crossed a Martha’s Vineyard-size island with a World War II military movie, added an engaging cast of local characters; threw in 44 coves, beaches and harbors, countless flower gardens, great bike and walking paths; and then dubbed the whole scene in four languages (English, French, patois, and German) and placed it just off the coast of France?

Answer: Guernsey, the larger-than-life Channel Island that wears its history and beauty with Gallic flair and British pluck.

Flying in from London over this triangular-shaped island, I was struck by the wildness of its undulating rocky coast, and once on land, I was taken with its Frenchness. In the capital, St. Peter Port, substantial granite houses hug the slopes of the town’s hills, giving everyone, it seems, a harbor view. Cobbled streets, French street names, cosmopolitan restaurants and cafes, and Victorian and Regency buildings give the port its Mediterranean feel.

Around the coast, long sweeps of beaches and sharply peaked rock formations with colorful names—Peastacks, Dog and Lion, Hanois Reef—have been created over the millennia by 38-foot tides and crushing breakers.

It was here that Renoir painted 16 sea- and landscapes. Victor Hugo came also, craving inspiration to complete his masterwork, Les Miserables. When he penned Cosette and Jean Valjean’s travails, he did so standing at a tall desk in his writing room on the second floor of his eccentrically decorated house, overlooking St. Peter Port harbor, then as now buzzing with maritime activities. He personally created much of the furniture and wall coverings in this house in the Hautville neighborhood, which is now open to the public. The result is a dizzying collection of patterns and designs, original and sharp and fresh even today.

Elsewhere, fanciful gardens of palm trees and roses, food markets like Les Halles of Paris, and chi-chi clothing and antiques’ shops add to the island’s Gallic flavor.

Yet, because it was British, 60 years ago Germany invaded and occupied Guernsey, seeing the island as their steppingstone to England. Today, two million visitors (largely European) treat the twenty-five square mile island as their own pretty Bermuda. However, at a point in the more recent past, the islanders had to come to grips with how they would handle the evocative and visible—and yes, even ugly—effects of the war and Occupation. Here on this peaceful green island, there was a bunker or fortress for every one hundred yards of coastline, these newer German structures joining the older Martello towers of the Napoleonic era.

Luckily, a small but determined band of history-minded volunteers—who later formed an organization called Fortress Guernsey—decided that the past should not be whitewashed away, but instead studied and, in some cases, restored. They recognized too that the details of the Nazi invasion are little known to outsiders, perhaps in part because huge casualties did not occur.

Presently, through the efforts of Fortress Guernsey, a visitor can come to this peaceful island, enjoy all its amenities, and they can also view what many military historians consider part of one of the largest war invasion efforts since Julius Caesar’s day. Using Fortress Guernsey brochures, booklets and maps available at the tourist offices, it is possible to visit the coastal defense works, the underground hospital and the Occupation Museum.

The island’s many coastal fortifications were part of Hitler’s Atlantic Wall, a line of defensive structures extending from Norway to Spain, which military historians have compared to the works of the Romans at the height of their power. Biking or driving around, is possible to imagine what life might have been like if the Fuhrer had succeeded in his master plan to conquer all of Great Britain.

"GOOD-BYE, MUM, I'll BE SHAVING WHEN I GET BACK!"

On Saturday morning, September 4, 1939, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain announced over the radio, "England is at war with Germany." Yet, for nine months, life proceeded quite normally for the 44,000 residents of Guernsey, the English-protectorate island thirty miles off the coast of France. In fact, the people of the Channel Islands, which also includes Jersey, Alderney, Sark and Herm, often referred to this period as "the phony war." They were issued gas masks and given instructions for their use.

Alongside the peaceful walled lanes, islanders still grew their famous tomatoes in the ubiquitous glass greenhouses, milked their contented Guernsey cows, drank their tea and sang patriotic songs. Families continued to enjoy their fancy flower gardens and glorious beaches. In early summer of 1940, mothers still took their youngsters swimming along the shore. Near L’Ancresse Common on a sunny June day, the women chatted at the water’s edge, keeping an eagle eye out for their children frolicking in the waves.

