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.
Did You Know … Guy Fawkes was not Executed for Masterminding the Gun Powder Plot
Did You Know … Guy Fawkes was not Executed for Masterminding the Gun Powder Plot
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.
English Language History : What Caused the Great Vowel Shift?
English is arguably the single most important and influential language in today’s world. It does however contain many vagaries and annoying inconsistencies. One of which is the variations of how vowel combinations should be pronounced. For example, the ‘ea’ in ‘bread’ is pronounced the same as the ‘e’ in ‘bred,’ and not the same as the ‘ea’ in ‘break. This is down to “The Great Vowel Shift”
Why did Britain and France not declare war on the Soviet Union when the Red Army marched on Poland in September 1939?
During September 1939 both Germany and the Soviet Union invaded Poland. Both Britain and France had pledged to defend Poland. So why didn’t the allies declare war on the Soviet union as well as Germany?
The Redcoats are Coming ! – But Why Were the British ‘Red Coats’, Red?
Ever wondered why the iconic symbol of British Empire and military prowess – the’Red Coats’ – are red? The answer might surprise you! Why did the British Army Wear Red ? Its official adoption dates from February 1645, when in the middle of the English Civil War, the English Parliament passed the New Model Army ordinance. The New Model Army The New Model Army ordinance of 1645 prescribed that the English...
Were the Moon Landings Fake ? – Debunking The Conspiracy Theories
To have to be forced to even think about debunking this question is something of a sad indictment of our current zeitgeist. That said, the Moon Landing conspiracy, is one of those theories that seems to persist – so we’ll give it our best shot to explain the most pertinent objections that are often quoted as ‘proof’ that it was all fake, and nothing more than an attempt to humiliate the Russians and hoodwink the world in the cause of American glory.
The Origins of England’s Three Lions
“It’s coming home, it’s coming home, it’s coming, Football’s coming home ” – So goes the ever popular 1996 “Three Lions” song. So when did the three lions symbol come to be used as England’s royal arms and therefore on the England team shirts ? The answers is somewhat surprising and reveals why in the past we might’ve been singing “three leopards on a shirt”
Guernsey and Her Island Fiefs
One of the most enduring effects of Guernsey’s association with Normandy is the system of fiefs in the island. The island’s link with the Crown is feudal, as the Queen is still Duchess of Normandy. In this article we look at how Guernsey’s fiefs came about and how they worked.
Guernsey’s Buried Artillery – Guns in Victoria Gardens
Standing opposite each other in Victoria Gardens opposite the Town Fire Station, like sentinels from another age, you’ll find two heavy calibre artillery pieces – trophies of a previous war. They’re not British or even French but German and date back not to the dark days of Occupation but to the First World War. How they came to be here and their survival through another world war, and subsequent re-discovery, is even more fascinating.
4 Acts of Kindness that Changed History Forever
It can often seem that history books are packed with marauding royals, dishonest politicians, warring nations and murderous plots. However, history is also full of examples of kind and good gestures. In this article we look at 4 acts of kindness and bravery that have changed history forever.
Who Made the Bayeux Tapestry ?
The Bayeux Tapestry tells one of the most famous stories in British history – that of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, particularly the battle of Hastings, which took place on 14 October 1066. But who made the tapestry and how long did it take?
Occupation Memories
The film “The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Society”, released in 2018 , has thrust Guernsey onto the World stage and has again highlighted to the world that the Channel Islands were the ONLY part of Britain to be occupied by the Nazis in World War II. In this article we can’t hope to cover the German Occupation in the necessary detail to do it justice or to even express adequately the pain and suffering of islanders in a time that must surely be one of our islands most darkest ordeals in its long history. Instead we simply offer up a short link to a video interview of some people who were actually there !
The One Man Invasion of Sark
Not a lot happens on the island of Sark, that was until August 1990, when it was the centre of a bizarre invasion and attempted coup. What is more, the manner of the ‘official response’ to this armed incursion was equally extraordinary. Invasion! Frenchman Andre Gardes, an unemployed nuclear physicist, having convinced himself that he was the rightful heir and “Seigneur” of Sark, resolved to take action....
The End of World War One : The 11th Hour of the 11th Day of the 11th Month
1918 – At the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month an armistice, signed 6 hours before in French marshal Ferdinand Foch’s railway carriage at Compiegne, France, took effect between the Allies and the Central Powers, bringing the First World War to a close after 4 years, 3 months and 9 days of fighting.
