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Event to mark 80th anniversary of evacuees' return

Lisa Young
BBC News
BBC A black and white photograph showing a German military matching band and a line of uniformed soldiers. There are crowds of members of the public watching them walk along the road lined with buildings.BBC
One of the evacuees who has never told her story publicly before will also speak at the event

A poignant event to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Guernsey evacuees returning to the island after the occupation is being hosted.

During the free event, local historian Paul Le Pelley will lead a presentation about the evacuation of 17,000 people - almost half the population at that time during World War Two - to England.

There will also be a presentation from Vicky Tennant from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) on its work to celebrate the organisation's 75th anniversary.

Ms Tennant, UNHCR's representative to the UK, said: "The stories of Guernsey's evacuees serve as a reminder of the hardships of all those impacted by war and conflict."

The event will be held on Monday 28 April at Les Cotils Centre from 19:00 BST.

A grey memorial stone engraved in gold that reads: This plaque commemorates the illegal deportation by German occupying forces of 1,003 men, women and children from Guernsey and Sark in September 1942 and February 1943 to captivity in civilian internment camps in Germany and France. It then lists 16 of those who died with their names and ages, which range from four months to 68 years old.
Mr Le Pelley said almost 1,000 British-born Guernsey residents were deported to Germany in 1942 and 1943

Mr Le Pelley, the Channel Islands' Occupation Society vice-president, said the majority of the occupation evacuees who left Guernsey in June 1940 returned to the island in late 1945.

He said: "A great number thought that they would be able to return very quickly.

"Few expected the separations to last more than a few weeks, let alone five years."

There will also be a UNHCR family refugee tent with survival equipment on the front lawn of Les Cotils Centre.

Ms Tennant added: "We are grateful for the support from Guernsey in our life-saving efforts to protect and assist refugees worldwide."

The Guernsey Overseas Aid & Development Commission is hosting the event. Its president Deputy, Chris Blin, said the authority is proud to still be supporting refugees all over the world, including those impacted by the famine and conflict in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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