Liberation Day Jersey 2013 - Living Heritage

On Liberation Day, May the 9th, the great and the good dusted themselves off and poured into Liberation Square to celebrate, remember and re-enact the day British troops, after years of occupation by German forces, set foot back on Jersey soil.

Some quietly shed a tear, others shared a wry smile, whilst the Baliff reminded everyone of the history of the event and what it meant to be liberated from the dark days of occupation. 

A day of mixed emotions but the good weather and sense of freedom, of enjoyment, flooded the crowd ensuring that at some point everyone smiled.

Jersey is rich in its history. You can travel from the Ice Age to the German Occupation, the Channel Isles, the only part of British soil to be occupied. It is littered with archeological evidence from pre-historic finds, Roman coin hoards, ancient dolmens, medieval chapels, Elizabethan castles, to the German coastal defences. But it is in events, like Liberation Day, that history is really brought to life and remembered by the very people who lived through it.

I saw tears, I saw smiles, I heard laughter, it was quite simply a lovely day of remembrance by a community that does forgive but doesn't forget.

Below are some photos that give a small flavour of what happened. (Sitting amongst the Deputies my viewpoint was somewhat hindered. That accounts for some odd shots from behind.)