Monks on Herm
Christianity arrived in the Channel Islands during the 6th Century AD. It was brought largely by Welsh refugees escaping the tyranny of the Anglo Saxon invaders in their home areas. In this article we look at one of the smallest Channel Islands – Herm – and how monks came to the island
Wordsmith – Test your Guernsey French
Guernsey French is theoretically the mother tongue of our island home, Guernsey. However it is dying out rapidly. So how many of these Guernsey French words do you know (or can guess)? Improve and test your Patois wordpower by matching each of the words below to one of the multiple possible definitions.
Herm’s Flag
Herm’s flag hasn’t actually been around that long – only since the 1950s. The flag, like that of Sark isn’t a ‘national ‘ flag at all but is rather that of the tenant and not the island.
Sark’s Lancaster Bomber
On the evening of 22nd November 1942, 21 year old Flight Sergeant Eric Singleton sat in the cockpit of his Lancaster bomber, W4107 at RAF Scampton. By 4am the next morning this beautiful machine lay wrecked in a field on Sark. So what is the story of this bomber, its crew and how it ended up on Sark?
Why Did the Normans have such Odd Haircuts?
Maybe you didn’t even know they had “odd” haircuts – but even by today’s liberal standards they were decidedly “odd”. In this article we look at the (probable) reasons why.
Wordsmith – Test your Guernsey French
Guernsey French is theoretically the mother tongue of our island home, Guernsey. However it is dying out rapidly. So how many of these Guernsey French words do you know (or can guess)? Improve and test your Patois wordpower by matching each of the words below to one of the multiple possible definitions.
Guernsey Quiz – How Well Do you know the Bailiwick ?
How would you rate your knowledge of our dear old Sarnia Cherie ? Are you a ‘Bailiwick Brainiac’ or a ‘Channel Island Chump’ when it comes to an appreciation of the history and culture of THE best Channel Island ?
Test your knowledge with 25 questions we’ve prepared to tempt & tease out those nuggets of information that we’re sure you will have squirrelled away somewhere in the recesses of your brain. And if not, and it’s all new to you, then, hey – “Every day is a school day” as they say 🙂
Who is Cobo Alice?
Ever heard of “Cobo Alice” ? I hadn’t until recently when a friend remarked her father would say this to her if he thought she was looking somewhat ‘dishevelled’.
In this article we look at the origin of this little piece of local folklore.
What’s in a Name – L’Ancresse Bay
L’Ancresse – The Anchorage. (place name) Corruption of Norman French ‘ancre’ – anchor
So, no surprise then that this flat sandy bay in the north of the island should be named as an “anchorage”. What is surprising though is one of the stories associated with how it was given this name. That is the story of when Robert “the devil” Duke of Normandy met the Abbot of St Michel du Valle
The Guernsey Markets – Was it always in Town and What existed prior to the “New Market Building” ?
In recent years the Guernsey Market buildings have undergone something of a grand transformation from the covered markets it was originally built for in the 19th century. They are certainly one of Guernsey’s most iconic landmarks, but its history has not always been as obvious. So, what was here before then and were Guernsey’s Markets always here ?
Wordsmith – Test your Guernsey French
Guernsey French is theoretically the mother tongue of our island home, Guernsey. However it is dying out rapidly. So how many of these Guernsey French words do you know (or can guess)? Improve and test your Patois wordpower by matching each of the words below to one of the multiple possible definitions.
2-REG or Not 2-REG – Guernseys Own Aircraft Registry
In April 2019 a remarkable Guernsey milestone was reached. That month saw the 500th aircraft registered in the States of Guernsey’s own prestigious “2-REG” aircraft registry. Aircraft, just like cars, need to be registered. Unlike your car, though, which will be registered in the place where it is driven, an aircraft can be registered in one jurisdiction but operated in another.
Guernsey’s Occupation : Resistance & Punishment – Frank Falla’s Story
During the occupation of the Channel Islands it’s thought that about 1300 Channel Islanders were imprisoned in Jersey and Guernsey prisons during the occupation for acts of protest, defiance and resistance. Of these, at least 200 people were deported to Nazi prisons, labour and concentration camps on the continent. One of the most well known acts of resistance was the production of an underground News Letter “The Guernsey Underground News Service” or GUNS for short.
Herm’s War – Herm Island’s Occupation Years
Much has been written about the occupation and liberation of Guernsey from the Germans in World War II. But what about Guernsey’s nearest neighbour Herm? What was her war like?<
Trafalgar : The Royal Navy’s Greatest Ever Victory ?
The Battle of Trafalgar was to witness both the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte’s plans to invade Britain, and the death of Admiral Lord Nelson. It was never going to be any ordinary battle, and quickly acquired a heightened, almost magical, reality.
