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Stanley Bichard

Edited transcript of a video recording of Stanley Bichard interviewed by John Gaisford, 12/3/2005
Transcribed by J David 4/10/05
[Transcriber’s note — The two brothers are identical twins]

Now when the occupation of the Channel Islands was over we went on leave, to Guernsey. Now in the first place it was by ballot who was going to go, because it wasn’t the whole battalion, it was just certain people from each company. I know I went through all right, but I have a suspicion that they wangled my brother,
I………. Now just to remind us, you and your brother stayed together? In the same platoon?
Mr Bichard. Yes, quite correct, in the same platoon, throughout the war.
I………. Amazing. So you got your leave in Guernsey, and they wangled your brother?
Mr Bichard. I’m quite sure that’s what happened, I know I’d got through, but it wouldn’t have been the same if I’d gone on my own.
I………. How long was the leave?
Mr Bichard. As I recollect it would be about a fortnight, we were landed in Guernsey by corvette, a little corvette, to Guernsey, there were a lot of other troops, but they were stationed in the island, at Castle Cornet I think, and various other places, so I think we were the only ones there that were actually going on leave.
Mr Bichard. No I wouldn’t have thought.
I………. Well that’s extraordinary, that’s great. The corvette when you came across on leave, you mentioned that they brought a lot of troops, who came to be stationed in Guernsey. Of course this was after the Occupatio. Do you know how many British troops were stationed here after the Occupation? Were there a lot?
Mr Bichard. Well there seemed quite a lot of troops around when we were here
I………. Why do you think that was? Why did they need so many?
Mr Bichard. There was an awful lot of clearing up, and it was the German prisoners-of-war who helped clear things. There was a lot of tidying up to do, they were quite busy, our troops were there for quite a while, as I recollect.
I………. Now I know that you weren’t here, because you went back after leave, but do you know how long the German prisoners were still on the island after Liberation? Did they go very quickly, were they all shipped off?
Mr Bichard. Some probably did, but not all, because the Germans spent quite a while tidying things up
I………. They made all the Germans clear up all the mines, didn’t they?
Mr Bichard. Oh yes, they did that. Well the island was in a bad state really, after the war. I don’t suppose the Germans minded, because otherwise they’d have to go to England, do farming or something, so I don’t suppose they minded all that much, because they were still prisoners-of-war.
I………. After the fortnight, where did you go back to?
Mr Bichard. We went back to Gibraltar, and we stayed there till our time was up, everyone had a certain number, I think 45 was ours, I think it depended how old you were, anyway, we got demobbed at the same time, the officer who dealt with us, he remarked on us being a twin, he seemed rather surprised about that.

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