Suddenly, messengers ran to the beach to inform everyone of the German Occupation. England was sending boats to rescue islanders, to get them out of harm’s way. People congregated to discuss, "Should we go or should we stay?"

Rumors spread quickly. Some claimed the war was almost over. Others killed their prized cows and hid their silver. Bartenders gave away whiskey and beer. "No sense in making the Nazis a gift," they said.

Although the first evacuation boats arrived on June 21, it was several days before evacuees were to leave. In the end, almost 21,000 residents left for the mainland, including most of the children, many in the company of their mothers or teachers, but some alone. One fourteen-year-old shouted from the departing boat, "Good-by, Mum, I’ll be shaving when I come back." Little did they know.

On Friday, June 28, farmers were wheeling carts of tomatoes down to St. Peter Port, as they routinely did, to load onto boats to England. Overhead, three German bombers saw this line of carts and assumed that the islanders were organizing a resistance at the harbor. They bombed the line and killed 34 innocent people. This was no longer a phony war.

Shortly thereafter, German troops came ashore, taking over houses, hotels and farms. They began building troop shelters and coastal fortifications. (By war’s end, 34,000 Germans would occupy the Channel Islands.) Having invaded and occupied much of France, the Germans thought that these small islands in the crook of France’s shoulder would be handy stepping stones to mainland Great Britain. No one then knew that the Channel Islands’ Occupation would last almost five years.

"A CHILD’S WAR"

On a recent visit, I had the great fortune to meet some of the children who knew war’s effect first hand, including several who had been sent away so many years ago. Now they are mature adults, with a remarkable way of looking at life. Kirkegaard probably had these people in mind when he said, "Whatever doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger."

They talk freely—and seemingly without rancor—of the difficulties of those five years. Several have written about their experiences, including Molly Bihet. In her book A Child’s War, she tells of pushing a baby carriage, at the age of eight and accompanied by her six-year-old sister, down to the main harbor of St. Peter Port.

There, on the docks, German workers would offload foodstuffs from incoming ships, then cart it away for distribution to soldiers billeted all over the island. The two young girls would innocently stand by, watching for potatoes to drop. They would then quickly scoop them up and toss into the carriage. For the next few days, their mother would cook up potatoes. Then, she’d cook the peelings. When there was nothing left the girls would gather acorns.

The five years of German Occupation radically changed the lives of the Guernseymen, including the half of the population relocated to England. Of these, 5000 were children sent "off island’. By German fiat, parents could write only 24 words every three months, and if a family had three children, it meant that each child would hear from his or her parents once every nine months. These telegramlike notes were facilitated by the Red Cross, but gave cold comfort to kids who had in effect become orphans.

"It wasn’t until I saw my own wife many years after I was back, talking sweetly to her children, that I realized what I missed not having a mother," one man told me. In articles and books, returned children have tried to explain the sense of loss that does haunt them still.

TODAY IT’S A HARBOR OF FERRIES, SAILBOATS, CRUISING BOATS AND FINE FOOD AND FESTIVALS

More than 10,000 sailboats come through St. Peter Port harbor each summer, jostling for slips and moorings in the waterfront’s several coves. The port is also full of ferries, cruising ships and fishing boats. Many Americans have their first Guernsey experience arriving by cruise ship for a visit or a day or two. Other Americans have first learned of the place by attending many of the notable medical congresses here. Several resort style hotels can host upwards of a thousand visitors; the waterfront is lined with top restaurants.

I was surprised at both the foreignness and the familiarity of the island, in its chief city, St. Peter Port, and out along the hedgerows. It seems to take the best of both England and France, not surprisingly, as it has lived under the rule of each. While the island owes its allegiance to the British crown, it has a continental flavor. Both English and French are spoken. Older people still speak the Guernsey patois, a Norman French with a British twist. When you go sightseeing out to the forts and bunkers, you will see that the signs in German have been retained.

The focal point at the main harbor in any direction is the massive Castle Cornet, a building of such heft it appears to be an island itself. The castle and other venues along the waterfront are frequent sites for cafe dining, concerts, plays and historic and food and wine festivals. On a weekend evening, you might catch a performance of "Midsummer Night’s Dream" or "The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party".

