I work with a wonderful group of Guernsey evacuees (aged between 73 and 91) in Northern England. We formed a community group and meet to share wartime memories with each other and the community, and to strengthen friendships. We also gather wartime documents and photographs that relate to the evacuation, which are not held in other archives. This group grew out of the evacuee reunions that took place in Stockport and Bury in June 2010, the 70th Anniversary of the Evacuation.
SUNDAY 2ND JUNE 2013
SOME OF OUR GUERNSEY EVACUEES WERE HONOURED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE MANCHESTER DAY PARADE
This year’s theme was ‘Wish You Were Here’ – a celebration of place, people and identity. We travelled on a vintage double decker bus during the parade, which gave us a wonderful view of the event! Here is one image of the day and there are others on my main blog page here: http://guernseyevacuees.wordpress.com/writing-my-book-blog/
If you took a photograph of our bus that you would like to share, please contact me through the Comments box at the foot of this webpage:
http://themanchesterdayparade.co.uk/about/this-years-theme/
ON 3RD MAY 2013 Channel Television flew to Manchester to interview myself and 6 Guernsey evacuees from our WW2 community group, who did not return home after the war. If you click on the link below before 8 June 2013, you can watch their news report of 9th MAY 2013 which shows these interviews, PLUS footage of the Evacuee vintage bus that I organised in Guernsey on Liberation Day for 28 former evacuees. http://www.channelonline.tv/channelonline_channelreports/
THE AIM OF OUR COMMUNITY GROUP:
We aim to record these evacuation stories for future generations in several ways. We organise workshops for schools, museums and history groups, and also arrange community events so that people can meet the evacuees to learn about the evacuation, and view personal wartime possessions.
We rely on public donations to continue our work, and profits from the sales of our booklets and DVDs. You can purchase our limited edition ‘Guernsey Evacuation’ Booklet, or our Channel Islands Evacuation DVD from my Shop page here: http://guernseyevacuees.wordpress.com/channel-islands-calendar-2011/
For more information on our community group, please contact me via the Comments box at the foot of this page. 
If you would like to receive updates on our work, or want to book us for an event, please contact us via the Comments box at the foot of this webpage. We also enjoy participating in Wartime themed events!
FUTURE EVENTS – WATCH THIS SPACE
To order my book (and read some for free):
‘Guernsey Evacuees: The Forgotten Evacuees of the Second World War’ go to:
http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?lt1=_top&bc1=FFFFFF&IS1=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=guerevacoralh-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=tf_til&asins=0752470191
HERE ARE DETAILS OF SOME OF OUR PAST EVENTS
On Sunday 3 June 2012 we took part in Bury’s annual ‘World War Two Weekend’ at Bury Transport Museum in Lancashire. The weather was awful, but despite this, the afternoon became really busy. The evacuees met the public, shared their stories and listened to other people’s memories of wartime. I showed children an evacuee suitcase and arranged for them to write their own Red Cross letter to their parents. We also screened my film ‘Channel Island Evacuees in Bury, Lancashire’. Below is a photograph taken on Sunday.
http://www.eastlancsrailway.org.uk/whats-on/1940s-wartime-weekend-2012/
On Sat 3 March we took part in the Manchester Histories Festival.
The evacuees and I spoke to visitors, and screened our film ‘All my Worldly Possesions: Channel Island Evacuees in Bury and Tottington during World War Two’
Our Community group and volunteers won the Festival’s Highly Commended Community Award on 2 March. We were delighted!
more at:
http://www.manchesterhistoriesfestival.org.uk/getinvolved/community-history-awards
On 8th February 2012 I gave a talk to the Cheshire Local History Association in Wilmslow, see their website at:
http://cheshirehistory.org.uk/wilmslow-hs.html
THE PUBLIC MET THE GUERNSEY EVACUEES AT THE MANCHESTER PEOPLE’S HISTORY MUSEUM ON SATURDAY 24 NOVEMBER 2012 BETWEEN 11am and 12.30pm. THEY SHARED THEIR WARTIME EXPERIENCES – CHILDREN WROTE A RED CROSS LETTER AND PEEPED INSIDE A REAL GUERNSEY EVACUEE’S SUITCASE. I SIGNED COPIES OF MY NEW BOOK ‘GUERNSEY EVACUEES: THE FORGOTTEN EVACUEES OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR’
A VERY BIG ‘THANK YOU’ TO THE 300 PEOPLE WHO CAME TO OUR STOCKPORT EVENT ON SUNDAY 30 OCTOBER 2011. YOU CAN WATCH BBC GUERNSEY’S NEWS REPORT AT THIS LINK:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-guernsey-15536660
This interactive event took place at Stockport War Memorial and Art Gallery, and was entitled “We’ll Meet Again”. Visitors had a chance to meet the Guernsey evacuees who fled their island in June 1940, and found safety in Northern England. We ran activities for all ages, including film screenings, a chance to meet the Guernsey evacuees to hear their stories, and view their wartime documents and photographs. Visitors also listened to a live performance from Britain’s best George Formby lookalike singer, P E Caspar!
