UNDER GERMAN RULE

Southland Times, Issue 25795, 5 October 1945, Page 8

UNDER GERMAN RULE

Life On Island Of Guernsey DIARY OF OCCUPATION PERIOD Some idea of conditions of life on the island of Guernsey under German occupation is to be obtained from a copy of The Guernsey Weekly News, wfiich has been received by Mr S. W. Booth, Melbourne street, Invercargill. This four-page issue of the paper is mainly devoted to the visit of the King and Queen to Guernsey in June of this year, but, to people in other countries, probably the most interesting section of the paper is that devoted to a diary of events under German occupation. The diary was published as a series, and it is only file year 1941 that is covered in the issue in question, that of June 12, 1945. The year 1941 represented early days in the German occupation of the island (the occupation began in July, 1940), but it is apparent from the diary that the Germans were already imposing very drastic and irksome restrictions on the islanders. These included a curfew, food rationing, restrictions on the use of electricity and gas and returns of various kinds, such as an economic statistical return from all business firms, a return of the number of bedrooms, bedsteads and mattresses from those responsible for unoccupied houses, and a return of householders possessing refrigerators. As might be expected from a nation that is notorious for its thoroughness, some of the German orders to the population were meticulous in their exactitude. For example, on October 23, 1941, the Germans announced that persons owning trees on their properties would be allowed to cut branches up to three inches in diameter for fuel. FOOD RATIONING

Food supplies were a constant preoccupation, not only of the islanders but also of the Germans, and there are constant references to alterations in food rations and to means of increasing the amount of locally produced food. Bread rationing was introduced on March 24, and on April 21 an order was published restricting the consumption of bread or toast in restaurants to 2oz at any meal, three hours to elapse between any meals. The first “no meat” order was issued on April 24. On April 30 the sugar ration was fixed as follows:—Children under 18 years of age 6oz a week, German nationals soz, and othei' consumers 3oz. No household was allowed fish more than once weekly, and jam was rationed to retailers on the basis of sugar consumption. Towards the end of the year there appears to have been an improvement in the food supplies, because from December the weekly rations were increased as follows: —Meat 7oz from 6oz, with 4oz extra for heavy workers; sugar 4oz from 3oz; flour 6oz from 4oz; additional 21oz of cooking fat for heavy workers; new issue of loz of cocoa a head for all persons over four years of age. There was also an extra Christmas ration of loz of meat, 2oz of sugar, loz of salt and lloz of tea. There were difficulties in regard to clothing, and perhaps, an announcement by the Germans on January 23 that corsets might be sold free of coupons did not greatly placate the women of Guernsey, in fact of other shortages which they had to endure. Measures taken to increase supplies of locally-produced foodstuffs included an appeal to bulb growers to sacrifice their land for the growing of foodstuffs, an order to owners of land to clear out certain weeds, and the use, by order, of lawns and shrubberies for the growing of foodstuffs. The islanders were not without some outside help, and on April 1 the welcome news was announced that one ton of delicacies, milk, cheese, chocolate and sweets, had arrived as a present to the island children from the Swiss Committee of the International Red Cross. EVIDENCE OF RESISTANCE

It is clear from numerous entries in the diary that the islanders did not take the German occupation lying down. For example, on April 15 the German commandant found it necessary to warn the population against all acts prejudicial to the safety of the German troops, and in July a reward of £25 was offered for information against anyone marking up V signs. Later the same month, by order of the German authorities, people living within a radius of 1000 metres of the Beaulieu Hotel were required to give up their wireless sets as a reprisal for the painting of the letters V and EV at points along a road in the neighbourhood. On July 30 two Jersey girls and a man belonging to Guernsey were sentenced to nine months’ and one year’s imprisonment respectively for V propaganda. On August 15, as a reprisal for a military car having been damaged “with malicious intent,” the German authorities announced that the curfew would be altered from 11 p.m. to 10 p.m. for two nights. Earlier in the year the curfew hours had been changed; as a reprisal for “an act of sabotage.”