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Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Yahoo
'I was evacuated in WW2 and met Agatha Christie'
When Barry Yeagers turned 12 years old, he never expected to leave Guernsey for any reason, let alone the start of World War Two. But when it became clear Nazi Germany forces had their sights set on the island, children were offered the chance to be evacuated from the island with their schools. He said: "My brother and I used to go swimming after school. One night a woman came down to the pool screaming: 'Get back home,' telling us we had to sign up at school to leave. "We realised everybody was going, so we did the same and ran home, and mother took us to St Joseph's." It was June 1940 and Guernsey's plans to evacuate the island's children to England had begun. It is believed an estimated 6,000 children, along with their teachers, were shipped out initially to Weymouth, Dorset, for their protection, and Mr Yeagers was one of them. Now 97, Mr Yeagers has been sharing his story as part of the Island Memories Project, a collaboration between BBC Guernsey and Guernsey Museums. 'A lot of crying' Barry's boat arrived in Weymouth at about 15:30, when he eventually had a chance to eat a bit of food. He said: "There was a lot of crying. "Some of the youngsters were only six and seven-year olds, and there was a few mothers on there, but it was more teachers than anything else. "We all had a medical at the Weymouth Pavilion and got through by 16:45. "Next, we went across the road to a hotel and had a sandwich and a cup of tea, before boarding the train at 17:30." Barry and his sister Patricia were able to live together again in Devon [BBC] The journey was not a short one either, taking the group all the way to Glasgow, Scotland, and keeping them onboard for 22 hours. "I don't know how many were on the train, but there there was at least 10 to a carriage. And there was only one stop, at Crewe, and that was at four in the morning." The children from Barry's school, St Joseph's, were housed in a day care centre Dixon Halls. After another move, he contracted chicken pox and was hospitalised before eventually relocating to an area in the south of Glasgow, Pollokshaws. "That's where I started school, and I think I only went for about four days. We did nothing but drawing," he said. And then Barry got the best news he could have asked for: "All of a sudden we were told that we were going to meet up with our family." Agatha Christie's shilling Barry and his brother met his mum and younger sister Patricia in Watford, and his dad was evacuated from Guernsey on a yacht from Brecqhou to Dartmouth in Devon. The family moved to a cottage near Dittisham, on the River Dart in the county. During his time there, Barry remembers seeing three German Stuka aircraft drop bombs on the village. He said: "We stayed a distance from the other side of the river for about three months [after the bombing]. "During that time, there was a boy called Sam used to row the ferry across the Greenway Quay on the other bank of the river." Sam asked Barry if he might be able to row the ferry when Sam was unable to do it. It gave Barry a way of earning some money. He said: "It just so happened a couple of days later I was asked to ride across and pick up this lady. "I brought her over to the other side and she give me a shilling [five pence] instead of a tuppence [two pence]. So I split it with Sam." He said that, in the years which followed, he found a book which contained a photo of exactly the same woman he ended up ferrying across the River Dart three times. "It was Agatha Christie, and I didn't know. It took me two years to find out." Barry Yeagers, aged 17, celebrating VE Day in May 1945 [BBC] Barry and his family later moved into a cottage in South Milton in Devon, where they stayed until 1944. He was removed from school to make space for more evacuees and began working on a farm. His father was also called up to fight in Egypt, where he was injured in a bomb blast and sent home in 1942. They then moved to Watford as a family and Barry began working at the Navy, Army, and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI), which provides services to the armed forces. Guernsey was liberated from German Occupation forces on 9 May 1945, almost 80 years ago. Barry Yeagers was 17 years old on VE Day. Follow BBC Guernsey on X and Facebook. Send your story ideas to More on this story Related internet links
BBC News
07-05-2025
- BBC News
Guernsey WW2 evacuee 'accidentally' met Agatha Christie
'I was evacuated in WW2 and met Agatha Christie' 7 minutes ago Share Save Share Save Chris George Barry Yeagers was 12 years old when he and his family were evacuated from Guernsey When Barry Yeagers turned 12 years old, he never expected to leave Guernsey for any reason, let alone the start of World War Two. But when it became clear Nazi Germany forces had their sights set on the island, children were offered the chance to be evacuated from the island with their schools. He said: "My brother and I used to go swimming after school. One night a woman came down to the pool screaming: 'Get back home,' telling us we had to sign up at school to leave. "We realised everybody was going, so we did the same and ran home, and mother took us to St Joseph's." It was June 1940 and Guernsey's plans to evacuate the island's children to England had begun. It is believed an estimated 6,000 children, along with their teachers, were shipped out initially to Weymouth, Dorset, for their protection, and Mr Yeagers was one of them. Now 97, Mr Yeagers has been sharing his story as part of the Island Memories Project, a collaboration between BBC Guernsey and Guernsey Museums. 'A lot of crying' Barry's boat arrived in Weymouth at about 15:30, when he eventually had a chance to eat a bit of food. He said: "There was a lot of crying. "Some of the youngsters were only six and seven-year olds, and there was a few mothers on there, but it was more teachers than anything else. "We all had a medical at the Weymouth Pavilion and got through by 16:45. "Next, we went across the road to a hotel and had a sandwich and a cup of tea, before boarding the train at 17:30." Barry and his sister Patricia were able to live together again in Devon The journey was not a short one either, taking the group all the way to Glasgow, Scotland, and keeping them onboard for 22 hours. "I don't know how many were on the train, but there there was at least 10 to a carriage. And there was only one stop, at Crewe, and that was at four in the morning." The children from Barry's school, St Joseph's, were housed in a day care centre Dixon Halls. After another move, he contracted chicken pox and was hospitalised before eventually relocating to an area in the south of Glasgow, Pollokshaws. "That's where I started school, and I think I only went for about four days. We did nothing but drawing," he said. And then Barry got