WW2 tortoise to join Guernsey's Liberation Day cavalcade

BBC News

08-05-2025

A tortoise who survived World War Two will be part of the Liberation Day celebrations in Guernsey, along with its owner. Timothy the 87-year-old tortoise was gifted to Maggie Cull and her family as a christening present in 1941 during the German Occupation of Guernsey.Identified as one of the only surviving pets who lived on the island during the war, Mrs Cull and Timothy will be joining the Liberation Day Cavalcade on Friday, the States said.Mrs Cull said: "We both lived in Guernsey throughout the war, so we're delighted to be included in the 80th year parade."
Mrs Cull was a baby in 1941 when German forces made her family leave their home in Guernsey. "We were kicked out of our home with 30 minutes notice as they wanted the house as a strategic vantage point during the Occupation," she said."We had to move into an abandoned bungalow. My godmother luckily lived next door and gave me a very tiny tortoise as a christening present."She said her family did not expect the tortoise, which she named Timothy, to survive. "It took 25 years to be told by a vet that she was a female but 85 years on we still call her Timothy," she said. Mrs Cull has kept Timothy in Guernsey since the war, despite an attempt by the tortoise to escape in 2023.After five days exploring the island, Timothy was safely returned to Mrs Cull, unharmed.