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︹�︹��. Now you鈥檝e been talking about the crystal set, is that how you first learned that the Germans had lost the war?
Yes, it was through that. My father had a map in the kitchen, you know, and he used to put these flags or pins or something. It was in the kitchen, anyone could have walked in. He used to listen to the crystal set, he鈥檇 buried the wireless sets, as they called them, he鈥檇 buried them in the shed, which didn鈥檛 have a concrete floor, he鈥檇 buried his and his brother鈥檚, they both dug this big hole and stuck them down there, and after the war they pulled them out, on the day we knew the war was ending, they dug them out, and they took them to this house with big sheds or something, at les Gigands, that鈥檚 where they listened. But on Liberation Day my sister and I had to stay home, because people would come along and steal what food that we had sent to us, Red Cross parcels, so we stayed home and Dad went, Phyll and I listened to the crystal set, and we heard Churchill speaking on the crystal set.
I鈥︹�︹��. So did you know that there were going to be British soldiers being sent to Guernsey to liberate Guernsey?
Yes
I鈥︹�︹��. And how far in advance did you know that was going to happen?
We actually knew that the war had ended, because my uncle Nelson 鈥� that鈥檚 my father鈥檚 brother 鈥� came to the Chapel when we were at Chapel, and he wanted to announce this, because he鈥檇 heard it on a crystal set that the war had ended. Well it had ended in some places but it hadn鈥檛 ended round here yet. And somebody鈥檚 baby was being Christened that day, and they didn鈥檛 want this upheaval of somebody saying something that wasn鈥檛 even sure, you know, because everybody knew that the British and the Americans were claiming more and more from the Germans, they knew that, so when uncle Nelson came in, and he called dad out, and he told dad, and dad said he wanted to make an announcement, he said 鈥淭he war has ended鈥� and they said 鈥淣o it hasn鈥檛鈥�. I think that鈥檚 what happened, anyway. So that night we went home 鈥� so this is Sunday 鈥� There was a knock at the door, I think, and he saw this German helmet coming past, he said 鈥淚鈥檓 going to go and get him鈥� My father was about five foot eight, maybe a bit less, but he was tall for that age, and he was going to go out and thump this German soldier. 鈥淒on鈥檛 do that, Gerald鈥�, mother said to him, and it was Mr Gaudion that had come around, he was young, you know, and he鈥檇 brought with him a big container of milk, he didn鈥檛 give any to the Germans, he brought it to us, and we all had milk, and anybody who came in had milk, so this is what happened. Dad put the flag up on the Monday, I think it was, he put this big pole, a scaffold pole that he had because he was a builder, you know, this great big thing in the front of the house, and he had this flag, he exchanged food that he had for the flag, the Union Jack, you see, so there鈥檚 this flag going up in the morning. And then we went on our bikes into Town, and as you got along the sea front, going through Baubigny, I said 鈥淭here鈥檚 boats all the way along鈥� and they said afterwards, there weren鈥檛 boats all the way along, boats here and there along, but not right across, and I used to say there were boats from left to right, but there weren鈥檛, apparently, but there were several boats there. We cycled along the sea front, and parked our bikes, which my father chained up along the sea front by the Salerie Corner, and we walked along, and there were crowds of people everywhere, German soldiers were looking out of the windows where they鈥檇 been staying, all these hotels and guest houses and so on, and then we watched the soldiers coming off, because there were crowds we saw them coming off, and they were giving cigarettes out to people, I think, and they came out 鈥� this was right in the Weighbridge, there were crowds of people round there, where that circle, that roundabout thing is, because you couldn鈥檛 go down the harbour, because it was closed up, and it was still closed up, and then the British came, and we saw them walking down, down the Weighbridge, and then they were mixed amongst other people, there were people hugging them, and kissing them鈥�
I鈥︹�︹��. And what were the Germans doing? Were they pretty much keeping themselves to themselves?
Then we stood outside the Royal Hotel, and listened to the speech from this man who gave a speech, this British officer 鈥� but he did not look like an officer, he wasn鈥檛 sort of dressed up with a peaked cap and all the rest of it, he was like a working officer, you know 鈥� My dad was standing there, and there was a German soldier just in front of me, he looked like, maybe, an officer, not very big, but he was an officer, I think, and he didn鈥檛 have his belt on, so he didn鈥檛 have his bayonet, and my father touched me, and pointed, there was a German there, because I was closest to him at the time, and he was just standing there, listening to the speech, like we were, they wanted to go home, you know.

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