Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In places the fortifications were quite substantial, these are over looking the west coast
from Les Landes, Sark is visible behind.
All around the island there is evidence of the energy and effort that the occupying forces
put into protecting the island, which in the end was not required. The Channel Islands were
amongst the most heavily defended parts of the German Atlantic wall, defences that have
proved particularly difficult to dismantle.
During the 5 years of Occupation the residents of Jersey suffered substantial privations at
the hands of the Germans, with their plight being alleviated with the arrival of the Red
Cross parcels on the International Red Cross ship SS Vega, which arrived in December
1944 and made five further visits to the Island before the end of the war. These visits prob-
ably saved the lives of a significant number of residents.
The economy in the 50's and 60's was largely dominated by tourism and agriculture, at-
tracting a significant number of workers to the island, for example large numbers of Bre-
tons worked on the farms. The 1970's saw declines in the traditional industries but the de-
velopment of Jersey as an offshore financial centre.
