German bunker in garden-Jersey.

[Rick W]

I was just cruising facebook, and looking at a friend of a friendetc and came across this blog. Its a bloke whos discovered a german bunker at the bottom of his garden in Jersey, and its littered withwith the remnants of occupation. Well worth a look!

http://gardenbunker.blogspot.com/

[ArtistsRifles]

That is fascinating!!!! Thanks for the link!!!

[abn deuce]

seems that more Jersey Folk will now be poking about some of those properties looking for other WWII structures , I wish them good luck and be careful.

[Tony B]

There were a number of structures built on requesitioned propertys. the best one under a house I know is at the Jersey Heritage site, what was known as the Strawberry Farm. That was part of the island HQ complex, now sadly not open to the public. Unfortunatley not enough info to ID the site on the blog (Suprising?) But I'd guess it's in St Peters Valley. Incedentally the MX5 has a Gurneresey Index plate, all numbers.

[martylee]

I've looked at his blog, and find this very facinating. If I had found something like this in my yard I would have asked for leave of absence right away and started digging. But of course there's no such thing in our garden.

 

But it still amazes me that things keep showing up after all these years. A trip to Jersey is on my top 3 ww2 related trips that I gotta do. I blame Tony B for that! :-)

 

Marty

[Tony B]

Done something right then! :-D Mind you a trip to Norway is on my list as well! And that's your fault!

[private mw]

wish i had that in my garden ................:shocked:

[martylee]

My GF just had me do some gardening, but it was a huge dissapointment! No bunkers found today either...

 

Marty

[Joris]

No bunkers here either, they are going to start digging for my new house soon, that might turn up something interesting. The 327 GIR 101 Airborne were stationed there for a brief period.

[Rick W]

Isnt St Peters valley in Guernsey Tony?

[Tony B]

ABSOLUTLEY NOT!!!!!!! :argh: One of the Island's prize assets! Going along the valley from Bel Royal, you have The German underground power station site behind Sandybrook mill, and the junction by the chapel that leads up to the Underground hospital, then futher along on the left the cooling pond for the power station. On the cotils either side were dug trenches. Past Quilitevel mill, also used during the occupation you come up to Les Gilliettes road on the right. Up there were mounted 4 88mm flack kannone, then by the Victoria pub, L'Aleval, the 'German Road'. Along this is where the main underground complexes was built, at the top is the Island HQ layout. All along the valley there are quarries and odd feildworks. From a military pointy of view it is the only practical route for large vehicles to the interior of the island, avoiding step hills and if an invasion had taken place would have been the key road.

Edited August 11, 2008 by Tony B

[ford 369]

I read through the whole thread attached to the blog last night and it is indeed fascinating stuff and definitely something I would love to find in my garden,just not sure that I would like to have my home occupied for 5 years to get it though.Ithink Ricks confusion as to the location of St Peters must stem fromGuernseys main town being St Peter Port

As Tony says St Peters valley is indeed a very historic place in terms of ww2 and I have seen it compared to the valley of the kings for bunker archeologists

Nigel

[Tony B]

It was at one time reffered to as the 'Valley of the kings'. I think in the After the Battle ' book. After the Occupation the Island's were bankrupt, most stuff was either dumped or taken for scrap. The prime objective was get the tourists back, and the dnagers of mines and unexploded ordnace. Someone in the Sates did come up with the idea of storing some kit in the tunnels at L'Aleval, with the idea of some time in the future opening a museum. Various bits of kit were dumped in, including for some reason, a load of feild kitchens. Then bricked up and basically forgotten about. In the early 1960's part of the entranc eto one tunnel was brocken down and people entered. Now the stroy, and remember I was about 4 or 5 when I heard it. The original people that entered the tunnel lit a fire. This left 'poisinous gas' behind. subsequently two youger children entered and were suffocated. At this point the sates decided the tunnels should be cleared. Colnenl blashford -Snell, who was educated in Jersey, was in charge. All the kit was cleared and the tunnel entrances buried. this one HO2 was used for many years as a mushroom farm. I am going to be back over there in a couple of weeks and hope to get a day in the Jersey Archives, I'll see what I can find.

[ford 369]

the tunnel used for mushroom cultivation is a place I have seen many times and would love to visit as the cios did recently and I did in fact once see someone unlocking the gates as I drove past so parked up the road and walked back but unfortunately missed them but I shall try again when I am over in november

Nigel

[woa2]

I was in Guernsey on one of the Liberation tours and heard a fascinating story. A resident was in his garden and noticed a man looking over the fence at the house. The resident talked to him and the man said he was a German soldier from the war and asked if the bunker was still there as he was one of the guards. The resident knew nothing about any bunker, and started digging where the German said. He then found a 3 storey bunker, which he turned into a wine celler.

I hope this story is true.

[Tony B]

It is huge inside. To the left is an unfinshed section, on the right are a loading bay and a series of short tunnels off. i think it was originally intended as an ordanace store. What a place to store military vehicles? There are some pictures of it Seargent took. I'll try to find copies.

[Lord Burley]

The intial thread was running on Pistonheads.com a few months back,and was one of the most posted threads in PH history,as there was a blow by blow account with pics over the course of one weekend,when the excavation started.From memory ,work has now halted,as it got to a stage where bigger equipment was needed and there was a saftey and expense issue.He even found the remanants of two rifles,which looked strongly like Lee Enfields.

[ford 369]

for anyone interested in the bunkers in Jersey check out the unseen jersey web forum ,there is some great stuff on there

Nigel

[Tony B]

The intial thread was running on Pistonheads.com a few months back,and was one of the most posted threads in PH history,as there was a blow by blow account with pics over the course of one weekend,when the excavation started.From memory ,work has now halted,as it got to a stage where bigger equipment was needed and there was a saftey and expense issue.He even found the remanants of two rifles,which looked strongly like Lee Enfields.

 

Enfeilds were quite possible. A lot of the 'German' Occupation forces were not German, there were all nationalieties, also a lot of Organisation Todt in charge of construction. As Auxilaries a lot of these were armed with captured equipment. most of the various artillery pices were French, Checz 4.7mm anti tank guns, 3.7 Reanault tank turrets. The biggest guns in the Island's the 305mm Mirus Battery, in gurersey were ex Russian Battleship guns off the St Petersburg.

[ford 369]

dont forget the renailt char b1 tanks used in the islands one of which is currently on displat at the underground hospital

Nigel

[Tony B]

the sixteen tanks in the Channel islands, can't think of unit designation without looking up are allegedley the only Panzer battalion NEVER to see action. Some vehicles were equipped with flame throwers.

[ford 369]

the tanks in Jersey were part of panzer abteilung 213 but I had to look that up

Nigel

[Tony B]

Ta, i've some pictures somewhere will dig them out. Booked a vist to the Jersey Archive in a couple of weeks so happily hunting.

[ford 369]

no problem at all what are you looking for in the archives ?because if it is military I found the man at the underground hospital research centre most obliging when I was looking for pictures of force 135 vehicles

Nigel

[Tony B]

I want to go on a general hunt for some Great War stuff and Frank Seargent's pictures.