Locally grown vegetables, including the justly famous tomato, as well as freshly caught fish and shellfish make up most of the popular meals at both upscale restaurants and fish and chip shops. French cooking means that it is impossible to get a bad meal here.

Islanders host events each year for almost every interest: kite-flying, bridge and chess tournaments, agricultural and horticultural events, Petanque (French bowling), and even a real ale and cider festival. During the month of April, people flock to Guernsey for the Annual Festival of Food and Wine. Local restaurants compete for awards, producing attractively priced menus and creating new dishes. On May 9 every year, the residents celebrate Liberation Day with fireworks, street entertainment and speeches. In September, Fortress Guernsey hosts a symposium about the events of the war and the progress of the restoration.

Sports events also bring in many visitors: horse driving shows, air shows, fun races, duathalons, triathalons, swimming, hockey, and yachting regattas. Vintage car rallies, ballet performances, jazz events are scheduled throughout the year at the attractive Saumerez Park, where you can also visit the attractive manor house and the floral gardens. Floral festivals and plantings are practically a cottage industry all over the island.

GETTING AROUND GUERNSEY (à la Martha Stewart)

You can "do" this island anywhere from $50 per day up to $1,000. Shopkeepers accept payment in both English and Guernsey pounds, while born-to-shoppers appreciate the absence of the value-added tax (VAT). Accommodations range from simple B&Bs to fancy five-star hotels, and everything in between. Small inns and B&Bs offer a ‘down home’ kind of comfort and relaxation, and provide the visitor with the opportunity to hear some personal accounts of living through the Occupation. The stories I heard were very moving.

Getting around is easy, either by using the extensive public bus system, or, if you prefer more flexibility, by car. Rentals are moderately priced. Active travelers may traverse the compact island by bike or foot. Bike rentals are available at most hotels or in St. Peter Port. I used the Guernsey Tourist board bike guide, which lists eleven distinct bike routes, most of which are between 10 – 15 miles long. Biking is best done around the island perimeters, where the coastal views are spectacular.

I found much to see in each of the island’s ten parishes, including museums, churches, parks, and, of course, the famous beaches. Its narrow often high-walled lanes seem almost like a spiderweb, seemingly crisscrossing every spare inch of the land. Auto traffic moves slowly (25 miles per hour) in the built-up areas. There are approximately 50,000 cars on this island of 60,000 inhabitants.

Guernsey boasts that it is England’s "sunniest corner". Public and private gardens attest to the universal love of horticulture. Some residents, going beyond raising petunias, rhododendron and carnations, also decorate their yards with shells and stones. One lovely B&B I stayed at has a dozen or more deer living in their side yard.

It is part of Great Britain, though, so you would be wise to bring raingear. Coastal walks are very popular (get maps from tourist office in St. Peter Port.) Since there are unusually high tides, if you plan to swim or surf, be sure to rely on local knowledge. Swim only where there is a lifeguard.

One of Guernsey’s most unusual sights is a petite Roman Catholic "teacup chapel" at Les Vauxbelets College. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought that it was a Martha Stewart concoction. Sixteen feet long, its exterior wall is made entirely of broken china, artlessly arranged. It barely holds the altar, one priest and four parishioners. Created by Deodat, a French monk, it is said to be his second chapel on the site. Apparently, like Martha, he had a perfectionist streak, having torn down the first version.

DISCOVER THE ISLAND’S MILITARY HISTORY

During the German period of occupation, in one extraordinary 18-month period, workers used more than 272,000 cubic metres of concrete. They erected towers, batteries, personnel bunkers and miles of underground tunnels. By 1943, more than 20,000 German soldiers and 5,000 slave workers from Russia and Eastern Europe created a seemingly impregnable fortress of Guernsey.

Workers installed artillery and buttressed some of the existing 18th century forts, including Forts Doyle, Grey and Hommet. The proficient construction team, Organization Todt (OT), modified walls and ceilings of the old Castle Cornet, making every wall at least six feet thick. The men erected barbed wire around the entire perimeter of the island and planted 75,000 landmines in the cliffs and dunes. Still visible today is the Underground Hospital built under St. Andrew’s Hill.

