The Channel island of Jersey is a fabulous place to visit for so many reasons. Although the Channel Islands are British, they are closer to the French coast than they are to England which gives the islands temperate weather and an unusual atmosphere that is part-French, part- British.
But the islands have a rather creepy history from World War 2 and there’s plenty of evidence of that in Jersey. For the Channel Islands were the only portions of British soil that were occupied by the Germans during WW2. Some older residents still remember those times.
There is a famous photograph of a typical British bobby chatting on the street with a Nazi official…
Along the coast, you can still see abandoned fortifications but one of the creepiest places you can visit is Ho8 (Hohlgangsanlage 8), the underground Nazi hospital.
This is not like any other tourist ‘attraction’ – this is a genuine, huge underground development that was created by slave workers by the occupying Nazi regime during the war.
Today the hospital has been retained but much of the underground tunnel has been converted to a museum showing what life was like for the islanders as they suffered the German occupation. Some islanders evacuated before the invasion but most stayed – and did not take kindly to the new regime.
Read reviews of the Jersey War Tunnels.
Just like people of all countries that are occupied, the residents of Jersey were just ordinary people going about their daily lives. They were suddenly thrust into an unbelievable situation.
Watch a contemporary account of the liberation of the Channel Islands.
WHERE ARE THE JERSEY WAR TUNNELS?
Jersey War Tunnels
St Lawrence,
Meadow Bank,
St Helier JE3 1FU,
Jersey
ARTICLE BY:
Jackie
JJ is originally from the UK and has lived in South Florida since 1994. She is the founder and editor of JAQUO Magazine. You can connect with her using the social media icons below.