Thursday 18 April 2019
A Guernsey Occupation Trail launches this week, to coincide with the start of the Guernsey Heritage Festival, organised by VisitGuernsey.
The Trail is composed of a series of information boards which are located around the Island. Each board includes a series of pictures and historical accounts of life under German rule, along with quotes from islanders who share their experiences of living in Occupied Guernsey during World War II.
Information boards are located at 13 sites across the Island including: the Crown Pier, the Grange Lodge Hotel, the OGH Hotel, Creasey's High Street, La Valette Military Underground Museum, the German Occupation Museum, Gypsy Lane, the Little Chapel, the German Underground Hospital, Sausmarez Manor, Pleinmont Observation Tower, the Bella Luce Hotel and the Naval Signals HQ. The Trail can be followed on foot in St Peter Port, or by car or public transport for boards located out of Town.
Accompanying the information boards is a Guernsey Occupation Trail 'Passport'. Followers of the Trail can get their Passport stamped inside the various visitor attractions and hotels located near the boards, with a unique ink stamp. Trailers' collecting all 13 unique stamps, are eligible to collect a small prize from the Guernsey Information Centre.
Occupation Trail Passports are available at the Guernsey Information Centre and from visitor attractions and hotels across the Island.
Mike Hopkins, Director of Marketing & Tourism at VisitGuernsey said:
"Guernsey and the other Channel Islands were the only British Isles to be occupied during WW2 and visitors find this aspect of our history fascinating. The Trail is a free initiative for anyone, both locals and visitors, wishing to learn more about the history of the Occupation, whilst enjoying the beautiful sites and places of interest Guernsey has to offer.
"All locations covered in the Trail have been referenced or referred to in the Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society novel, with each board highlighting the relevant section of the story. Anyone with an interest in the best-selling novel or film can walk in the footsteps of the very characters themselves".
Mr Hopkins added:
"We would like to extend our thanks to Guernsey Museums, Festung Guernsey, Simon Hamon, Soo Wellfair, the venues hosting the Boards, along with islanders who have kindly shared their accounts of the War, without whom we would not have been able to create the Trail".
For more information on the Trail please visit www.visitguernsey.com/heritage-festival
