Happy Liberation Day..

[Antonia]

Blaze,
We always had a LHD car in Jersey. In those days there were half a dozen different ways to get to France so a LHD car made sense. I was 21 before I first went to the UK. I think you'll find most of the Range Rovers and sporty cars are owned by 'incomers'.

[Blaze]

I agree about the Range Rovers etc and incomers - the locals couldn't afford, and would want, them.
I don't know how people can afford to buy there today, or rent for that matter. There are some lovely old stone cottages, but at what price ...
It's a very interesting place and the "locals" are very friendly and welcoming - we enjoy our trips there (it's also our first stop for getting our eyes tested etc !). It's only an hour away by Fast Cat.
You will see a few changes in St Helier .......... you may not even recognise it outside the covered market area .... !

[Antonia]

Oh, I'm sure you're right. I'm so afraid of scr*wing up I'm not taking the car!! Thankfully Blue Islands are flying in from Rennes this summer. At least if I walk everywhere I can't get done for going the wrong way down a one way street.

[Blaze]

We've used the bus service - brilliant, but a bit restrictive. We were over there recently for 3 days and took the car which made it much easier to get around. We clocked up quite a mileage for an island of something like 9 miles by 5 miles !!
Here are a couple of photos to show that it's still a great place !

Rozel Bay

Rozel Bay.JPG

Above Sorel Point

By Sorel point.JPG

[Antonia]

Yep something's haven't changed ( thank goodness )

[demi]

I was born there. My grandfather (Royal Navy) was one of the first men to step ashore on Liberation Day and go to find his parents who he had not seen for some five years.

I can remember a neighbour berating my father for buying a VW as it was a German car and he had been sent from Jersey to Buchenwald for having a radio during the occupation.

I also remember my mother, who escaped the occupation on one of the last boats to leave, shunning several shops as the owners had been thought to be collaberators with the Germans.

Strange place nowadays. I had an iydillic childhood there some 55 years ago but would not want to live there now.

Can't post a picture from my ancient tablet but if I could it would be St Catherines bay, the breakwater, Bel Val and Archirondel.

[Antonia]

I was born there. My grandfather (Royal Navy) was one of the first men to step ashore on Liberation Day and go to find his parents who he had not seen for some five years.

I can remember a neighbour berating my father for buying a VW as it was a German car and he had been sent from Jersey to Buchenwald for having a radio during the occupation.

I also remember my mother, who escaped the occupation on one of the last boats to leave, shunning several shops as the owners had been thought to be collaberators with the Germans.

Strange place nowadays. I had an iydillic childhood there some 55 years ago but would not want to live there now.

Can't post a picture from my ancient tablet but if I could it would be St Catherines bay, the breakwater, Bel Val and Archirondel.

Good Morning fellow islander.
I remember the tales from those who went through the occupation. My mother lived through it and would tell many stories of hardship especially after the Normandy landings. My other grandparents were also on the last boat out. They had wanted to stay but he had trained on aircraft engines and was approached to go to England and help with the war effort. His wife never forgave Le Gallais for 'losing' her furniture ( It had been put into storage and the Germans helped themselves )
As you say in those days it was an iydillic place to grow up. I lived at Greve D'azette and would spend the summers on the beach, low water fishing for supper.
OH was also an islander and is the reason why I'm going back this year. I'm scattering his ashes at sea, just offshore from his favourite bay. Onshore may have changed but the coast is still the same.

[Blaze]

Thank you @demi and @Antonia for your postings. Jersey suffered terribly during the occupation. Many years ago, a friend born in Jersey told me that she was the result of her mother being raped by a German soldier. She'd never confided such information before and I was very touched. My friend managed to find out who the solder was and apparently his ship was torpedoed on the way back to Germany and he didn't survive.
She told me that children born of islanders during the war were sometimes under-developed because there was so little food available. The Germans stole what they could and there was little left for the local population.

The south coast at low tide looks extremely hazardous, pinnacles of rocks like you can see at Roscoff, which are covered at high tide. In fact the coast of Jersey is littered with wrecks and the tidal range is the third largest in the world !

Yes, you can be assured, Antonia, the coast is still very beautiful and I wish you all the best in you mission.