Jersey, past and present (From York Press)

Jersey, past and present

10:38am Saturday 22nd October 2011 in Holiday reviews By Maxine Gordon

Jersey has it all, stunning beaches, great hotels and restaurants, VAT-free shopping – and a gripping wartime past, finds MAXINE GORDON.

LOUISA May Gould. I scan for her name on the board, eager to find out more about the grey-haired widow staring at me from the Indentitaetskarte.

There are scores of pictures and names to hunt through, all with their own personal stories to tell.

Then I find her. In a few brief paragraphs I learn how Louisa was sent to the notorious Nazi all-female concentration camp, Ravensbruck. Her crime was failing to surrender her wireless and sheltering “Bill”, a Russian slave worker, for 20 months. She was sentenced to two years imprisonment, but died in the gas chambers at the camp.

Chilled to learn of her fate, I look again at her photo on the sepia-tinted identity card and wonder at how she felt when the Germans invaded the Channel Islands and turned her world upside down.

Louisa is one of the many millions of victims of the Second World War. I’m tempted to say a forgotten victim, but she isn’t. Thanks to the fascinating museum at the Jersey War Tunnels, Louisa’s fate and those of the thousands of islanders who endured five years of German occupation is memorably brought to life.

The islanders had only 24 hours to register to leave for the mainland once Churchill announced that the Channel Islands would not be defended against the Nazi advances.

About 10,000 left Jersey, leaving 40,000 to fall under the command of Germany until the war’s end. Jersey was put on Berlin time, Jews were persecuted and all British-born locals sent to concentration camps in Germany. Curfews were imposed and the local newspaper was turned into a propaganda project. In all, Hitler stationed 11,000 Germans in Jersey.

Besides the tunnels – a labyrinth of underground warrens built by Eastern European POWs such as “Bill” to house a military hospital – Jersey’s war-time past is evident in the many fortifications around the coast which formed part of Hitler’s Atlantic Wall.

Several of the island’s finest buildings were commandeered by the Germans.

We stayed at the five-star Grand Jersey, in the capital, St Helier. The sea-front hotel affords magical views over St Aubin’s bay and the 16th-century Elizabeth Castle marooned in the sea at high tide, but affording free passage over a causeway at low tide.

The hotel itself dates from 1890. During the war, it was taken over by the German army for offices and accommodation for senior personnel. Much of the furniture was burned for fuel.

Today, the hotel displays no sign of such hardships. With air-conditioned rooms and suites, LCD plasma TVs, a Michelin-starred restaurant, a champagne lounge, private cinema and award-winning spa; the Grand certainly lives up to its name.

Two highlights stay with me: the exquisite six-course tasting menu at the Tassili restaurant, which has just received a Michelin star, and a visit to the spa for a knot-busting body massage employing uplifting orange and eucalyptus oils.

Jersey lies 100 miles off the British mainland (it’s much closer to France; St Malo is only 14 miles away and day trips on the ferry are popular). Although you can travel to Jersey by ferry, we chose to fly and picked up a hire car at the airport.

The island is small – only nine miles by five miles – however its warren of narrow roads, a 30mph speed limit, and 92,000 residents, means it can take longer than you would suspect to get around. As in the UK, islanders drive on the left.

We got happily lost as we drove out of St Helier to explore the beaches on the rugged north coast. It’s from here you can easily see the coast of Normandy; a thick line of yellow sand looking enticingly swimmable – well, if you were David Walliams, perhaps.

Foodies shouldn’t miss the double delight of a trip to St Brelade’s Bay on the south west of the island, where the Crab Shack is a local institution. Chose from the wooden picnic tables outside, only a metre from the sand, or the high bunks inside with a vista over the silvery sea – but don’t miss out on the fresh crab salad and the home-made Jersey ice-cream, so thick and sweet and like nothing you will have tasted.

The prospect of no VAT in Jersey is appealing. However, do note that the island does have its own goods and services tax of three per cent. Also, plan your shopping trip carefully because most shops are closed on Sundays. St Helier has a bustling centre with all the usual suspects from the British high street, as well as two independent department stores. Because Jersey isn’t in the EU, you can take advantage of Duty Free shopping.

Currency is Sterling, although Jersey has its own coins and notes, which you should try to spend or exchange for English equivalent before your return to the mainland.

As the most southerly of the Channel Islands, Jersey has the best sunshine record in the British Isles. Warmed by the Gulf Stream, summer temperatures average 20C. Whatever the season, Jersey’s temperatures are regularly two degrees higher than the mainland.

Although closer to France, Jersey feels very much like Britain; granted, a Britain of a bygone era where drivers are courteous and families gather at the weekend for picnics on the beach.

That is a huge part of its charm – and surely the most fitting tribute to Louisa May Gould and her like, who endured five years of occupation, but never truly surrendered.

Fact file

• Maxine stayed at the Grand Jersey Hotel & Spa, The Esplanade, St Helier, Jersey, JE2 3QA Telephone: 01534 722301/email: reservations@grandjersey.com/or visit: grandjersey.com.

Twixmas breaks (between Christmas and New Year) from only £50 per person per night including breakfast.

Short Luxury Break special offer until end of November, three nights for the price of two from only £250 per person.

• Maxine flew to Jersey with bmibaby from Manchester Airport. From this autumn, bmibaby now flies direct to Jersey from East Midlands, up to four times a week. Fares start from only £35.99 one way including taxes. To book a flight, visit bmibaby.com.

• Maxine travelled to Manchester Airport with First Transpennine Trains, which runs frequent, direct services from York to Manchester Airport. Single fares booked in advance start from only £8.50. Visit tpexpress.co.uk for train times, fares and online booking.

Jersey War Tunnels are open from March to November jerseywartunnels.com.

• Find out more about visiting Jersey at jersey.com