To haul all the concrete as well as equivalent amounts of steel, timber, doors and fittings, as well as the guns and stores, OT built a railway connecting the port and the western harbor sites. I couldn’t help being impressed with both the German military technologies and the enormous quantities of materiel.

Perhaps the most notable German defense work is the naval direction-finding L’Angle Tower, located at Pleinmont on the southwest coast. Resembling a conning tower of a warship, if overlooks the Allies’ former shipping lanes of the English Channel. Ironically, the fortresses were never truly tested, for the Allies did not wish to risk innocent lives by mounting an invasion.

EVERYONE HAS A STORY ON THIS ISLAND

For the thousands who stayed, living under German rule meant severe restrictions on their freedom, including takeovers of their food, houses, gardens, radios—and cows. There were curfews and of course, separation from their children and other loved ones. From June of 1944 until Liberation Day, May 9, 1945, there were severe food shortages. Many of the slave workers died. If it were not for the emergency food parcels shopped by the Red Cross, many islanders would have perished.

When the war was over, it was just enough for the islanders to try to piece their lives together. More than 70,000 land mines had to be swept up. The British began a campaign to collect scrap metal for the postwar effort. There was no immediate plan to restore the forts and bunkers. It is only in recent years that residents began to realize the importance of restoration.

Richard Heaume, born after the war was over, had a fascination with the ‘treasures’ he dug up as a boy: helmets, knives, bullets, guns. Today many of these items are in the Fortress Guernsey Occupation Museum he runs. "I would trade things I found with other boys. Gradually I realized it all had to be preserved. It is part of who we are." At the museum you can see a recreated St. Peter Port street, along with some of the war’s oddities: a gas mask for horses; the forbidden "V for Victory" signs, and even packets of ersatz foods, such as parsnip tea and carrageen moss, that islanders ate to allay their hunger pains.

Another dedicated volunteer, Brian Matthews, has produced a video that gives a graphic demonstration of the invasion and later efforts to hold onto the island’s history. By helping to oversee and publicize the efforts of the workers behind the scenes, he illustrates the courage and fortitude of the islanders, as well as the dedicated restoration work of the volunteers. Historian Colin Partridge and others scour Europe for authentic uniforms, helmets, guns and military mementos.

Along the island’s lengthy coast, the mines and the barbed wire have long since been removed. Walking the flower-studded coastal trails, I looked down over the cliffs to see some of Europe’s loveliest beaches and of course the unique fortifications. It struck me that this is a place where people may come for the natural beauty, but seldom leave without understanding how Guernsey has learned to live with a difficult part of its past.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

You can enjoy a week or more in Guernsey, or you could see it as week- end ‘add-on’ to a trip to England or France. You can take a short flight from either London or Southampton or Paris, or take the high speed ferry from Dover or Calais. Contact the Tourist Board and/or your travel agent for help in planning.

Contact the Guernsey Tourist Board, (PO Box 23, St. Peter Port, Guernsey GY1 3AN) for information about getting to the island, hotels and restaurants, car rental, as well as festivals, arts events, sports, etc.

Tel 01481 726611; Fax 01481 721246. Log onto www.travel2guernsey.com

Fortress Guernsey – Provides specific military and social histories (books, pamphlets, cards, etc) of the island, as well as information about sites it oversees, including some of the forts, observation posts, the direction-finding tower, as well as the Underground Hospital, St. Andrews, the German Occupancy Museum Museum and the La Valette Underground Military Museum.

For a copy of the Guernsey video, contact Brian Matthews at Tomahawk Films, East Wing, Clevedale, The Avenue, Twyford, Winchester, The Hants S 021 1NJ.

The Duke of Richmond Hotel, 74 rooms, with sun terrace and swimming pool, is an attractive and comfortable place to stay. It is located opposite Cambridge Park and overlooks St. Peter Port.

Text and photographs by Marguerite Jordan ©

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