Collection Search

Mrs M Bird, Past Vice-President of the Channel Islands Occupation Society (Guernsey) and Ex President of the Woman's Institute delivering a speech entitled 'Life on the Domestic Front and Life in General during the Occupation' delivered to the Channel Islands Occupation Society (Jersey) and the Channel Islands Family History Society. Kept diaries during occupation which the talk is mainly based upon. Was a housewife and so had to cope with life at home. Talk includes references concerning demilitarisation and evacuation, dilemma of whether to go or stay with mixed messages given by the States, decided against going although her mother went splitting the family up, air raid, landing of Germans and her first impressions, the running of the island, agriculture in the island, buying of food in France, attempt to live normally, gradual worsening of conditions, church arrangements, beaches, cinemas, entertainment during the occupation-keeping up morale, transport-bicycles, buses, hospitals, schools-german lessons, deportation of Guernsey residents to the internment camps, press-censorship, proliferation of rumours, wirelesses and crystal sets, GUNS-Guernsey Underground News Sheet, Red Cross messages, dropping of leaflets, food, cooking and clothing, 'a housewife's nightmare'-rationing, bartering economy, improvisation of ingredients for recipes, methods of cooking, fuel and the difficulty of rationing, food-details of level of rationing with different foods, extracts from diary on the dishes she made, treatment by german soldiers, desperation near the end-eating of pets by germans, D-Day-tightening up of everything, arrival of SS Vega and the Red Cross parcels, stealing on the increase, Organisation Todt camp nearby, liberation day, reintroduction of mail service and the feelings of thankfulness at the close of occupation.