Monday 15 June 2020
The 80th anniversary of the Evacuation of Guernsey is going to be remembered in a number of ways by the island this month, all centring around Saturday 20th June.
It will be marked with written and spoken word, photography, song, art and poetry across a number of platforms.
Gillian Mawson, the author of the book "Guernsey Evacuees", will be writing a special feature on what life was like during the period, including memories of those who lived through it. Three videos of music and spoken word from the musical A la Perchoine will also be released. These videos are set to period photos and have been made especially to commemorate the 80th anniversary.
The winning entries from the Guernsey Post Letters Home Campaign will also be published. This involved children writing letters imagining what it would have been like to be evacuated. There will also be interviews from islanders who were children at the time of the occupation.
Deputy Matt Fallaize, President of the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture, said:
"The 80th anniversary of the Evacuation is an important date. For some it may seem like such a long time ago, but those who lived through the events of the Evacuation and Occupation remember they had a profound and lasting effect on our society. One of my grandfathers was evacuated as a 12 year old schoolboy and returned to Guernsey years later as a man and when he was alive I always enjoyed talking to him about this part of his life. It is important that the strength and courage shown by our island community and the suffering endured are never forgotten and always commemorated. The 80th anniversary is also a special chance to teach today's children about what their grandparents or great grandparents experienced and our schools will be taking advantage of this opportunity to teach local history."
Other commemorative activities will include poems reflecting the Evacuation from the "In Living Memory" book, some of which are read by the authors, a video performance of the song "Softly as I Leave you" by the Year 13 students of the Guernsey Music Service, and a range of different special lessons and events taking place at primary schools across the island between 19th and 22nd June.
All of this content will be published on the Liberation Day website and social media channels with the Evacuation article published in the Guernsey Press on June 20th.