The Guernsey Deportees

⚡ In 1942, during the height of World War 2, Hitler ordered the deportation of more than a thousand islanders from Guernsey. In retaliation against the Allied Forces, innocent men, women and children were forced to leave their island homes - set on a path to Biberach internment camp.

💡 Jill Chubb was just 3 years old when she set sail, but her memories are vivid and clear. And in this special podcast series, her grandson, former BBC Guernsey presenter Ollie Guillou, charts her story - joined by three other deportees and two prominent historians.

With special thanks to:

Jill Chubb, Chair of the Guernsey Deportees Association

Ralph Godwin, Deportee

Janet de Santos, Deportee

Jill Oliver, Deportee

Alan Chubb, Secretary of the Guernsey Deportees Association

Dr Gilly Carr, University of Cambridge

Matthew Lucas, War Historian

About the podcast:

What We Did Before is a podcast exploring the history of everyday life, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI.

About your host:

Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers.

Connect with Ollie:

Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou 

Email: [email protected]

Photo by Enrapture Captivating Media on Unsplash

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📨 Got an idea for a Guernsey history story? ⁠[email protected]

⚡ Having escaped Biberach 67 years before, in 2012, the Guernsey Deportees decided to go back. Despite decades passing, the events that unfolded in Germany have caused a ripple effect throughout their lives - impacting them both emotionally and physically. So what drew them back to Germany, to visit the camp where they’d once been interned?

💡 In 1942, during World War 2, Hitler ordered the deportation of more than 1000 islanders from Guernsey. Jill Chubb was just 3 years old when she set sail, but her memories are vivid and clear. And in this special podcast series, her grandson, former BBC Guernsey presenter Ollie Guillou, charts her story - joined by three other deportees and two prominent historians.

🔎 This sixth episode explores Jill’s emotional return to Biberach - now a police training academy - and the transformational reception the Deportees received from the locals during their stay. Hear about the lasting impact of the camp on the deportees - some who suffered throughout their lives, and others who sought compensation for what happened. And discover why it’s so vital that these stories are remembered and passed down through the generations. 

⚙️ With special thanks to:

📍 Written and produced by ⁠Ollie Guillou⁠ and ⁠Phillippa Guillou⁠. This is a ⁠Channel Islands Podcasts⁠ production.

✉️ Share your messages and memories; email [email protected]

⚡ In 1945, the voice of Winston Churchill boomed through the camp - the Allies had won. The war was finally over. But the Guernsey Deportees didn’t get to leave immediately - the path back to Guernsey was long and winding.

💡 In 1942, during World War 2, Hitler ordered the deportation of more than 1000 islanders from Guernsey. Jill Chubb was just 3 years old when she set sail, but her memories are vivid and clear. And in this special podcast series, her grandson, former BBC Guernsey presenter Ollie Guillou, charts her story - joined by three other deportees and two prominent historians.

🔎 This fifth episode explores those first moments when the Deportees learnt they were finally free - and what it was like the be rescued by the Allied troops. Hear how they each, in turn, eagerly awaited their turn to fly home, before being scattered across the UK. And discover how many found their possessions stolen and homes looted, when they finally got back to Guernsey.

⚙️ With special thanks to:

📍 Written and produced by ⁠Ollie Guillou⁠ and ⁠Phillippa Guillou⁠. This is a ⁠Channel Islands Podcasts⁠ production.

✉️ Share your messages and memories; email [email protected]

⚡ The Guernsey Deportees never lost their resilient spirits through all of the years of internment. Though they were isolated and imprisoned, they still found joy, excitement and happiness in Biberach. Life may have been hard, but they made do.

💡 In 1942, during World War 2, Hitler ordered the deportation of more than 1000 islanders from Guernsey. Jill Chubb was just 3 years old when she set sail, but her memories are vivid and clear. And in this special podcast series, her grandson, former BBC Guernsey presenter Ollie Guillou, charts her story - joined by three other deportees and two prominent historians.

🔎 This fourth episode explores the ways the Deportees entertained themselves, whether by testing the patience of German soldiers, or watching aircraft zoom through the sky. We hear how they still celebrated Christmases - in the only way they could. We discover what it was like to fall seriously ill in the camp. And we hear the story of Bill Balcombe of Everest, who made wonderful mugs for his fellow internees.

⚙️ With special thanks to:

📍 Written and produced by ⁠Ollie Guillou⁠ and ⁠Phillippa Guillou⁠. This is a ⁠Channel Islands Podcasts⁠ production.

✉️ Share your messages and memories; email [email protected]

⚡ Once the Guernsey Deportees finally left Dorsten, they arrived in Biberach in the freezing cold, greeted by Hitler Youth who spat at them as they trudged up the long hill to their barracks. It was here they would spend the next three years of their lives - longing to go home.

💡 In 1942, during World War 2, Hitler ordered the deportation of more than 1000 islanders from Guernsey. Jill Chubb was just 3 years old when she set sail, but her memories are vivid and clear. And in this special podcast series, her grandson, former BBC Guernsey presenter Ollie Guillou, charts her story - joined by three other deportees and two prominent historians.

