BMMHS Zoom talk

In this talk James Porter will explore the events leading up to the German occupation of the Channel Islands in 1940 after the fall of France, and the soul-searching around the evacuation of part of the populations. Then he will describe the arrival of the German forces, their reception and their everyday life in the islands. James will examine the changing relations between occupying forces and island authorities and the massive construction programme of fortifications whereby the islands were incorporated into Hitler’s ‘Atlantic Wall’. He will look at the British commando raids and the life and privations of the civilian population as the War progressed and food became increasingly scarce for both islanders and occupiers.