Occupation Remembered

I was not alive during the German Occupation of Jersey, but my mother was, and I have spoken to those who were here, read the stories of those here. This poem is for all of them...

Occupation Remembered


I recall the Weighbridge, bombs falling from above
The troops marching in, the need for faith and love
The hope that hung in there, the hope that stood the test,
Those that rose to the challenge, those that showed the best
Those who hid Jewish people, those that paid the price
And ended in Concentration camps, made final sacrifice.

I recall the Normandy invasion, sky lit up over sea
And the lure of freedom, so near she calls to me.
Those setting off in little boats, to her shores now they head
But remember those drowned at sea, the captured, the dead
And flashes in night sky, the anti-aircraft guns
While mothers wept, tears of grief for their sons

And then came Liberation, now so very long ago
But dear to us who were there, such memories we know
The raising of the flag again, singing God save our King
May we never forget those long years, years of suffering
Or the day of our Liberation, may the memory not cease
How we came out from darkness to freedom and peace