Jorgensen-Earp - Discourse and defiance under Nazi occupation : Guernsey, Channel Islands, 1940-1945

BECAUSE THE RESEARCH AND WRITING THAT WENT INTO THIS STUDY HAS SPANNED many years, I have many people and institutions to thank. I would like to start with Richard Heaume, founder and director of the German Occupation Museum in Forest, Guernsey. Richard has been invariably kind and helpful whenever I have descended upon him (often with very short notice). I will always be grateful that he introduced me to Alf Williams in 2003 and invited me on some of the fascinating rambles with the Channel Islands Occupation Society. The photographs taken at the German Occupation Museum are presented here with his permission. Recently, Richard was appointed MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire), a well-deserved honor for a man who has spent his life preserving the history of the Occupation period.

I am very grateful to the Island archivist, Dr. Darryl Ogier, for his expert advice and to Nathan Coyde, Vikki Ellis, Rachel Guilbert, Sarah Lowe, Lawrence West, and the entire team at the Island Archives in Guernsey for their thoughtful guidance through the research, permissions process, and image production for this book. The photographs of the diarists, taken from the identity cards housed at the Island Archives, were produced by the Archives and appear here with permission. In addition to the identity photos and forms for the adult population of Guernsey, the Archives also houses the diaries of Kenneth Lewis, Herbert Williams, Arthur Mauger, and Gertie Corbin among its varied and rich resources. I also want to thank Ms. Amanda Bennett and the staff at the Priaulx Library for their help and for access to a variety of sources including the diaries of the Reverend Robert Douglas Ord, Ambrose Robin, and Elizabeth Doig. I spent many happy hours at both the old and the beautiful new Island Archives, as well as at the Priaulx Library seated at a desk before a particular sunny window. Curators, archivists, and librarians make research possible, and Guernsey is graced with some of the finest.

The cartoon of the girls with the V-sign is by Edmund Blampied, the well-known artist who spent the Occupation in his home island of Jersey. It is reproduced here with the kind permission of the Edmund Blampied estate, and I particularly appreciate Alan Blampied's help with its inclusion. My thanks also go to Louise Downie of Jersey Heritage and Andrew Hall for their assistance, as well as to Ingrid Gallie for information that she provided. I would like to thank Nigel Lewis for permission to quote from the diary of his father, Kenneth Lewis; Peter Sauvarin and Janice Williams for permission to quote from the diary of their father, Herbert Williams; Peter Bachmann (the very young Peter-John in his mother's account) for permission to quote from Kitty Bachmann's published diary; and Nigel Higgs and family for permission to quote from Dorothy Higgs's published diary. I would like to thank Mrs. Bronwyn Henderson, Mrs. Hilary Richardson, and Mrs. Jane Pearson of the Ladies College, Guernsey, for their help in granting permission to quote from Winifred Harvey's published diary. One of the surprises of this research was finding the microfilm of William Arthur Warry's diary in the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library at the University of Virginia. The original copy of the diary is held by the Guernsey Museums and Galleries, and my thanks go to Lisa Burton, Matt Harvey, and the Guernsey Museums and Galleries for granting permission to quote from it. I am particularly indebted to Daphne Gemmill for providing some fascinating information about W. A. Warry and for granting permission to quote from her grandfather's diary. Finally, I would like to thank Michael Elstob, the great nephew of the Reverend R. Douglas Ord, for permission to quote from Rev. Ord's wonderful and detailed diary.

With so many experts to draw on in Guernsey, I have relied on much helpful advice, such as that provided by Jeremy Marquand of the Guernsey Press and Star and Herbert Winterflood. A very special form of expertise was provided by Bill Le Page, Marion Legg, and Maud Smyth, and I thank them so much for filling out questionnaires that allowed me to tap their memories of the Occupation years. Lynchburg College has been very generous with travel grants that have allowed me to complete this research despite the distance involved. I owe a great debt of gratitude to Dr. Martin J. Medhurst, Martha Bates, Annette Tanner, Kristine Blakeslee, Elise Jajuga, Travis Kimbel, Ellen White, and all of those at Michigan State University Press who have shepherded the original manuscript toward publication.

On a personal note, I would like to send my special appreciation to Kevin and Marcia Le Page for their encouragement and support. I would also like to thank Steve and Denise Le Page (and the rest of the Le Page family) for their hospitality and some delightful evenings in Guernsey. I send my special love to my late father and to my mother, so recently parted from me. They were also members of the extraordinary World War II generation, although their experiences during the time were far different from those of the Guernsey Islanders. And my love goes always to my husband, Dar, and son, Ethan, who accompanied me on many research trips and explored all the twists and turns of modern Guernsey. Those days shine brightly in my happiest memories.