Man 'almost evacuated during WW2' shares memories
Hirzel Dorey, now 91, was six years old when World War Two began and has shared his experiences as part of the Island Memories Project.
The project records islanders' memories for future generations.
Mr Dorey said he had been due to be evacuated, but after the boat he was set to leave on never arrived, his mother decided she wanted him to stay with her.
Mr Dorey was the youngest of four brothers living at Brooklands Farm, in Kings Mills, during the Nazi Occupation of Guernsey in 1940.
He said farmers had to take milk to a depot at Myrtle Place, which is now the Fleur du Jardin Hotel.
He said: "Of course all the news and all the gossip was had from taking the milk twice a day.
"I think the Germans were all a bit frustrated as [our talking] was all in Guernsey-French and they just couldn't make anything out."
Mr Dorey said he had also remembered an explosion at Le Grantez Mill, as well as an "out of control" tank which hit a wall and killed several occupying soldiers.
The Island Memories Project is being run by BBC Radio Guernsey in conjunction with Guernsey Museums to record islanders' memories.
With the 80th anniversary of the bailiwick's liberation in May this year, the project is focusing on memories of World War Two.
Follow BBC Guernsey on X and Facebook. Send your story ideas to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk.
WWII memories preserved for Liberation anniversary
WW2 Wren listened to German messages from Guernsey
Performance to mark 80 years since liberation
Guernsey Museum
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Yahoo
'VJ Day wasn't of any great consequence to us'
A 100-year-old World War Two veteran said VJ Day did not seem to be of any "great consequence" at the time, even though he was serving in the Pacific. Richard Clegg, from Bozeat, near Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, was on board HMS Victorious on 15 August 1945 when Japan surrendered. Events to mark the 80th anniversary were held on Friday and over the weekend across the UK. Mr Clegg said the events were "for people who weren't there to remember it. People who were there I don't think make a fuss about it really". Victory over Japan Day commemorates the Japanese surrender that brought the war to a complete end. Mr Clegg said that 80 years ago, HMS Victorious was "delivering a load of American planes into the middle of the American Pacific Fleet". He told BBC Radio Northampton's Annabel Amos they "got halfway there to our destination" when they were stopped. 'No communication' "We didn't know what had happened, and the next day they then told us that the first atom bomb had been dropped [on Hiroshima], and then... three days later they dropped the second atom bomb [on Nagasaki] so they then said the fleet will disperse," Mr Clegg said. The bombs killed more than 200,000 people – some from the immediate blast and others from radiation sickness and burns – and led to Japan's surrender. Mr Clegg said HMS Victorious sailed to Brisbane and was then used to take Japanese prisoners of war home or to hospital. "[VJ Day] wasn't of any great consequence to us at the time because we were never directly involved with fighting the actual Japanese people," he said. The veteran also said VE Day – marking Victory in Europe – which happened earlier in the year, in May, was not celebrated in the Pacific because it "wasn't possible – there was no communication". The centenarian is the last of his friends from the services still alive, and he put his longevity down to "good fortune". He added: "I've always kept fit. You just learnt to look after yourself when you are in the navy." Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Related stories 80th VJ Day service is poignant moment for veteran VJ Day explained in 60 seconds Related internet links Royal Navy
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
How a 'moth-eaten rag' became a war memorial
A small coastal town is home to an unusual World War Two war memorial created by soldiers in memory of comrades who died while prisoners of war (POW). It was made by men from the 4th Battalion, The Suffolk Regiment, who were captured at the fall of Singapore in 1942. They spent more than three years as slave labourers for the Japanese army, much of it at Chungkai camp in Thailand. The centrepiece of the memorial in Leiston, Suffolk, is a union jack, used in the camp during funeral services and brought home by Corp Herbie Bailey after he and the other survivors were finally liberated. In 1952, the veterans transformed the "moth-eaten rag" into a tribute to the POWs of the 4th Battalion who died and to mark the 10th anniversary of their capture. "Sometimes people just refer to it as a flag, but it's not just a flag - the flag is just the centrepiece of a very, very interesting and unusual war memorial," said Taff Gillingham, chairman of the Friends of the Suffolk Regiment. In 1942, the 4th Battalion was among many Allied divisions rushed to defend Singapore, in the wake of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbour. After fierce fighting but against impossible odds, the British, Australian and Indian forces were ordered to surrender. Somehow the 11ft by 6ft (3.3m by 1.8m) flag went with the men of the 4th Battalion when they were transferred to Chungkai camp, said Mr Gillingham. This was a POW camp used during the construction of the infamous Burma-Thailand Railway, and today it is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery. About 13,000 Allied prisoners of war died during the railway