Guernsey Under German Rule by Ralph Durand
published by The Guernsey Society, London 1946
Guernsey Under German Rule by Ralph Durand
"... The Society is publishing a book by Mr Ralph Durand entitled Guernsey Under German Rule. The Hon Secretary, who has read the manuscript, strongly recommends it to the notice of members... The book was written in response to a request made by the Bailiff in the early days of the German occupation. Mr Durand describes many aspects of the occupation in a most interesting way, and, though not free of criticism, he seems to have maintained a very fair balance in his judgement of events".
Bulletin of the Guernsey Society, January 1946.
Dedicated to the Guernsey Underground News Service
"And all the stout-hearted men and women of Guernsey who, when our German oppressors demanded the surrender of our radios, ignored the order and at the risk of imprisonment and exile, listened to the official British war reports and passed them on to their fellow Islanders. To these and their allies - the cinema manager who lent earphones for use with home-made wireless sets, and the members of the Guernsey Wireless Retailers Association who kept secretly owned radios in working order, we owe a debt of gratitude that is incalculable. But for them we should have been without authentic views of how the war was going for nearly three years. The anxiety and gloom that this would have caused, added to our other troubles, would have made us miserable indeed."
About the Author (from the Preface)
"The Council of the Guernsey Society deeply regret that Ralph Durand died before it was possible for him to read the proofs of his book. Malnutrition during the German occupation had seriously weakened him and it was only with a great effort that he was able to complete the last chapters and revise the whole manuscript before sending it to the printers in November. He died on December 22nd, 1945."
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER I - THE PRELUDE TO THE GERMAN OCCUPATION
- War comes near. The Island disarmed. Children evacuated.
CHAPTER II - PANIC
- Emergency measures. Evacuation of half the population.
CHAPTER III - THE LAST WEEK OF FREEDOM
- German air raid.
CHAPTER IV - GERMANS LAND IN THE ISLAND
- An apparently benevolent despotism.
CHAPTER V - "INNUMERABLE AND PRESSING PROBLEMS"
- The Controlling Committee goes to work.
CHAPTER VI - SIEGE CONDITIONS, 1940
- Some assets.
CHAPTER VII - SIEGE CONDITIONS, 1940
- Expedients and economies.
CHAPTER VIII - SIEGE CONDITIONS, 1940
- No real hardships yet.
CHAPTER IX - NARRATIVE, 1940
- A British reconnaissance raid. Deportation of Islanders for harbouring British agents. HM Procureur condemns an escape as "a crime against the local population".
CHAPTER X - NARRATIVE, 1940
- Islanders imprisoned for "high treason". Radios confiscated. An underground news service. Release of prisoners and return of radios.
CHAPTER XI - NARRATIVE, 1941
- Germans hoaxed. The battle of the "V"s. German humour at its worst.
CHAPTER XIII - NARRATIVE, 1941-1943
- Novel kinds of food.
CHAPTER XIV - SIEGE CONDITIONS, 1941-1943
- Hunger periods. Domestic difficulties.
CHAPTER XV - WHERE THE FETTERS CHAFED
- Anxiety about kith and kin. No appeal against injustice. Insecurity of tenure - and of property. The Royal Court degraded.
CHAPTER XVI - ALDERNEY, HERM AND SARK
- "The honour of the German army". Historic raid on Sark.
CHAPTER XVII - OUR MARIONETTE PRESS
- Futile German propaganda.
CHAPTER XVIII - PROBLEMS SOLVED - OR SHELVED
- The Reichskreditkassen swindle.
CHAPTER XIX - THE GERMANS
- Government by cajolery and threats. Examples of German kindness, courtesy, uncouthness and swinish behaviour.
CHAPTER XX - WE OURSELVES
- Not unanimous in attitude towards Germans. German attempts to fraternise met with "passive resistance". Sycophants and informers.
CHAPTER XXI - NARRATIVE, 1943-44
- More escapes. Heavy air-raids. Many robberies. Increasing hunger. Dwindling resources. Help from the Red Cross.
CHAPTER XXII - NARRATIVE, 1945
- Acute fuel shortage. Gas and electricity fail. Germans take our food. Red Cross supplied inadequate. A breadless period. Stock of potatoes and roots exhausted. But the end in sight.
CHAPTER XXIII - AN ATTEMPT AT A RIGHT JUDGEMENT OF OUR ENEMIES
- We waged war not only for our own sake but also for every decent German.