Access
Use
Acquisition Information
Preferred Citation
Historical Note
Scope and Content of Collection
Arrangement
Title: Channel Islands collection
Date (inclusive): 1940-1998
Collection Number: 2000C26
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
6 manuscript boxes, 1 oversize box
(2.8 Linear Feet)
Abstract: The collection is comprised of diaries, letters, proclamations, permits, orders, ration cards, identification documents, photographs,
postcards, printed matter, video tapes, and compact disks relating to life on the Channel Islands under the German occupation
during World War II.
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Access
The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual
or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.
Use
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Acquisition Information
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 2000.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Channel Islands Collection, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Historical Note
The Channel Islands are comprised of five main islands: Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, Herm, and three smaller islands:
Jethou, Brecqhou and Lihou. The islands lie off the French coast of Normandy but are dependencies of the British crown.
After the fall of France to Germany, in June 1940, the Channel Islands became indefensible for the British. On June 20, 1940,
the decision was made to remove all troops from the Channel Islands and cut the underwater cable providing communications
between Britain and the Channel Islands. Island residents had to make the decision to stay or evacuate to England. British
ships were sent to take those residents ready to evacuate but there were not enough ships to accommodate all evacuees.
On June 28, 1940, the Germans bombed St. Helier, the capital of Jersey, and the Guernsey capital of St. Peter Port. On June
30, 1940, German troops landed on the islands and began the occupation. The occupation lasted five years, from June 30, 1940,
through May 9, 1945. The Channel Islands were the only part of the British Commonwealth to be occupied by Germany during World
War II.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Channel Islands Collection relates to life on the Channel Islands under the German occupation during World War II. It
is comprised of diaries, letters, proclamations, permits, orders, ration cards, identification documents, postcards, photographs,
printed matter, video tapes, and compact discs. The bulk of the material depicts daily life on the islands during the German
occupation, but also includes materials related to the liberation and post-occupation life of the islanders. The collection
is arranged into series and contains materials in English, French and German.
The
Diaries and Correspondence series illustrates life during the occupation through letters and diaries that document the daily life of island residents
living through the occupation and the experiences of a resident deported from the islands to Laufen as a German prisoner of
war.
The
Occupation and Post-Occupation Materials series encompasses a wide variety of items that were used in the daily lives of island residents and in the running
of the government during the five years of occupation. It also illustrates island life from the occupying force's point of
view and post-occupation. In addition, the series includes items relevant to the liberation and post-occupation.
The
Printed Matter series contains various printed materials depicting life on the island during the occupation such as personal memoirs, island
histories and poetry, as well as items that highlight the tourist industry built on the islands as a result of the occupation.
The
Audiovisual Materials series contains items that cover both the occupation of the islands and general history of the island. There are firsthand
audio accounts from fifteen residents who lived through the occupation. Video footage includes captured wartime newsreels
and interviews with survivors of the occupation as well as unique video footage documenting life on the island of Guernsey
from 1915 to 1945.
The
Newspaper series contains a number of original newspapers spanning daily life under occupation and liberation. The newspapers also
report on the progress of the war from a pro-German perspective. The bulk of the papers were printed on Jersey and Guernsey.
All materials in this collection were collected by C. C. Kohler, an antiquarian bookseller from Dorking, England.
Arrangement
The collection is organized into 5 series: Diaries and Correspondence, Occupation Materials, Printed Matter, Audiovisual Materials,
Newspapers.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Video tapes
Military government
World War, 1939-1945 -- Great Britain
Channel Islands -- History -- German occupation, 1940-1945
World War, 1939-1945 -- Channel Islands