project, plus an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 civilians, according to the commission. Mr Gillingham said the 4th and 5th battalions of the Suffolk Regiment were about 2,000 strong when they disembarked at Singapore in 1942, but more than a third of them had died by the end of the war. The POWs were allowed to build a little wooden chapel at Chungkai for church services, where the flag rested on its altar. "And every time one of the soldiers died, it was used for the funeral service," Mr Gillingham said. "Starved, beaten and executed for the slightest misdemeanours - the thing that inspires me is their resilience and their ingenuity, making medicines from plants that they'd find in the jungle, for example." Every aspect of the memorial has a specific link to the 4th Battalion, a territorial unit which recruited from the Leiston area. Mr Gillingham said: "The frame is just as interesting [as the flag], in that it's made from wood salvaged from Southwold Pier and the metal frame it sits on was made by the engineering works of Garretts, the engineering works in Leiston, so it was a proper local project. "And the colours behind the flag mean something too - they are the colours of the Pacific Star, the medal that all the Far East prisoners of war were given." Today, it is owned by the Friends of the Suffolk Regiment and is on long-term loan to the town's Long Shop Museum. When the men of the 4th Battalion were liberated at the end of the war, many, including Corp Bailey, continued to serve in the territorials for years, with weekly training and annual camps. Underneath the memorial is a plaque which describes it as "a moth-eaten rag on a worm-eaten pole". It also records how the union jack was "hoisted to the top of the pole in the camp by the men of the battalion who survived three years of living hell". Mr Gillingham said: "It's often said to be the only war memorial based on an artefact brought back from the field, and it's certainly the only one I can think of, but it's a lovely thing because it has a direct connection with the place, and the people, with those who died." A service to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day and the end of World War Two will be held at the memorial at 10:30 BST. Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. More on this story 'Death railway' soldiers honoured with exhibition Film to tell regiment's 'poignant' war battles 'VE celebrations muted due to Far East prisoners' Related internet links The Long Shop Museum, Leiston Friends of the Suffolk Regiment
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Pembrokeshire town's special services to mark VJ Day anniversary
Tenby joined the nation in marking Victory over Japan (VJ) Day yesterday (Friday August 15) to honour the end of World War Two and remember those who served in the Far East campaign. Commemorative events in the town began at 11am with a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tenby war memorial, with town mayor Cllr Dai Morgan amongst the many representative of local groups and organisations paying tribute. VJ Day marks 15 August 1945, the day Japan surrendered and brought World War Two to a close. Tenby Royal British Legionchairman Shane Roberts lays a wreath, watched by the mayor of Tenby. Cllr Dai Morgan. (Image: Gareth Davies Photography) Piper Graham Phillips played during the service. (Image: Gareth Davies Photography) A large and respectful gathering stood in Tenby's South Parade for the wreath-laying, remembering the sacrifices of thousands of servicemen and women, including those who faced extreme conditions as prisoners of war or served in some of the most challenging theatres of war. Town Crier Erin Morgan proclaimed the start of the war memorial service. (Image: Gareth Davies Photography) One local resident who served in the Far East is 99-year-old Duncan Hilling of Saundersfoot, who has just been honoured by Wales First Minister, Eluned Morgan. Read more Pembrokeshire war veteran, 99, personally thanked by First Minister Mr Hilling is the senior member of Tenby Male Choir, whose proud fellow choristers said they saluted his service. Dyfed-Powys Police was amongst the organisations represented at the service. (Image: Gareth Davies Photography) The ceremony at the war memorial was followed at midday by a special service of commemoration in St Mary's Church, Tenby conducted by the Rev Steven Brett. Youth organisations joined in the Tenby tribute. (Image: Gareth Davies Photography) The chairman of the Tenby branch of the Royal British Legion, Shane Roberts, then led a presentation celebrating the lives of veterans and loved ones connected to the conflict, as well as local organisations affiliated to the Royal British Legion. The mayor of Tenby, Cllr Dai Morgan, lays a wreath on behalf of the town. (Image: Gareth Davies Photography) The beautiful floral cross in the Tenby war memorial grounds. (Image: Gareth Davies Photography) Members of Tenby Town Council joined in the service. (Image: Gareth Davies Photography) VJ Day 80 marks the end of World War Two in 1945. (Image: Gareth Davies Photography) The mayor of Tenby, Cllr Dai Morgan said: "VJ Day allows us to pay tribute to those whose service and sacrifice in the Far East are too often overlooked. "These commemorations are a chance for our community to come together, to remember, and to ensure that their legacy lives on." Tenby Town Council also acknowledged the ongoing efforts of the Tenby Branch of the Royal British Legion, who continue to ensure the stories of these veterans are remembered and respected.
