大象传媒

Mr Ray Caradeuc interviewed by Margaret Le Cras

Transcribers note : Transcription difficult at times because interviewer was nearer the microphone and her interjections sometimes upstage Mr Le Caradeuc, who is rather faint. Where the interviewer鈥檚 comments are relevant they have been transcribed in full

I鈥︹�︹��. Right, now I鈥檓 talking to Mr Caradeuc, who used to live at the Groutez at the Castel, and strangely enough we realised that we must have known each other at some time, and he worked with my uncle. Right, Mr Caradeuc, you tell us what you did during the War.
Ray Caradeuc. Well, when the war started, the Germans came over,
Well, when the war started, the Germans came over, I passed my driving test in the morning,
The same day, Sgt Harper passed me, he said just go round the plantation, go up Havelet, come down, and he passed me, and I started driving from that day, till now.
I was seventeen. 鈥淗ow did you bring the car there鈥�, he said to me, and I said 鈥淢y brother鈥� because he was a year older than me, but I had brought it ,
And then, the later part of the day, we saw the machine guns, the planes coming in, [ ] planes, machine guns, German machine guns, we had to go to St Peter鈥檚 to fetch some vegetables, and we heard there was some bombing at the White Rock, it was tragic, for us, we lost five people we knew, the Le Pages, from Millmount. Schoolmates, Jack Le Noury, Ernest de Garis from Orange Lodge.
Ray Caradeuc. He was Jurat De Garis鈥檚 son, Ernest, [he was the second, not the eldest]
I鈥︹�︹��. It was a bad day, and a bad day for the farmers, eh.
Ray Caradeuc. So, we , I went there to enquire, with your uncle
I鈥︹�︹��. So, that would have been Cliff Le Cheminant at the Douit,
Ray Caradeuc. At the Douit, yes,
I鈥︹�︹��. So he would have kept the farm.
Ray Caradeuc. Oh Yes he had the farm right to the end.
I鈥︹�︹��. Yes he did, because he lived years afterwards. My father would have been living there, and then my father left
Ray Caradeuc. That鈥檚 right, and I don鈥檛 know where he went
I鈥︹�︹��. We went to Clos Massies, you know, behind Les Prevosts, towards the Hougue Fouque, a little cottage called Clos Massies, and then we moved from there to Theodora, along the Prevosts Road, but he must have fallen out with his brothers, they must have fallen out for him to leave the Douit, but he never told us why, but of course he died when I was fifteen, and we weren鈥檛 sort of interested enough to ask why, no. I鈥檝e never known why he left.
Ray Caradeuc. That鈥檚 sad, isn鈥檛 it.
I鈥︹�︹��. It was very sad, and it must have been something to do with him and Cliff, because at the end of the day it was my brother who inherited the Douit.
Ray Caradeuc. Eddie? But he was the second eldest, wasn鈥檛 he?
I鈥︹�︹��. No, my brother Eddie, Eddie鈥檚 son, like. It was my brother that inherited the Douit.
Ray Caradeuc. And who鈥檚 got it now?
I鈥︹�︹��. I think it鈥檚 somebody who runs a children鈥檚 nursery, I don鈥檛 know what their name is, no.

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