‘Mémouaithe: a Liberation journal’, which is kindly sponsored by Insurance Corporation, is based on entries from diaries that were written in 1944-45 as the Island approached the end of five long and difficult years with German forces occupying the Island.

Each diary entry has been brought to life by a Jersey Heritage staff member, who was filmed playing the part of the original author and reading aloud the words that were put down on paper 80 years ago. The videos will be released via the charity’s social media platforms, starting on Christmas Eve and running daily until Liberation Day on 9 May.Vic Tanner Davy, Jersey Heritage’s Head of Programmes, explained that each diary entry had been carefully selected to give a different perspective on what life was like as the end of the Occupation was in sight and the countdown to freedom began.

He said: “These special diaries are a key part of our collections and help us to share the story of one of the most significant periods in the Island’s history. Reading the words of someone who lived and breathed the Occupation years is a powerful way to understand what they experienced and how they felt at the time. All our readers found the experience of playing a diarist more moving than they had anticipated.

“We chose Christmas Eve to begin our series as this was an especially difficult time for Islanders and only days before the Red Cross’s SS Vega arrived with its lifesaving cargo on 30 December 1944. Five months later, Islanders were liberated and we hope that everyone will engage with these daily videos to follow the diarists’ stories as we begin the build-up to Liberation 80.”

The authors of the diaries are Leslie Sinel, a printer working for the Jersey Evening Post; Marie Sandeman, writing to her two sons who remained at an English boarding school; Philip le Sauteur, the manager of a timber merchants; Alice Bonney, a nurse and widow, living in town; Nan Le Ruez, working on her family’s farm; and Ralph Mollet, the Bailiff’s secretary. There are also entries from the diary of Baron Hans Max von Aufsess, who was Head of Civil Affairs in the German Field Command. The only diarist not resident in Jersey in 1944 is Joan Coles, who was deported and interned in Schloss Wurzach, near Biberach in Germany and wrote about her experiences there.

Michelle Steele, HR & PR Executive at Insurance Corporation, said: “As a long-standing local business deeply rooted in the Channel Island community, Insurance Corporation is honoured to partner with Jersey Heritage in commemorating the 80th anniversary of Liberation. We are proud to sponsor ‘Mémouaithe: a Liberation journal’, a project that vividly brings to life the diverse experiences of Occupation and Liberation through engaging social media storytelling.

“Preserving and sharing our Island’s unique heritage is vital to understanding who we are and ensuring future generations appreciate the resilience and spirit of our community. This partnership allows us to contribute to a meaningful project that not only highlights Jersey’s rich history but also encourages connection and engagement with audiences far and wide. At Insurance Corporation, we believe in investing in initiatives that strengthen our community and celebrate the stories that define us.”

‘Mémouaithe: a Liberation journal’ – the diary authors

Leslie Sinel was a printer working for the Jersey Evening Post. In that position, he was privy to official information on a daily basis, which he recorded diligently in his diary. Sinel’s diary remains the most comprehensive and definitive first-hand account of the Occupation and Liberation, but due to the factual nature of the diary it was the most difficult to dramatise, thus he is the least represented of the eight diarists, but it would have been remiss to have excluded him.

Marie Sandeman, with her husband Victor, decided their two sons Philip and Brian should remain at boarding school in England when the Germans occupied Jersey. She wrote her diary as a form of long letter to them. In August 1943, she had to write that Victor had died – as she said, the war had worn him out. A French Catholic and regular attendee at St Thomas’s, she got much joy from hearing the German choir there. Her diary is at times poetic, touching and beautiful.

Philip le Sauteur was the manager of a timber merchants at the start of the Occupation. He was left to look after the shop when his boss was evacuated to the UK. By the time of the diary entries, the timber had all but gone, and Philip had time on his hands. This enabled him to use his practical knowledge to make ingenious devices, like a water wheel generator, and to get involved in rackets, like sourcing illicit meat and wirelesses for people.

Alice Bonney had served as a nurse in the First World War and went back to her profession at the start of the Occupation. She was widowed in 1934, with a daughter, Margaret, and two sons, Frank and Clem, both deported to the Laufen internment camp because they were born in London. Frank was repatriated to Jersey and then escaped the Island following D-Day, joining the Merchant Navy. As a widow with her sons away, Alice had less chance of making acquaintances who could help with circumventing the German restrictions and, therefore, fewer resources to draw on.

Nan Le Ruez was living and working on the family farm in St Peter when the Germans occupied Jersey. The farm housed eight children, Nan’s parents and grandparents, rabbits, hens and Dolly the horse. Separated from her fiancé, Alfred, who was unfortunately out of the Island when the occupying German forces arrived in 1940, she was desperate to hear news of him throughout the Occupation. News that when it did arrive was months old. A Methodist and a committed Christian, her faith sustained her as she dealt with the separation.

Ralph Mollet was the Bailiff’s Secretary. He was Secretary to three Bailiffs over the course of 20 years’ service. As Alexander Coutanche’s Secretary, he was witness to many of the major decisions made by the civil administration and the competing pressures they were under to keep Islanders safe and well in the face of German orders. He was a frequent liaison point for Baron von Aufsess. An amateur historian, he took great pride in showing visitors around the States Chambers – including Aufsess.

Joan Coles is the only diarist not resident in Jersey at the end of 1944. She lived at Harve des Pas with her parents and sister, Beryl. An English family, they almost decided to leave Jersey in June 1940, but changed their minds at the last minute. As a result, in September 1942, the family were deported and interned in Schloss Wurzach, near Biberach in Germany. Her diary tells of the camp activities that staved off the boredom of imprisonment and the advance of Allied troops through Germany to the gates of Wurzach.

Baron Hans Max von Aufsess was Head of Civil Affairs in the German Field Command. His role was to mediate between representatives of the Islands’ Governments and German military command. A Bavarian aristocrat, Aufsess saw himself as a civilised, educated man and skilled negotiator, who could run rings around the German military commanders and the Island authorities. Something of a snob, he was far from complimentary about Alexander Coutanche, Jersey’s Bailiff. His wife was in prison in Germany for her anti-Nazi views – views he shared.