大象传媒

German Occupation - Shortages

Electric current was switched off at nine o'clock in the evening and candles were at a premium while they lasted, oil lamps were highly valued and finally we were reduced to using something we called 'search lights' made from a bottle filled with old diesel oil with a cork or substitute in the neck through which was pulled a piece of string acting as a wick... it really was a case of 'lead kindly light!' The States Water Board had a cable passed through our property to provide them with electricity; they connected us at the same time as a gesture of appreciation, which gave us current when the general population was cut off. Prior to 1940 there were few areas in St Saviour or the upper parishes supplied with electricity, even the churches used oil lamps. During the occupation the Germans installed electric cables in the main areas for their own use and the States Electricity Department made use of these cables to supply many areas after the war including St Saviour's Church.
Sugar beet was grown in the country and boiled up for days until it formed a black sticky mess used in the place of sugar and often very bitter. Tea consisted of dried nettles or brambles, tobacco was grown and the leaves dried and processed by very many different methods resulting in a vile smell in many cases but appeared to give satisfaction to the smoker. Carrageen Moss, seaweed, was used to make blancmange, a real delicacy for children's parties, and was considered to be highly nutritious.
Bartering in those days was a way of life and the local papers were full of the most extraordinary exchanges. Looking in a copy of the 鈥淕uernsey Press鈥� I have dated 7th May 1943 I found "Oats for Putty", "Salt for dried beans", "Two one pound bars of English soap for two pairs of stockings", "Eggs for sugar", "Eggs for soap". "Min cream for hair grips", "Cashmere stockings and brasso for commodities", "Floor polish for sugar".
. All baby clothes were obtained through barter or purchased second hand. I remember when we were in need of a pram and cycled to town from St Saviour to view one on offer, and bringing it back towed from the back of our cycles. After 1944 when the Allies reached the French coast the Red Cross ship Vega came to the islands with Red Cross parcels, which contained white bread. This was the first we had seen since the occupation, and you cannot imagine how this was treasured and enjoyed. We were used to a limited ration of horrible black bread made from a mixture of sour potato and stale rye flour, which was difficult to stomach. Chocolate was seen by some young children for the first time in their short lives. Had the Allies not landed and conquered France in the way that they did the German regime would have operated here as in other occupied countries.
We kept a cow for the family needs, as did Pierre's mother. By orders of the German Command everyone was obliged to send all their milk to the Dairy but our cows never produced any milk! A German was sent in such cases to spend the day with the farmer and be with him during milking hours. Mother and son used to milk each other's cow just before the allotted hour, according to which one had the German escort for the day, resulting in a little more than a cupful of milk remaining when the milking time came. Another ruse was to milk one teat into the bucket and one on the grass. We were lucky enough to have milk throughout the occupation and also butter which, was made by a long process of shaking milk in a container. Living in the country we were lucky as we had vegetables wheat and milk and so were always able to eat.

Lily Mauger.
Written from notes in 1995.

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