Channel Islands Military Museum

admin · 21-12-2007, 08:59 PM

A unique and authentic display of World War II British and German militaria, all displayed in a restored 10.5cm coastal casemate bunker. Avoid the anoraks in summer months. This museum has been put together over a 30 year period with all original items from the German Occupation. It is a conventional museum without the modern gimics often found in the more commercial attractions. It has an honest open approach to the Occupation showing a lot of civilian items made during that time to get the population through the years of hardship.

For 2006 a large amount of items previously in storage has been brought out and put on display which have not been seen for a number of years and this has greatly added to the attraction of this museum. It is hard to believe that all of the items are contained in a sigle German bunker which once formed part of Hitlers Atlantic wall defences. A superb balance has been retained between showing the visitor how the bunker would have looked all those years ago and the display itself.

I would recommend that visitors to Jersey do visit this privately owned museum as the time and effort that has gone into it are more than can be expected and the admission price (£4/adult, £2/child) is well worth spending. You will not be dissapointed with your visit as you can ask any questions at the ticket desk concerning the Occupation and get the answer from someone who was there at the time. Mr Len Horn is often on the desk and lived throughout the Occupation in the Island. He along with the rest of his family narrowly missed being deported to Germany to one of the civilian Internment camps. Such information and stories cannot be beaten when told in person.

The smaller attractions and museums on the Island are struggling, the bigger concerns are taking over and the tourist is not seeing the real Island or Islanders, so by taking the time to visit museums such as this you are helping to save it from certain closure. The bigger attractions are far more commercial, glitzy and well advertised, but they sometimes don't compare to smaller attraction that has more to offer the discerning tourist who wants real value for money.