It is a constant surprise to me how our understanding of the past often changes with time and nothing could exemplify this more starkly than the German occupation of the Channel Islands during the Second World War. With so many individuals from that difficult period in the Islands' history still alive and so much research having been undertaken we could he forgiven for believing that nothing new could be learnt. The so-called "Model Occupation" is gradually being seen in a far different light. As actor John Nettles makes clear in his interview with John Grehan (see page 16), the occupation was often one of fear and brutality. Indeed, this is one of the very reasons why John Nettles set out to produce his latest history of the occupation. That such an environment did exist is confirmed in the recently re-discovered papers of Frank Falla. This bundle of documents details some of the resistance efforts made by the people of Guernsey and how those caught acting against the Germans were treated - see the Briefing Room on page 6.
No comments:
Post a Comment