The Guernsey Deportees
The Guernsey Deportees
Podcast Description
A little-known story of wartime resilience. Hear the stories of the last remaining Guernsey deportees. 80 years ago a group of islanders were forced to abandon their homes during WW2, and were sent on Hitler’s orders to Biberach interment camp. Ollie Guillou speaks to his Grandma about the 3 long years she spent in the camp. He’s also joined by three other deportees and two historians, who help chart the life-altering journey these Guernsey people went on, all those years ago.
Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/collection/1395666
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast focuses on themes of wartime resilience, trauma, and shared memory, with episodes detailing the deportation order, the journey to Biberach, camp life, and post-war reflections. Specific episodes explore topics such as the celebrations within the camp, first impressions upon arrival, the harsh journey endured, and the emotional return to the camp decades later.
A little-known story of wartime resilience. Hear the stories of the last remaining Guernsey deportees. 80 years ago a group of Channel islanders were forced to abandon their homes during WW2, and were sent on Hitler’s orders to Biberach interment camp. Ollie Guillou speaks to his Grandma about the 3 long years she spent in the camp. He’s also joined by three other deportees and two historians, who help chart the life-altering journey these Guernsey people went on, all those years ago.
Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/collection/1395666
⚡ In 1942, during the height of World War 2, Hitler ordered the deportation of more than a thousand islanders from Guernsey. In retaliation against the Allied Forces, innocent men, women and children were forced to leave their island homes – set on a path to Biberach internment camp.
💡 Jill Chubb was just 3 years old when she set sail, but her memories are vivid and clear. And in this special podcast series, her grandson, former BBC Guernsey presenter Ollie Guillou, charts her story – joined by three other deportees and two prominent historians.
🔎 This first episode explores the moments leading up to the deportation, and how the Guernsey Deportees found out the news. We get a sense of pre-war life in Guernsey and how it began to change during the course of the war. And from cargo ships to train rides, we learn how the journey to Biberach began.
⚙️ With special thanks to:
Jill Chubb, Chair of the Guernsey Deportees Association
Ralph Godwin, Deportee
Janet de Santos, Deportee
Jill Oliver, Deportee
Alan Chubb, Secretary of the Guernsey Deportees Association
Dr Gilly Carr, University of Cambridge
Matthew Lucas, War historian
📍 Written and produced by Ollie Guillou and Phillippa Guillou. This is a Channel Islands Podcasts production.
✉️ Share your messages and memories; email [email protected]
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