WAR TUNNELS

The preserved tunnel network brings to life the traumatic story of the five years under the Nazi Occupation.

One of the unfinished tunnels.

Mockford & Bonetti/Apa Publications

A year after the outbreak of World War II Jersey was advertised in the UK press as “the ideal resort for wartime holidays this summer”. The Jersey natives never dreamt that just a few weeks later, on 28 June 1940, Germans would be dropping bombs on their island. Within three days the island surrendered and the gruelling five-year German Occupation began.

The Channel Islands were the only territories belonging to Great Britain that fell into German hands during World War II. After the fall of France in 1940 Churchill had decided the cost of the islands’ defence could not be justified and they were therefore left undefended. Hitler saw these little islands as the first step to his intended invasion of the United Kingdom. Orders were given in 1941 for Jersey to become an “impregnable fortress”.

Ho8

Known as the Höhlgangsanlagen, the Jersey War Tunnels (Les Charrières Malorey, St Lawrence; www.jerseywartunnels.com) was intended to be a vast network of tunnels that would serve as a barracks and protect equipment from aerial bombing. The Germans shipped in thousands of forced labourers from European nations, who were poorly fed and brutally treated. Tunnels and galleries were hewn from solid rock using gunpowder and hand tools, 50m underground. “Ho8” is one of several bunkers on the island.

The Tunnels

The complex was never completed and Ho8 did not fulfil its role. In late 1943, with the threat of an Allied invasion of Europe (Operation Overlord) becoming clear, it was decided Ho8 would be converted into a casualty clearing station and emergency hospital. The occupying forces surrendered on 9 May 1945. Just a year later, Ho8 was opened to sightseers.

In 1961, the Royal Court ruled that the subterranean complex belonged to the private owners of the land above it, and Ho8 fell under private ownership. Now, it serves as a memorial and museum: the hospital wards have been preserved or reconstructed, and the dark, dripping tunnels maintained in their unfinished state. A combination of archive film footage, islanders’ reminiscences, photos and poignant correspondence chart life under the Nazis. The exhibits bring home the hardship endured by slave labourers (at least 560 died in the Channel Islands), the deprivation of islanders and the fate of those who were deported to camps in Germany. The site also incorporates the Garden of Reflection, designed for visitors to contemplate the suffering endured during the Occupation and the historic War Trail, covering land once used as an artillery battery, and now being reclaimed by nature.

Visitor Information

Jersey War Tunnels, Les Charrières Malorey, St Lawrence; www.jerseywartunnels.com.

Directions: From St Helier follow signs for A1 and The West, and keep on the A1 by branching right at the end of the Esplanade. At Bel Royal turn right onto the A11 and follow the signs for Jersey War Tunnels. Bus route No. 8 Mon-Sat all year, No. 28 from Apr−end Sep. Cycle route 4.