The Guernsey Deportees

⚡ 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 po...

⚡ 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 po...

⚡ The journey to Biberach interment camp wasn’t straightforward. After being whisked away from their homes on a cargo boat, the Guernsey Deportees made a stop-off at a transit camp in Dorsten - a vile, filthy place, where men were left to cook hedgehogs to survive. 💡 In 1942, during World War 2, Hitler ordered the deportation of more than 1000 islanders from Guernsey. Jill Chubb was just 3 years...

⚡ Once the Guernsey Deportees finally left Dorsten, they arrived in Biberach in the freezing cold, greeted by Hitler Youth who spat at them as they trudged up the long hill to their barracks. It was here they would spend the next three years of their lives - longing to go home. 💡 In 1942, during World War 2, Hitler ordered the deportation of more than 1000 islanders from Guernsey. Jill Chubb was...

⚡ The Guernsey Deportees never lost their resilient spirits through all of the years of internment. Though they were isolated and imprisoned, they still found joy, excitement and happiness in Biberach. Life may have been hard, but they made do. 💡 In 1942, during World War 2, Hitler ordered the deportation of more than 1000 islanders from Guernsey. Jill Chubb was just 3 years old when she set sai...

⚡ In 1945, the voice of Winston Churchill boomed through the camp - the Allies had won. The war was finally over. But the Guernsey Deportees didn’t get to leave immediately - the path back to Guernsey was long and winding. 💡 In 1942, during World War 2, Hitler ordered the deportation of more than 1000 islanders from Guernsey. Jill Chubb was just 3 years old when she set sail, but her memories ar...

⚡ Having escaped Biberach 67 years before, in 2012, the Guernsey Deportees decided to go back. Despite decades passing, the events that unfolded in Germany have caused a ripple effect throughout their lives - impacting them both emotionally and physically. So what drew them back to Germany, to visit the camp where they’d once been interned? 💡 In 1942, during World War 2, Hitler ordered the depor...

**This is a bonus episode. If you've not tuned in before, I recommend you start at ⁠Episode 1⁠ ** ⚡ Shortly after this podcast first aired, a German journalist reached out to me - and said she was “moved to tears” by Grandma’s story. In particular, her experiences in Dorsten transit camp. That’s because Jana Magdanz was born in Dorsten - and only this year began learning about what happened there...

**This is a bonus episode. If you've not tuned in before, I recommend you start at ⁠Episode 1⁠ **⚡ Arthur Henry Davey was a librarian at the Guille-Allès Library in Guernsey when the deportation order came through. Despite spending just a short amount of his early life in the UK, he was added to the list of those who were later sent to Biberach internment camp. 💡 In this special bonus episode of...

**This is a bonus episode. If you've not tuned in before, I recommend you start at Episode 1 ** ⚡ Maisie Le Page was just a young girl when the Germans arrived on her small home island of Sark. Little did she know that her father, the island’s baker, would also come to be part of, and sent to prison for his involvement in a covert news operation.  💡 In this special bonus episode of the podcast M...

⚡ At a sold-out talk at the Guernsey Literary Festival, Jill and Ollie were interviewed by the BBC’s Steph Watkins about the podcast. Among the stories you may have heard through the series, a few new tales emerged. 💡 In this bonus episode of the podcast hear a special cut of our Literary Festival talk, featuring gardening in Biberach, a powerful moment told from Jill’s perspective, a call to ac...

**This is a bonus episode. If you've not tuned in before, I recommend you start at ⁠Episode 1⁠ ** ⚡ Island At War is a podcast dedicated to Guernsey’s occupation history. And the two men behind the show have chosen a fascinating way of telling the story - going month by month through the wartime years, making this an incredibly comprehensive listen.  💡 In this special bonus episode of the podcas...

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...