大象传媒

Mr Donald Board interviewed by Margaret le Cras.
Edited transcript of tape recording of the interview

I鈥︹�︹��. So the day of the Liberation, did you go right into town?
Mr Board. Yes, my wife didn鈥檛 come. I suppose it brought back memories to her, her sister, she鈥檇 be coming home sometime, she didn鈥檛 come. But we went on the flat roof of the house next door, and we could see the boats. Yes, I went down, and this big landing craft had come in the Old Harbour, and they were throwing tins of spam and all sorts鈥�
I鈥︹�︹��. I just remember the chewing gum.
Mr Board. I always remember, one batch of soldiers came off the White Rock, the Weighbridge, walked along the front, and I followed, and they stopped at what was called Normandy House at the bottom of Well Road, and they were leaning out of the windows, throwing out stuff to the people. And nearly at the top was a chap, and he must have been from Bolton or somewhere, up North, and he called out 鈥淔or the Lyedy with the Byeby鈥� I always remember that.Yes, Liberation Day, that was a great day.

I鈥︹�︹��. So what happened to them? Did they become prisoners of war in England?
Mr Board. Yes. They were well treated.
I鈥︹�︹��. But how long before they got back to Germany?
Mr Board. I don鈥檛 know鈥�
I鈥︹�︹��. Because some of them took two to three years before they got back home.
Mr Board. Theo was back about a twelve-month. I had mail from him.
I鈥︹�︹��. That was not too too long, then,
Mr Board. And he made friends, I forget the name of the town, now,
I鈥︹�︹��. But he was billeted, like, in England somewhere?
Mr Board. Oh, yes. He made friends there, and the children, the children would come and bring him sweets and that sort of thing, Yes, they packed their stuff and went off鈥� I鈥檝e got to think a minute鈥�
I鈥︹�︹��. How long before they left Guernsey, actually, from the day of the Liberation? How long did it take before they left the Island? Was it days or was it weeks?
Mr Board. It wasn鈥檛 weeks, it could have been a week,
I鈥︹�︹��. Because a lot of them had to stay, didn鈥檛 they
Mr Board. To clear up. At the top of my wife鈥檚 family鈥檚 home at the Mont Saint, there鈥檚 a patch of ground which wasn鈥檛 cultivated or anything, and her father used to cultivate it, they mined that, you must know the tower at the Mont Saint, that belongs to the Mont Saint house, and incidentally I went up in that after the Germans had gone, and I don鈥檛 know how I managed to do that, because it was mined, it might have been cleared beforehand, I went up in it, and it was a range-finding place, and they had some marvellous artists, they had all pictures of round about, St Saviour鈥檚 Church, and how many kilometres, and on the floor were two German field telephones, I don鈥檛 know if you鈥檝e seen them, brown cases with a handle on the side, and of course would I take one, and I thought no, because they鈥檇 booby-trapped a lot of things, and I thought I might cut the wires, and I鈥檇 be gone. So I left them. I did the same with the big guns at the Frie Baton, the Mirus guns. I went in there, and I saw down below the stretchers with the shells on, and the headphones were hung there, and I thought shall I take a headphone, and I thought no. Anyhow, this patch of ground was mined, and the Germans occupied the Mont Saint house 鈥� that鈥檚 the first place where we went to work 鈥� and the dog got in there, none went off, but they must have seen the dog, and they shot the dog. Later on, when we were living at the Mont Saint 鈥� that鈥檚 when our son was born 鈥� I cultivated a bit up there, see, there was the skull, with a little hole, of the dog!
I鈥︹�︹��. Well, straight after the war, we lived at the Choffins, just at the end of the Dam, you know, a lane, you know where Mr Guilcher鈥檚 house is? You go up, and you carry on straight.
Mr Board. Ah yes,
I鈥︹�︹��. There鈥檚 a big farm there, well that鈥檚 where my Father farmed, and the Germans were still here then, and they were clearing the mines, and all up that side was being heavily mined, and they decided, the, sort of, British engineers in charge of them, that the best way was to set fire, so all those small fields that is a green lane going up to the Hougues, they set fire to the lot, and it was the biggest firework display you鈥檝e ever seen, but you see the Mont Saint would have been quite close, so all the area was very heavily mined, and I really don鈥檛 know why. All like Haut Sejour, eh, all that area was heavily mined.
Mr Board. What we called North View, they had guns up there, and that was on their鈥�
I鈥︹�︹��. At that time they had the big guns at North View, and they had them all camouflaged, all in wooden, and painted to make it look like a house. And one morning we went, and all the wood had been stripped, and it was just the bunker, and its still there.
Mr Board. They camouflaged up at the top of the Frie Baton, they had a cottage up there,
I鈥︹�︹��. Right. You see the photographs, eh, it was very big.
Mr Board. I don鈥檛 know how long they were here after,
I鈥︹�︹��. Well the liberation was in May, and this was definitely at the end of the summer, when they set fire, because I remember the bracken and all that was brown, it wasn鈥檛 green, it was tinder dry, so it must have been at the end of the summer, so you鈥檙e talking September time, and that鈥檚 why they reckoned it was easier to set light to it. And I remember we had to as children 鈥� we weren鈥檛 made to stay inside but we had to stay in the yard of the Choffins 鈥� and then they set fire virtually all the way round.

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