大象传媒

17 Devonshire Place was the home of Jerseyman, Clarence Ahier, who volunteered for action in WW1. While serving in the Artillery, he kept an illicit diary, which he later turned into a journal of his wartime experiences. He fought in some of the most terrible battles of the war, such as The Somme and Passchendaele. He recounts what life was like for an average soldier, the shells, bombs and death; and also some of the lighter moments.

The simple black exercise book is handwritten in blue pen, with several sketches and drawings which illustrate particular incidents, such as the time he was forced to take cover from a bombardment in a waterlogged shelter up to his chin in mud. He survived several gas attacks with only primitive protection. His nephew David remembers clearly how Clarence wheezed as he spoke.

After Clarence died the journal was lost, only to be rediscovered nearly 100 years after the war in an attic as his belongings were cleared. It鈥檚 now held at the Societe Jersiaise.

Location: 7 Devonshire Place, Devon JE2 3RD
Image of Clarence Ahier鈥檚 ID card courtesy of Dave Vautier
Presented by Chris Stone