the best news he could have asked for: "All of a sudden we were told that we were going to meet up with our family." Agatha Christie's shilling Barry and his brother met his mum and younger sister Patricia in Watford, and his dad was evacuated from Guernsey on a yacht from Brecqhou to Dartmouth in Devon. The family moved to a cottage near Dittisham, on the River Dart in the county. During his time there, Barry remembers seeing three German Stuka aircraft drop bombs on the village. He said: "We stayed a distance from the other side of the river for about three months [after the bombing]. "During that time, there was a boy called Sam used to row the ferry across the Greenway Quay on the other bank of the river." Sam asked Barry if he might be able to row the ferry when Sam was unable to do it. It gave Barry a way of earning some money. He said: "It just so happened a couple of days later I was asked to ride across and pick up this lady. "I brought her over to the other side and she give me a shilling [five pence] instead of a tuppence [two pence]. So I split it with Sam." He said that, in the years which followed, he found a book which contained a photo of exactly the same woman he ended up ferrying across the River Dart three times. "It was Agatha Christie, and I didn't know. It took me two years to find out." Barry Yeagers, aged 17, celebrating VE Day in May 1945 Barry and his family later moved into a cottage in South Milton in Devon, where they stayed until 1944. He was removed from school to make space for more evacuees and began working on a farm. His father was also called up to fight in Egypt, where he was injured in a bomb blast and sent home in 1942. They then moved to Watford as a family and Barry began working at the Navy, Army, and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI), which provides services to the armed forces. Guernsey was liberated from German Occupation forces on 9 May 1945, almost 80 years ago. Barry Yeagers was 17 years old on VE Day. Follow BBC Guernsey on X and Facebook. Send your story ideas to
BBC News
05-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
German soldier saved young girl during air raid on Guernsey
A woman from Sark said her life was saved by a German soldier during the German Occupation of the Channel Islands during World War Lemon, now 95, said she remembered having to get permission to travel to Guernsey so a dentist could look at her toothache and staying said after she had boarded the boat back to Sark the next day "all hell let loose" with an air raid and a German soldier took her off the boat and into an air raid Lemon said when she came out people were searching all over for her: "They were terribly worried because nobody knew where I was." She said St Peter Port harbour was being bombed by "our lot"."There was shrapnel flying all over the place and everybody on the boat left."Mrs Lemon said she had been put in the captain's cabin and no-one had realised that she was still there until a German soldier found her and "grabbed hold of me and ran".She said: "I think he virtually saved my life because what would I have done. I wouldn't have known what to do."Mavis said the incident has affected her all her life: "When it's thundering, the rumble always reminds me of the air raid on the harbour." Maggot in my chocolate When Sark was occupied by German troops she was not sent to Guernsey as many children were as her mother had a heart problem and her father "was going to be useful with his horse and cart".Mrs Lemon said: "He was told he had to work for the Germans bringing up the German stuff in his cart."She said she "got to know" some of the German troops in Sark and described them as "friendly".Mrs Lemon recalled receiving her Red Cross parcel and opening hers with the rest of her said her mother took the powdered milk and left her with a box of chocolates which she could decide to eat all at once or save for later."I opened my tin of chocolates and there was this huge maggot in the chocolate and it had made a hole in the chocolate."She said 'that's nothing'. She got hold of the maggot and put it under her foot and stamped on it."You just carried on, you had to."Mrs Lemon shared her story as part of the Island Memories Project - a partnership between the BBC and Guernsey Museums aiming to preserve people's stories.
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Islanders' memories of occupation and liberation
The German Occupation of the Channel Islands during World War Two changed life in the islands and affected everyone. From schoolchildren who were evacuated before the occupiers arrived, to islanders serving in the military around the world and those who stayed - they all have a story to tell. Some resisted occupation in the ways they could - such as listening to the banned BBC broadcasts and sharing the news - while others were forced to take part in the enormous building programme that transformed the islands as they became part of Adolf Hitler's Atlantic Wall. By the time liberation came on 9 May 1945, many islanders were reliant on Red Cross parcels to avoid starvation. The BBC and Guernsey Museums have partnered in The Island Memories Project - launched to capture memories of this key time in island life. Follow BBC Guernsey on X and Facebook. Send your story ideas to Island Memories Project - Guernsey Museums Liberation Day Island Memories exhibition recalls WW2 occupation WWII memories preserved for Liberation anniversary
BBC News
28-03-2025
- General
- BBC News
Island Memories exhibition recalls WW2 occupation of Guernsey
A new exhibition recalling islanders' memories of the German occupation of Guernsey during World War Two has opened this week in St Peter Island Memories Project: Liberation 80 is a joint oral history project between Guernsey Museums and BBC Radio can listen to audio clips from the first phase of the project, with evacuees, islanders who served in the armed forces, and those who remained during the occupation recalling what Hughes, assistant curator at Guernsey Museums, said it was "wonderful" to "share these incredible stories". "We are so grateful to the participants for taking part and hope this display does their memories justice," he Le Page, 88, from Sark was three when the war Le Page lent her childhood teddy to the exhibition - a second-hand panda which was stabbed with a bayonet by an SS soldier, while he was looking for her father's hidden said it was was "wonderful" that people's memories would be "kept forever"."I was quite touched when I saw [my panda] lying there today when I came in."The Island Memories Project was launched in November by Guernsey Museum in partnership with BBC Radio Guernsey. The project aims to record islanders' memories about life in the bailiwick and create a digital archive of oral histories for future and Alderney will celebrate the 80th anniversary of their liberation on 9 May, while Sark was liberated one day later.
