Writing’s on the wall for occupying forces
Tuesday 23rd February 2010, 2:56PM GMT.
Society president Paul Burnal drills his way into the bunker watched by other members of the Channel Islands Occupation Society Pictures: TONY PIKE (00896470)
HISTORIANS gained a fascinating insight into wartime Jersey when they smashed into a bunker sealed for over 60 years.
The Type 101v personnel bunker at Noirmont Point was closed in either 1948 or 1949 and has remained undisturbed ever since. But on Sunday afternoon it once again saw daylight as members of the Channel Islands Occupation Society broke in following a two-month excavation project.
Inside, the members found that the building was completely intact. They found red lino on the floor, bunk hooks on the wall, a ventilation pipe still intact as well as a few German coins.
But the most fascinating find was that of German writing on the wall which roughly translated into ‘he who loves his people proves it alone with the sacrifices he is willing to make.’
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This must have been an exiting time for the CIOS volunteers who were there to un-earth a piece of Occupation hostory! Wish I had been there!
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“This must have been an exiting time for the CIOS volunteers who were there to un-earth a piece of Occupation hostory!”
Indeed it was, Simon Dyer. The CIOS volunteers could not get out of there quickly enough.
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Beckford (2) LOL that will go straight over his head, along with approximately another 40% of the general population, who it seems were playing truant on the day in which god was handing out the grammar section of our collective hypothalami.
Thanks for pointing out the erroneous haplography!
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It surprises me that if the bunker was open until 1948, nobody had away the lino and the German coins in the three years after the war.
Perhaps there were richer pickings in other bunkers?
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What a truly great day for the world’s historians – a great insight into the lino used by the occupying forces has been uncovered. If indeed it was theirs – seeing as the bunker was sealed 3 years after the Germans left. For all we know it could have been put there by kids using the bunker as a den.
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@5 God’s Mentor
Shhh, the JEP are a bit light on Occupation stories\events at the moment so this story is a god send for them.
Don’t spoil it …
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