Initial Thoughts and Ideas:
My initial idea for this project was to look at the Journey of Jersey and how it has developed into the way it is today. This lead me to a wide range of approaches and ideas, but with conducting research I have been able to narrow down this idea. I want to look at Jersey during the Second World War and how the island developed over the 5 years. This will provide me with the opportunity to explore the different styles of landscape photography by gaining inspiration through landscape photographers. Moreover, it will broaden my understanding of photography as a whole. Within this planning I wrote down a variety of locations which have a connection between WW2 and how it effected the island. This list includes:
- Jersey War Tunnels
- Jersey Bunkers
- Royal Square
- Dolmans
- Jersey Sea Walls
- Fort Regent
- Fields of Poppys
- Channel Island Military Museum
These places will all help to present the journey Jersey underwent during WW2. Furthermore, I have considered different photoshop and photograph ideas I could implement into this project. These ideas include:
- Tableaux Photography
- Photo-Montage
- Landscape Photography
- Double Exposures
- The use of a disposable camera
1940 – 1945 Jersey CI:
- 30th June 1940 Jersey was invaded by the Germans. On this day they sent a squadron of bombers over the islands and bombed the harbors Jersey.
- lack of news from the mainland after the Germans had outlawed the use of crystal radio sets.
- The island was also moved to Central European time. In the months following D-Day, as the Allies regained control of France, the source of supplies fueling the islands was now no longer available.
- Food shortages on Jersey were finally relieved by the arrival of the Red Cross ship SS Vega, bringing food parcels to Jersey. Before then, substitutes had been used to replace everyday foods, with seawater replacing salt, for instance, and a mixture of parsnip and sugar beet replacing tea.
- Hitler ordered the conversion of Jersey into an impregnable fortress. Thousands of slave workers from countries like Russia, Spain, France, Poland, and Algeria built hundreds of bunkers, anti-tank walls, railway systems, as well as many tunnel complexes. In late 1943 the Tunnel Complex Ho8 (now known as the Jersey War Tunnels) in St. Lawrence was converted from an artillery workshop and barracks to an emergency casualty clearing station able to cope with up to 500 patients.. All of the fortifications built around the island were part of Hitler’s “Atlantic Wall”. Today, traces of Jersey’s defenses and wartime occupations can be discovered across the island, especially in St. Ouen’s Bay.
- By 7 May 1945, the German army had surrendered and the end of the war in Europe was announced. During the week leading up to 6 May islanders had been hearing reports of Hitler’s fall in Berlin by way of their hidden radios. In spite of the fact that the island was still officially under occupation, rumors began circulating of an imminent end to the war in Europe.
- On 8 May the units that made up Force 135 received their orders to move to their marshalling camps in Portsmouth. The main body of the Force was due to arrive in the islands on 12 May, however, a small contingent of Force 135, including their Commander, Brigadier AE Snow, left for the Channel Islands aboard HMS’ Bulldog and Beagle the morning of 8 May.
- At 7.15am on 9 May, on the quarter deck of HMS Bulldog, Second-in-Command for Guernsey General Siegfried Heine signed the Instrument of Surrender on behalf of the German Command of the Channel Islands, effecting their capitulation. On completion of this, General Heine was then ordered to “immediately cause all German flags and ensigns now flying in the Channel Islands to be lowered”. At Midday an overjoyed Bailiff Coutanche accompanied a German delegation led by the island Commander, General Major Rudolf Wulf, aboard HMS Beagle anchored in St. Aubin’s bay, where the separate surrender of Jersey was to take place. Arriving at the same time in St. Helier’s harbour was a small naval inspection party sent to report on the health of the islanders, who were promptly overwhelmed by an enthusiastic crowd delighted at seeing their first liberators landing on Jersey soil.
- Information taken from: https://www.jersey.com/discover-jerseys-occupation-story
After conducting this research I have come upon different aspects of the war, which I could capture within a photograph in order to present the journey of Jersey through the second world war. Moreover, looking at the history has provided me with some artists which could be used in order to help inspire photoshoots. These artists include:
- Martin Parr – Liberation Day
- Dorothea Lange – Affect of War on People
- Gina Socrates – Seawalls
- Don Mcullin – War Photographer
- CriticalMass – Ruin photography
As I go through this project I will realise what works and what does not work, which will lead to more/different artist inspiration being used.
