British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, made the difficult decision not to defend the Channel Islands and they were subsequently occupied by German forces in June 1940, remaining so until the end of WWII. Islanders were completely isolated. Radios were forbidden, the Guernsey Press & Star newspaper censored and Islanders forced to follow harsh rules.

“Mum, Dad and I were sitting at the dinner table…Suddenly, there was a roaring noise from outside the house... there were formations of crosses filling the sky as myriad planes, made small by their great height, flew overhead from west to east …

I did not know it then, but would later learn this was part of the D-Day landings and would quickly be followed by an eleven month siege …”. Recollections of an Islander

The impact of the D-Day Landings proved devastating. Provisions from Northern France were cut off and civilians and soldiers faced starvation. Islanders eagerly awaited their freedom. On May 9 1945, a day after VE Day, Guernsey was liberated by Allied forces. Desperately needed provisions began to arrive.

On 12 May, the American Landing Ship Tank (LST) 516 was manoeuvred into the inner harbour at high tide. At low tide, the LST 516 sat dry on the harbour bottom and unloaded. A ramp was dropped allowing vehicles to be driven off the LST, then across the harbour bed and up the Albert Pier slipway located in front of the Town Church.

“I was 11. I always remember the big U.S. boat that came into the harbour…the vehicles came out, and I can always remember the crew playing sort of baseball on the harbour bed.” Remembers Hirzel Dorey

Disembarking troops moved through the town, securing buildings that had previously been commandeered by the occupying forces as HQs. At last, the Islands were free.