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GUERNSEY - 1940 -1945
I expect that not many people now remember Captain Obermeyer who was the German Harbourmaster during part of the Occupation. I was in Hamburg in 1947 and through some locaJ fishermen who knew my father (Fred Locke),I was asked to visit him in Othsmarschen which is a suburb of Hamburg.

He lived in one room with his wife and they were both charming people. Captain Obermeyer bad been the captain of a Hamburg-American liner pre-war. I also met his daughter at one stage but she told me that the German (equivalent. of the WRNS) uniform was far better quality material than the our uniforms!!!

However, the locaJ fishermen and Captain Franklin, the Guernsey Harbourmaster and Mr. Louis Guillemette who eventually became States Supervisor, asked me to take a De-Nazjfication Certificate to hjm. This had been signed by fishermen and various local people. Captain Obermeyer was duJy 'de-nazjfied~ and I used to visit bjm and his wife from time to time -taking friends with me and little treats from Guernsey and from our NAAFl. I also took the late Freddy Nash on one occasion - he and his wife were stationed in Hamburg.

The local people also gave me money to buy food (such as we had for sale in the NAAFl ) for Captain Obermeyer. The German people were truly hungry in those days.

Captajn Obermeyer knew many Guernsey people and turned a 'blind eye’ to many infringements of the German Laws. He told me how he used to go shooting in Herm presumably rabbits!

He and wife spoke perfect English and he was a true gentleman. I did have some photographs but lent than to somebody and never had them returned.

P. J. Self 9/2/05

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