Jersey War Tunnels / Underground hospital

[Blaze]

If anyone gets the chance to go to Jersey, the underground hospital is really worth a visit. We went there recently and were amazed at what they'd done.
From the outside, you'd barely know there was anything there, just a large entrance hole into the rock. It's massive inside, and would have been even bigger had the excavations been continued.
The work was carried out by prisoners from all over Europe under terrible conditions. Many died in rockfalls and they were treated abysmally as well as being starved of food.
Jersey was occupied by the Germans for 5 long years, and even the Germans were starving by the end.

There are stories and photos in the tunnels of the lives of some of the Jersey residents, some of which are very moving. Some Jersey residents were sent to prison camps in Germany and Poland where many died. There are some interesting questions asked such as "Would you wash a German soldier's clothes in exchange for food ?" For families with children it was a dilemma.

It brought home even more the fact that it is impossible to know how it feels to live in an occupied country. Many people would react very differently in order to survive. We've already seen very different aspects of WW2 living in France. The fear and suspicion, not knowing who to trust, quite apart from having to co-habit with the invaders.

[Spectrum]

We have a few friends that live in Jersey they have often talked about what life was like at that time, and how split they were as well, no difference to the French.

[Blaze]

no difference to the French.

Not in that aspect. But the food problem was far worse. It's amazing how inventive they were with so little material to work with. We've always joked about ground acorns for coffee .... they found some ingenious ways to substitute foods.

[Antonia]

My mother's family were there during the occupation. My grandmother had a German Officer billeted with her. He had the main bedroom she and the children slept in the back. My mother was five when the island was liberated. She remembers sitting on the garden wall when the troops marched passed. One of them gave her a boiled sweet which she spat out as she had never tasted sugar and thought it was the most disgusting thing she had ever been given.

[demi]

My mother's grandparents were there during the occupation. My mother left for England on the last boat before the invasion. She was only 18 & thought she'd be back in a few weeks. Five years later..............

[Antonia]

Your mother was on the same boat as my father and his parents

[demi]

I have sent you a PM, Antonia!

[Doug]

Went there for my first marriage honeymoon back in 1961, had a tour round the tunnels, very depressing what went on.
Such a lovely island back then.