大象传媒

Our War time experience in Jersey, May/June 1940. Jack and Ada Willmott.

The barrage balloons were all up round the docks when we boarded the ship at Southampton. We got underway at 12 midnight, it was very dark. They told us to try our lifejackets on. We had our five year old son with us, there was nothing for children, but they said if the worst came to the worst they would do the best they could. Part way over the Channel everything went quiet, the engines had stopped, they told us not to make a sound, as enemy planes were passing overhead to go to the mainland. After a while we started up again, reaching Jersey at 8am, glad to be off the sea.

We had been coming to Jersey for three seasons to help our farmer friend to get his potato and tomato crops up, he was there to meet us. As the days went by things began to get tense on the island. When we were working up on the Cootsy, that鈥檚 the strips of land up the side of the hills, we could hear the guns rumbling and feared they were getting closer.

One evening we heard a big explosion in the sea below us, it was something trying to hit the Mail boat, it swung to the side and after that they varied the time of the boat going out. Things were getting very unsettled in the town. No potatoes were getting out, so there was no money coming in. They cleared the Banks and special things out of the Island, as they knew the Invasion was coming.

On the Wednesday night news came that Jersey was declared an open town. Thy told the British people and anyone wanting to get out to go and register at the Town Hall in St. Helier, that was four miles away from us. It was seven o鈥檆lock in the evening. We got our young son up and got a lift into town. When we got there they had just called a curfew, and everyone had to leave the town. We walked back to some friends who put us up and we slept in chairs. We were back on the road at four o鈥檆lock in the morning. A milk float gave us a lift. A big queue was there so we joined it. My husband heard some sailors talking, saying there were people getting away in small boats. We went and were lucky to get on one. They were calling out 鈥淲omen and children only鈥�. My husband had our son in his arms, they told him to bring him down to me, and come straight back up, which he didn鈥檛, but went on down to the galley.

It was on old coal boat, the SS Suffolk Coast, very dirty, but we didn鈥檛 mind that because we were getting away. It was frightening coming across that sea, with things drifting by. My son and I sat behind a post, my husband was bringing us tea on top of the deck to keep us warm. We arrived at Weymouth in the early hours of the morning, and had to wait until daybreak for them to move the barriers and let us in. They were very good to us, gave us food and drink, examined us, put a ticket on each of us, and we were Refugees. The Salvation Army paid for us to get home to Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, as we had no money. We arrived home late on Friday evening. Our families were so pleased we had got away safely, as no news had been coming through fro us. The Germans occupied the Channel Islands a week after we got out, so we were very lucky, we thank God for that.

After forty years we went back to Jersey to find our friend鈥檚 children, which we did, and had so much to talk about. The eldest son was the head (Cenetor) of the Parish of St. Johns. He took us all round the island and told us about the Occupation. My husband served in the Army for five and a half years, and died three years ago, so I am left with my memories.

Mrs. Ada Willmott.

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