Blue Plaque: Guernsey Secret Active Press

The Guernsey Secret Active Press distributed the BBC news to islanders for nearly five years during the German Occupation, under constant danger of capture. A Blue Plaque commemorating their efforts was unveiled in May.

During the Second World War, while Guernsey endured the isolation and fear of German occupation, a small group of ordinary islanders mounted an extraordinary act of resistance. Working in shadows, sheds, shops, and even the homes of their occupiers, they formed the Guernsey Active Secret Press (GASP)—a clandestine network devoted to sharing BBC news and maintaining island morale. Led by Ludovic “Vic” Bertrand, a First World War veteran living near Gas Lane and the Longstore area, the group grew from a handful of close friends into a wide-reaching underground movement that defied German control for nearly five years.

A Community at the Heart of Resistance

The neighbourhoods around Longstore, St John’s, and the Bouet were tight-knit communities where families had lived for generations. Local shops, public houses such as the Forester’s Arms and Jamaica Inn, Amherst School, St John’s Church, and the Old Amherstian’s Club created a social fabric held together by shared history and trust—qualities that later made covert resistance possible.

Many of the men who later formed GASP had served together during the First World War. Bertrand himself was a carpenter at Balmoral Vinery and a tomato grower at his Longstone Vinery. His friends and neighbours included barbers, warehouse workers, choir members, grocers, and tradesmen. These were not trained agents or military strategists. They were ordinary citizens who felt compelled to act when, in late 1940, the Germans ordered the confiscation of all radios.

On 6 May 2025, a Blue Plaque was unveiled at the former site of Tom Moullin’s Cycle Shop

A Shed, a Secret Radio, and the First News Sheets

Before the confiscation took effect, Bertrand and others managed to obtain hidden sets. Radio engineer Charlie Taylor built Bertrand a small, battery-powered radio—crucial after German bombing cut power to his home. From his shed, with the aerial disguised among his glasshouse wires, he began transcribing BBC bulletins onto thin fruit-packing tissue paper. He worked by candle and oil lamp, even resorting to siphoning diesel from German machinery when fuel grew scarce.

Vic often copied the sheets at the homes of trusted friends such as Cliff Le Gallez and George Winterflood, even though German troops were billeted in the same buildings. The danger was constant: German soup kitchens sat across from his home, and the compound loomed only feet away.

Distribution in Plain Sight

The growing network relied on everyday locations to pass information undetected. Tom Moullin’s cycle shop—always busy due to the shortage of cars—served as an ideal distribution point. The Forester’s Arms became another. From these hubs, Vic’s friends collected the latest news sheets: foreman Bill Nant, boots manager Walter Baker, gas fitter Bert Fowler, and others.

The circle expanded beyond Vic’s immediate neighbours. Choir members from St John’s Church—including Claude Trachy and secretary Frank Le Vallée—joined the effort. Irwin and Madeleine Sims, working at The Star and the Royal Court respectively, produced typed copies and transported them under the noses of German officials. A terrifying confrontation with the Feldpolizei at their home nearly exposed the entire network, yet by determination and luck, they escaped.

The Secret Press Grows

When Vic’s workplace diagrams attracted curiosity from German corporals, Fruit Export employee Reg Warley recognised the source of his information and quietly offered help. Soon he was typing multiple copies at a time, and a drop-off system was established via the Fruit Export toilet block. Reg’s brother Percy assisted with distribution through the Post Office.

Through contacts in the horticultural industry and the Glasshouse Utility Board, distribution grew parish-wide. Workers such as Ernest Pill, Douglas Blackburn, Henry Bichard, and Alf Bonathan took responsibility for island-wide delivery, often at great risk to their families.

Close Calls and Unlikely Allies

Vic’s courage nearly cost him his life more than once. He twice entered the German compound at night to steal fuel. The second attempt led to his capture by René Fourguez, a feared overseer of forced labourers. Only intervention by a Polish engineer, Aleksandr “Alex” Stelich—who had befriended Vic and quietly aided GASP—saved him from arrest.

Despite the discovery and destruction of another network, GUNS, in 1944, GASP continued its work. Fisherman liaison Gerald Hamon supplied information vital to two neighbours of Vic—the Le Page brothers—who escaped Guernsey by boat in 1945 to deliver intelligence to the Allies.

Liberation and Legacy

Vic continued his work until his failing he

alth confined him to bed in early 1945. Unbeknownst to him, his efforts were no longer essential. On 8 May 1945, he recorded BBC news for the final time. The following day, British forces liberated the island.

After the war, Bertrand compiled a booklet documenting GASP’s activities and delivered copies to those involved, including a set for Bailiff Sherwill. Though largely unrecognised in official records, fragments survive in archives and libraries.

Vic’s health never recovered from the strain of his wartime efforts. He died in 1956 at the age of 59, his home and vinery later demolished. But his role—and that of his community—continues to inspire.

On 6 May 2025, a Blue Plaque was unveiled at the former site of Tom Moullin’s Cycle Shop to commemorate the brave members of the Guernsey Active Secret Press—ordinary people who risked everything to keep hope alive.

Terry Le Vallée