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Their
Past Your Future, which runs from January 2007
to the end of 2009, is led by a partnership of; the Imperial
War Museum; Museums, Libraries and Archives England; Northern
Ireland Museum Council; National Library of Wales, and;
Scottish Museums Council. The programme is supported by
the Big Lottery Fund.
Students from Guernsey's Ladies' College are one
of the winners of the current competition with their project
to research Guernseymen who served in the Canadian forces
in the Great War. Supported by information from the Imperial
War Museum and material from this site, they have visited
London, France, Belgium and Canada. A website records
their progress and includes audio and video recorded and
edited by them: TPYFLadiesCollege
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CAMBRAI - Guernseymen and The Great War - An exhibition
to commemorate the 90th Anniversary of the Battle of Cambrai
in the First World War during which 40% of men in the
Royal Guernsey Light Infantry were either killed, wounded
or listed as missing.
It was the end of a generation and the huge losses shocked
the island to its core. The exhibition gives an overview
of the Great War and focuses on the role of the Royal
Guernsey Light Infantry within the conflict.
The Channel Islands Great War Study Group has worked
with the Museums Service in collating and supplying information
for the exhibition.
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Journey's End at Elizabeth College
A great success
Pictures
of the set
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Search the site with Google
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Mike and Rosemarie Thomas have spent many years photographing
cemeteries and headstones in Belgium, France and Jersey.
They have also researched the personal details of the
soldiers found.
Their cooperation is enabling us to add a wealth of detail
to the Jersey
Roll of Honour.
Family information in both Rolls of Honour has recently
been expanded greatly. This work continues.
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BBC Radio Guernsey broadcast a live interview from Ploegsteert
Memorial to mark the 90th anniversary of the R.G.L.I.s
part in the Battle of the Lys.
Listen
from here.
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| Group member Elizabeth Morey has
been Elected as Chair-Person of the New Zealand branch of
the Western Front Association |
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11 November 2008 is the ninetieth anniversary
of the Armistice, which brought the First World War to
an end
The Imperial War Museum is marking this with special displays
and events at four of it's locations.
View
details
The introduction of the tank is shown
in two videos:
Tanks
- The Wonder Weapon
A
Jersey tank commander - Second Lieutenant Edward Francis
de Faye
Jersey is marking the anniversary with
a full programme of events including the digging and manning
of re-creation of a Great War front-line trench.
This Channel
TV clip shows the opening moves. Full videos now online
Commemorating
in Jersey the 90th Anniversary of the end of the Great
War - Photographs
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Non Commemoration News
Captain Alwin Claydon Bailey
and Private Albert Warne
have now been accepted for commemoration by the CWGC
and that we have approached them a second time with more
evidence to do likewise for Able Seaman John Helman.
Liz Walton has found that Helman went into the Brompton
Hospital/Sanatorium a few days after his discharge from
the Navy!
Gunner Yves Blaise,
buried at Foulon in Guernsey, is now properly commemorated
by the CWGC. Previously, they had mistakenly commemorated
his brother Emile.
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Fromelles
An Old Victorian and a member of Jersey’s Militia
who served as a member of the Australian Imperial Forces
during the Great War, Sergeant Chester Cecil Church is
believed to be one of the (approximately) 400 men whose
remains have recently been discovered in a mass grave
at Pigeon Wood, Fromelles that was originally dug by the
Germans after the Battle of Fromelles on 19th/20th July,
1916. The remains of these men are currently being disinterred,
and will be subject to DNA analysis in the hope that some
men can be identified. A new cemetery is being constructed
for their re-interment which will take place in 2010.
It is not currently known whether Chester Church had any
relatives.
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'Ours'. The Jersey Pals in the
first World War
After five years of research, Study Group member Ian
Ronayne has produced an account of the 300+ men who
formed the Jersey Overseas Contingent (the “Jersey
Pals”), and who left the Island to serve with the
Royal Irish Rifles, and later, of the survivors who continued
with the Hampshire Regiment. Ian’s efforts has ensured
that the story of the “Jersey Pals” no longer
runs the risk of being forgotten by modern-day Islanders,
and his work fills a major gap in the published history
of 20th Century Jersey.
Published in August, 2009, “Ours” is
the first book ever written that deals with Jersey and
the Great War.
http://www.thejerseypals.com
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The new Regimental Museum of the Royal
Guernsey Light Infantry opened its doors to the public
on Monday 6th July 2009. The opening ceremony was performed
by the Earl and Countess of Wessex as part of their two
day visit to the Bailiwick.
picture
gallery
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Fromelles and Sergeant Chester Cecil Church –
An Update (1st August, 2009)
The possibility that the remains of Old
Victorian Sergeant Chester Cecil Church (see our recent
news item) might be identified among those found at
Fromelles has greatly improved. Family descendants have
been identified by the Australian service authorities,
and a number of the family have been invited to provide
DNA samples. This of course depends on Chester Church
having been buried at Fromelles by the Germans after
the battle there. However, the likelihood is high given
that his service file, held by the National Archive
of Australia (www.naa.gov.au),
contains references to the German notification of his
death.
Further information on the work at Fromelles
can be found on the CWGC website (www.cwgc.org/fromelles).
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Remembering Guillemont and Ginchy, 3rd September
2009
A video presentation from the Somme Association
View
video
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