Lockdown Liberation plans welcomed by many

Saturday 02 May 2020

Many people have welcomed the plans for next weekend's 75th anniversary of Liberation Day, to be held under lockdown rules - especially now two households can meet up as one 'bubble' to commemorate and celebrate the occasion.

The wider plans for marking the occasion on 9 May had to be scaled back after large public gatherings were banned under the covid-19 lockdown measures.

Instead plans have been released for a series of events to be streamed online.

These include: the traditional church service, the laying of wreaths at the island war memorial, an address from the Bailiff and the reading of a message from Her Majesty the Queen. 

Pictured: A number of events will be streamed online for families to watch together. 

There'll also be interviews screened with an Occupation survivor and a liberating soldier from Liberation Day itself.

Families are encouraged to hold lockdown tea parties themselves and to join in a sofa-sing-along. 

Some people have queried how older residents who lived through the war years will be able to enjoy the events, but a number of charities have ensured many people have been able to use devices to use social media to keep in contact with other people during the lockdown.

The full schedule of events for Liberation 75 are below, with many of them being shared online. 

• 9am – Sirens sounding from Victoria Tower
• 9.30am – Liberation Day message from Bailiff Sir Richard Collas
• 10.50am –Laying of the Wreath by Bailiff Sir Richard Collas
• 11am – Church Service led by the Dean of Guernsey, Tim Barker
• 12.05pm - Children of the Occupation; interviews with children who lived through the Occupation
• 12.20pm – Interview with Second World War veteran Stuart Snow
• 1.30pm - Government House and the Occupation; an Interview by TV historian Dan Snow with Major Marco Ciotti looking at life in Government House during the Occupation and the challenges that faced the Bailiwick after liberation
• 2pm - A message from Her Majesty The Queen read by His Excellency the Lieutenant- Governor, Vice Admiral Sir Ian Corder KBE, CB
• 2.30pm - islanders to create their own stay at home tea party with 1940s music from BBC Radio Guernsey
• 3pm - Sofa Sing-a-long; A Wartime singalong with The Sofa Singers, who will be hosting a special wartime Guernsey-themed singalong
• 4.30pm - A reading from The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society book by co-author Annie Barrows
• 5pm - An interview by TV Historian Dan Snow with His Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor, Vice Admiral Sir Ian Corder KBE, CB

Deputy Matt Fallaize, President of the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture which is responsible for Liberation Day, said a lot of work has gone into re-organising the day's events.

He said many people have helped including those who will remotely support the usual traditional commemorative events. 

“We have worked together with many amazing people including the Guernsey Music Service who are providing the virtual choir recordings of the hymns and the National Anthem for the Church Service. Local professional violinist, Max Wong, has also contributed to the music with a beautiful violin solo recorded especially to begin the service. It is collaborations of this nature that have made the events we have planned so special under such difficult circumstances.”

Pictured top: A previous Liberation Day.