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BBC News
06-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Blue plaque honouring Occupation secret news agents unveiled
Plaque honouring Occupation news agents unveiled 6 minutes ago Share Save Archie Ward & Dan Wareing BBC News, Guernsey Share Save BBC GASP agents produced weekly and monthly newsletters until the end of World War Two A blue plaque has been unveiled to honour a secret newspaper which spread British news to people living under Nazi rule during World War Two. The Guernsey Active Street Press (GASP) began in 1942 after the confiscation of radios by German occupying forces. GASP agents listened to broadcasts outside of the island and then produced weekly and monthly newsletters from June 1942 to May 1945. The plaque, on St George's Esplanade, is placed above what was then the T. G. Moullin and Sons cycle shop, where many of the newspapers were printed. Chris George The newspapers were produced above what was then the bicycle shop, T. G. Moullin and Sons Mary Sims, whose parents were both involved in GASP, said: "It's hardly surprising that it's taken so long for it to be honoured, because so many people have never heard of it. "My parents had a radio set made, and then listened into the British news, knowing they would have been punished if the Germans somehow had found out. "My mum worked for the Bailiff so wrote down the news in longhand, and took it into the Bailiff's office, concealed. "The Bailiff wouldn't have kept those sheets because I'm sure it would have been too dangerous if they'd got caught, so he must have destroyed them." Mary Sims' parents were both involved in GASP Darryl and Wayne Bertrand's uncle, Ludovic Bertrand, was the editor of GASP. "The people involved with GASP were very courageous in doing so," Darryl told BBC Radio Guernsey. "It was good for the people of Guernsey to hear what was going on in the UK and around the world, so this is why these people put themselves forward and did an amazing job. "So, for the secret press to be doing this work for the island and for the people gave everyone some hope." Wayne (L) and Darryl Bertrand are the descendants of GASP's editor, Ludovic Bertrand When asked what purpose the new blue plaque might serve, Wayne said: "It just keeps the memory alive of all of the hard work and the personal risk that everybody took. "Young people need to know what the island did for them in order to have freedom today."
BBC News
29-04-2025
- BBC News
Guernsey blue plaque to honour Occupation news agents
A blue plaque will be unveiled to remember people who "risked their lives" and distributed "uncensored news" during World War has been awarded to the Guernsey Active Secret Press by the Blue Plaque Panel commemorating agents who listened to broadcasts outside of the island and shared the news with islanders during the guide Amanda Johns said the unveiling of the plaque was fitting as it aligned with the 80th anniversary of Liberation plaque will be unveiled on 6 May at 10:30 BST at 34 St George's Esplanade. 'Not forgotten' Ms Johns, who has been working on the recognition for two years, said in 1942 radios were confiscated by the German occupying forces."Ludovic E. Bertrand, the editor of GASP, started to listen to radios and crystal sets and write down the news from the UK," she said. "It was so important to get uncensored news out to local people. It helped give them a feel that they were not forgotten."The States of Guernsey said GASP started as a one person operation before expanding to three, then 12 before the network widened across the Johns said all of the agents involved were "risking their lives", especially knowing what happened to Guernsey Underground News Service (GUNS), another resistance network also distributing said their names were given to the German forces and they were deported off the island and put in camps in Europe."The GASP agents knew it could easily happen to them at any point," she said. From June 1942 to May 1945, GASP was producing weekly and monthly newsletters. The States of Guernsey said the threat of arrest was real – many islanders were prosecuted for possessing radio used to write the news above what was known as the T. G. Moullin and Sons cycle shop, now China Red, said Ms Johns. "They would be typing up the newspapers upstairs, repairing bicycles downstairs making lots of noise so if a German soldier came into the shop, they wouldn't hear the typewriters upstairs."There was a number of trusted agents... everybody was putting their lives at risk." Ms Johns said the unveiling of the plaque would be "special"."It's such an untold story and we want people to understand exactly what went on."
