Guernsey schoolchildren will receive 'a unique and meaningful gift' to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Liberation Day.
Children who remained on-island during the German Occupation from 30 June 1940 until Liberation on 9 May 1945 received medals from the States of Guernsey after the war was over.
80 years on, the States want to give replica medals to the next generation to help them remember and reflect on Guernsey’s wartime past.
Primary school pupils will receive the commemorative medal on a Liberation-branded ribbon, while secondary school-aged children will be gifted the replica as a pin badge.
Both will come with an informative display card detailing the events of 9 May 1945.
Deputy Sue Aldwell, from the Education, Sport and Culture Committee, hopes the medals will connect the generations.
“The States of Guernsey Liberation medal was originally brass and suspended on a bar with a pin, and was given to children who stayed in Guernsey during the German occupation.
"As we mark such a significant anniversary, we want to ensure that everyone across the island can connect to our history, and this gift for our younger members of the community adds to that.”
An original Liberation medal that was presented to Guernseyman John Bourgaize when he was a child will feature in a special Liberation 80 exhibition at Candie Museum.
Surviving members of Task Force 135, which liberated the island, were given a copy of the medal on the 50th anniversary of Liberation in 1995.
Roland and Margaret Duquemin recently visited Castel School to speak to the Year 6 class about their wartime experiences.
They are pictured here wearing their original medals with schoolchildren Ebony, Frankie and Harry from Castel School.
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