For my A2 photography coursework, I will be studying the occupation of Jersey. The island came under Nazi occupation on 30th of June 1940 as the Channel Islands had been declared as a demilitarized zone by the British parliament. The German forces invaded the Island and Jersey remained under Nazi Occupation until the 9th of May 1945, when the island was liberated following the declaration of allied victory in Europe.

During the Occupation, The Nazis set about fortifying the island with bunkers and tunnels as a part of Hitler’s Atlantic wall. The Channel Islands were the most heavily fortified parts of the Atlantic wall, with the overall total of extracted rock from the island standing at 244,000 cubic feet, compared to 225,000 cubic feet for the whole of the rest of the Atlantic wall excluding the Channel Islands.

After Liberation, Almost all bunkers and fortifications were left standing as a reminder of the Islands past. Today these fortification still stand, 70 years on and are a common feature of the islands landscape. Many fortifications have been kept in good condition and preserved by the Channel Islands Occupation Society, whereas some minor buildings and fortifications have been left to nature.

The occupation itself has created a legacy for the Island in terms of the Islanders stories of occupation and many family ties to the occupation. My grandparents lived in the Island during the occupation,My grandmother lived in The island at the time in Valle des Vaux and my Grandfather lived at Janvrin Road. I have grown up being told stories of the war,such as the time my grandfather and a friend of his ran to a German bomber crash site and took bullets and souvenirs from the wreckage. My family are in possession of an authentic German bayonet that my grandfather stole from an officer who had left it on a low wall. I would like to locate this artifact and many others my family are in possession of and photograph them as a part of my project.