大象传媒

My grandfather Kennedy Bott
due to some hesitation
during the evacuation
remained in the island of Guernsey
during the occupation
of the German Third Reich.

During this time he played the organs at
St.Stephens Church and the old Regal Cinema
(which became the Odeon after it was bought by Rank).

A radio was hidden in the cinema organ
and one night when he was taking it
to a friend's house he was caught
by a German soldier.
Being in possession of a radio
was a capital offence
yet the soldier let him go.

After D-Day my grandfather wanted to play
'Land of Hope & Glory'
and as everything had to be submitted
to the censor
he duly took his program along.
The overweight censor,
who was a surly and cynical individual
and always perspiring,
looked up over his spectacles
refused his request saying
'There's not much hope there.'

After D-Day the Germans had a real problem with supplies and this included food.
There was a potato store
at the Old Girl's Grammar School
which considering
the state of the German troops
was never broken into.

The thing that touched
my grandfather
the most
was the sight of a long line
of Todt workers
dragging the chains
down St Julian's Avenue
probably on their way to Alderney

Interestly my grand-father never harboured any prejudice against the German people
unlike some of the evacuees
who returned to the island
after listening to all the war time propoganda in England

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