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Channel Islands collection
2000C26  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • 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