🔎 This third episode explores the first impressions of camp life - the terror and the longing to be free. We find out about day-to-day life - how the camp had a library, a school and even a theatrical group. And we discover a little red book that has survived all these years - serving as a reminder of what happened. 

⚙️ With special thanks to:

📍 Written and produced by ⁠Ollie Guillou⁠ and ⁠Phillippa Guillou⁠. This is a ⁠Channel Islands Podcasts⁠ production.✉️ Share your messages and memories; email [email protected]

⚡ The journey to Biberach interment camp wasn’t straightforward. After being whisked away from their homes on a cargo boat, the Guernsey Deportees made a stop-off at a transit camp in Dorsten - a vile, filthy place, where men were left to cook hedgehogs to survive.

💡 In 1942, during World War 2, Hitler ordered the deportation of more than 1000 islanders from Guernsey. Jill Chubb was just 3 years old when she set sail, but her memories are vivid and clear. And in this special podcast series, her grandson, former BBC Guernsey presenter Ollie Guillou, charts her story - joined by three other deportees and two prominent historians.

🔎 This second episode explores the Deportees’ memories of Dorsten - a camp they were never meant to visit. Hear how this horrendous camp has left a lasting impression in their minds, even after spending just a short amount of time there. And discover the stories behind some of the art created in the camp, under the most oppressive conditions.

⚙️ With special thanks to:

Jill Chubb, Chair of the Guernsey Deportees Association

Ralph Godwin, Deportee

Janet de Santos, Deportee

Jill Oliver, Deportee

Alan Chubb, Secretary of the Guernsey Deportees Association

Dr Gilly Carr, University of Cambridge

Matthew Lucas, War historian📍 Written and produced by ⁠Ollie Guillou⁠ and ⁠Phillippa Guillou⁠. This is a ⁠Channel Islands Podcasts⁠ production.

✉️ Share your messages and memories; email [email protected]

⚡ In 1942, during the height of World War 2, Hitler ordered the deportation of more than a thousand islanders from Guernsey. In retaliation against the Allied Forces, innocent men, women and children were forced to leave their island homes - set on a path to Biberach internment camp.

💡 Jill Chubb was just 3 years old when she set sail, but her memories are vivid and clear. And in this special podcast series, her grandson, former BBC Guernsey presenter Ollie Guillou, charts her story - joined by three other deportees and two prominent historians.

🔎 This first episode explores the moments leading up to the deportation, and how the Guernsey Deportees found out the news. We get a sense of pre-war life in Guernsey and how it began to change during the course of the war. And from cargo ships to train rides, we learn how the journey to Biberach began.

⚙️ With special thanks to:

Jill Chubb, Chair of the Guernsey Deportees Association

Ralph Godwin, Deportee

Janet de Santos, Deportee

Jill Oliver, Deportee

Alan Chubb, Secretary of the Guernsey Deportees Association

Dr Gilly Carr, University of Cambridge

Matthew Lucas, War historian

📍 Written and produced by Ollie Guillou and Phillippa Guillou. This is a Channel Islands Podcasts production.

✉️ Share your messages and memories; email [email protected]

**This is a bonus episode. If you've not tuned in before, I recommend you start at ⁠Episode 1⁠**

⚡ Shortly after this podcast first aired, a German journalist reached out to me - and said she was “moved to tears” by Grandma’s story. In particular, her experiences in Dorsten transit camp. That’s because Jana Magdanz was born in Dorsten - and only this year began learning about what happened there in 1942.

💡 In this special bonus episode of the podcast we meet Jana, who’s made it her mission to tell the people of Dorsten what happened during the deportations - a story she says is not well known in Germany. She works for German Public Radio, WDR Cologne - their equivalent of the BBC.

🔎 Her report went live on 9th May, Guernsey’s Liberation Day. You can find it by following this link.

📍 Your host is Ollie Guillou. This is a Channel Islands Podcasts production.

✉️ Share your messages and memories; email [email protected]

**This is a bonus episode. If you've not tuned in before, I recommend you start at ⁠Episode 1⁠**⚡ Arthur Henry Davey was a librarian at the Guille-Allès Library in Guernsey when the deportation order came through. Despite spending just a short amount of his early life in the UK, he was added to the list of those who were later sent to Biberach internment camp.

💡 In this special bonus episode of the podcast, we learn about Arthur’s fascinating story - how he ended up setting up a ‘camp library’, and how the Library’s Board of Management decided to bank his salary while he was gone so it would be there when he returned.

🔎 Arthur’s story is part of an exhibition about the deportation, on display at the Guille-Allès Library. Open until 23rd June 2025.

⚙️ With special thanks to Adam Bayfield, Head of Marketing and Customer Services at the Guille Allez Library.

📍 Your host is Ollie Guillou. This is a Channel Islands Podcasts production.

✉️ Share your messages and memories; email [email protected]