Visitors also had the chance to peep inside a real Guernsey evacuee’s suitcase, whilst children took part in a ‘Guernsey Evacuation Ship’ activity, and wrote their own Red Cross messages. Visitors were also invited to share their own wartime memories with Stockport Heritage Trust, over free tea and coffee! This event was part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science and was fully funded by the ERSC
On Saturday 27 August 2011 we held a storytelling event at the People’s History Museum, Manchester, called “Meet the Past”.
Visitors had the opportunity to meet and talk to real World War 2 evacuees who came from Guernsey to the North West in 1940. This special event included a hands on activity for all ages – they could look through a Guernsey child evacuee’s suitcase from the period. They also viewed original documents and watched my film about the Guernsey Evacuation before meeting the Guernsey evacuees t hear their stories, ask questions and see photographs from the time. This experience was a must for those interested in the social history of the period, local history and wartime memories.
My mother Dulcie Ogier and her sister Yvonne were two young children evacuated from Guernsey with their school.
They were fostered in (Rose Cottage) Nantwich as well as Jubilee villas, Malkins Bank, Hassall, Sandbach.
My mom has passed away and her younger sister Yvonne is dealing with cancer. I would dearly love to learn about their life in England and find anyone that remembers these two young girls as I would like to do a story about their lives. Thank you.
#WW2 Guernsey Evacuee Event: BBC iplayer radio coverage at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00l47r3 until 6 Nov – fast forward 1 hour 8 minutes into the prog! Gill
)
My godmother, Martha Marley, was married to Harry Marley of Guernsey. He remained in Guernsey and was in the underground during the occupation. Martha returned to her native Roanoke, Virginia, USA until he joined her after the war. He had many tales. He prospered as a bank vice president in Roanoke until his death. My mother was christened in St. Andrews Parish in 1934, we have the baptismal certificate. My grandfater, Frank Charles Martel was born in Guernsey and I have cousing remaining there and would like to contact them and visit. I was born in 1941. Please inform me of any suggestions to find out about my family. Thank you so much, Susan Martel Turner
HI Susan
did I reply to your comment? I thought I had but I cannot find one in my blog archive. Do let me know! Gill
My grandparents are from Guernsey, and my granny got evacuated when she was pregnant with my mum. As a result, mum was born in Stockport – but spent what was, by all accounts, a brilliant childhood in Guernsey. I am definitely going to buy her this book. My granddad recently died and I posted a picture of him outside what looks like a pub in Guernsey (this was a great joke as he was a tee total Salvation Army Officer). Does anyone know where in Guernsey this pub is (a long shot I know): http://commandodad.wordpress.com/2012/01/25/heaven-cant-wait/
Hi your blog is great, and thanks for sending me your comment about my research.
I have just circulated the picture of your Grandad on Twitter, so hopefully someone will recognise the buildingin Guernsey! I would love to know more about your Gran’s stay in Stockport, what was her family name? I may have archive docs that relate to her. email me at gillianmawson@btinternet.com if you prefer. Gill
Thank you! I will definitely email you all I know, which unfortunately is little. I can’t tell you what it would mean to my mum if you found out details of granny Olive. She died very young, you see.Thank you again – and for tweeting the pic of granddad. Chirree!
I attended Christ Church School, Heaton Norris. I remember Guernsey children arriving. i became friendly with a boy, Roy Gilliard. He and his mother got a house in Baker Street, Heaton Norris. There were two other children in my class – John Philipson or Phillips and Angela Collins. Angela and I were both in the Schoools Athletic Team and took part in events at Edgeley Park. I remember Angela saying that the girl’s team met together at the Touch Stone, at the corner of Mersey Squeare in order to travel together. We boys copied them ! I often wonder what happened to them, particularly Roy. I don’t remember any leaving ceremony at the end of the War: perhaps they were just anxious to get home and meet up with Roy’s dad.. Someone gave me a copy of ‘Heritage’, Spring 2012 edition. I intend to order them from now on. I now live in Cleveleys and so don’t see much of Stockport. It was very interesting to read you letter in Heritage. Keith. Ashworth.
hi Keith, thanks for this information! I have not come across any evacuees with those names before, but will contact you if they should contact me in the future. I am glad you liked the Stockport Heritage magazine article, and that you are going to subscribe to it. Best wishes to you. Gill
Pingback: The Forgotten British Evacuees of the Second World WarSylv Kerslake