German Occupation of Guernsey 1940-1945

A collection of letters and their documentation relating to the German occupation of Guernsey 1940-45. Item 1 is a letter, on Red Cross notepaper, from Mrs. E. De Putron. It has been physically censored by having certain words literally cut out of the paper. Item 2 is a pair of typed letters, dated 17th May 1945, a few days after the liberation of the Channel Islands. Both letters include details about the impact of the German occupation; attempts by islanders to hide precious items etc. This documentation is part of a much larger collection that deserves to be analysed in much greater detail and could form part of an extensive description of the German occupation.

Susan's grandparents lived in Guernsey and her grandmother and family evacuated to England just before the German occupation. Mr. De Putron was not allowed to leave because he was a landowner, his tenants left, and he had to look after the animals. In his letter to his wife Elsie, dated June 25th, 1940, he describes the conditions that prevailed on the island while they waited for the Germans to arrive. On 8th June 1943, Mr A. O. Goodwin wrote to Elsie saying Mr. De Putron was quite alright and she should not worry. Mr. De Putron lived through the occupation, suffering the hardships of poor food and conditions. His house's land was requisitioned, and he was billeted down by the harbour. 400 troops occupied his property and land. He was accused of cutting telephone lines and de-fusing land mines laid by the Germans to deter British troops. Elsie lived in Sheffield with her middle daughter Sheila and went back to Guernsey after liberation. The rest of the family tried Guernsey but decided to return to England.