大象传媒

Liz Barrett interviewed by Becky Kendall at the Guille-Alles Library 5/2/2005. Recording transcribed by John David. Liz Barret was seven when the Island was occupied.

I鈥︹�︹��. So what happened to School? The other children went, you stayed?
Yes, we still went back to our school, to the Capelles school, and it wasn鈥檛 long, I can鈥檛 say how long it was, and one day we were in school, I think we were in the playground, and some German Officers came along, and went into the school, and then that day when we went to leave school we were told that we mustn鈥檛 come to school tomorrow, because the Germans were going to take over it all, the school was closing down or whatever. We didn鈥檛 go to school the next day, anyway. So then we went to the Methodist Chapel, at l鈥橧slet, Salem Methodist Church it was then, the chapel, and we went in the schoolroom at the back, the Sunday School room at the back, we went there for school, for a while, then we were at the Salvation Army Sunday School, for a while, and we were all piled in this place, and they had curtains around us, so there鈥檇 be one class here, and one class up there, so you could hear them talking, and mumbling, like, you know, so we were there for a while, and we were also down at the Catholic school at l鈥橧slet, opposite Salem chapel, we were there for quite a while, and I can remember seeing the German Officers going through, and we were in the playground, We saw the Germans, and I said to my friend 鈥淚 bet you we don鈥檛 come to school tomorrow, because I bet they鈥檙e saying they鈥檙e taking over the school鈥�. And they did, and we weren鈥檛 at school the next day. And then we were at this big house, if you鈥檙e coming down the Rue Sauvage there鈥檚 this great big old granite house, real Guernsey one, lovely, beautiful place, and at that place on the outside they had some steps leading up to a room, upstairs, and we were there in a class, there, and I stayed there until I was eleven, or ten and a half, we could take the scholarship, take the exams for a scholarship to the grammar school,
I鈥︹�︹��. Fascinating to think that these things still carried on, entrance exams to specific schools.
That鈥檚 right, but it did. We would be sent home, and then somebody would find out, I don鈥檛 know how, maybe it would be announced in the Press, that school would be opened, and it would be at a chapel or a church or wherever.

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