Guernsey Military Underground Hospital

jjandellis · Feb 23, 2011

Didn't know whether to post this location as it is open to the public April till October..... however prior to my visit I was unaware of its existence and raising the locations profile can only be helpful to its preservation. It is a fantastic day and I would recommend it to anyone.
History taken from BBC News website.

German Military Underground Hospital
This is the largest remaining structure from the Occupation in the Channel Islands. Almost invisible from the surface the tunnel complex covers 7000 square metres.
All you can see above ground is the entrances and the square holes which are the the escape shafts.
Construction started in the winter of 1940 - the first winter of the Occupation.
The tunnels were dug out by hundreds of slave workers from France, Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Belgium, Holland, Poland, Russia and Guernsey.
The Guernseymen refused to work after a rock fall killed six Frenchmen and were transferred elsewhere.
The slave labourers were given a simple choice - work or starve. Any who were too weak to work were sent to a detention camp in Alderney.
To dig the tunnels the workers had to use not only explosives and pneumatic drills but picks, shovels, sledge hammers and bare hands.

Incognito · Feb 23, 2011

Very nice, I never had the time to do this last time I was over there. There are loads of little other bits and pieces around the island relating to the war, some of the towers on the island are very unique.

jjandellis · Feb 23, 2011

ahhh see I missed all that when I was there .... my boys are currently in europe with there dad looking at the battle of the bulge trenches and Ypres .... .they are both crazy about military stuff..... they didnt come with me to Guernsey but will definately be returning for a visit soon now I know theres more to see...thanks.

tommo · Feb 23, 2011

still not seen this, guernsey has a lot to offer underground :mrgreen:

nelly · Feb 23, 2011

Nice, stuff, I like that

Goldie87 · Feb 23, 2011

Looks pretty cool that, not sure about all the hand painted signs there though! :neutral:

Incognito · Feb 23, 2011

There is definitely plenty of stuff on the island relating to the war etc, really want to go back again to explore the island this time. I have been twice before but spent most of the off the island so saw very little. Its so damn expensive to get over there though.

devonian42 · Feb 23, 2011

Great report jj.

Was in Guernsey about 3 years ago and went around this hospital. Very damp and dark if I remember. There's also one on Jersey, though this is a bit more commercial and well lit as a museum rather than left as it was like Guernsey's.

You need to go around the coast of both islands to see other artefacts from WWII, including walls and pill boxes. Museums in main towns also provide background to this work which is quite sad, as the main structures were built by nameless PoWs.

steve_o · Feb 23, 2011

I know alot of folk feel uneasy when entering these hospitals. People feel a 'presence'

Rumor has it slave workers who died while working. Their bodies were simply buried into the tunnels walls by the germans.

Do need to get out there at some point. A friend lives there, might have a word with her.

jjandellis · Feb 23, 2011

VERY dark and damp ..... it was very atmospheric ...I thought about how cold and damp it was down there (and that was a mild september day) and I thought about all the poor people who would of been injured down there .... and the nurses who would of had to listen to the echo`s of patients ...... .. The museum near the ferry port has some amazing artefact's for sale ...some that belonged to the Reich ... .. I think the ferry is about £25 return if I am correct.. but add petrol and yes its an expensive visit .... The old chap who was doing the hospital admissions made some joke about making sure I hand my ticket in on the way out or I might get locked in ............cant think of anything worse .........

Incognito · Feb 23, 2011

jjandellis said:
I think the ferry is about £25 return if I am correct..

Link....???

Last time I looked it was a hell of a lot more than £25 for a return. I know its £25 PP as a foot passenger but around the £100 for a car with 2 passengers.

jjandellis · Feb 23, 2011

yeah that was a foot passenger .... left the car at the port ......

but if i wanted to explore the island i guess a car would be required .......

Engineer · Feb 24, 2011

Brings back some memories.

IIRC, (last there 1969) the shaft in pic six has a reservoir for fresh water.

Edit: And the anti climb roofing sheet was not there.

Bunker Bill · Feb 24, 2011

Have not done Guernsey yet but have been to Jersey and the UG Hospital several times, it had changed greatly by my last visit and was much more commercial, Jersey and Guernsey formed part of the Atlantic sea wall defences, its a holiday camp for Bunker hunters and UG tunnels of which there are hundreds of, I met several members from the Channel island occupation society whilst there , they have been restoring some of the sites that got filled in after the war. Also got a lot of good books from them with spec's,info and locations on all the fortifications in the Islands if any one needs help finding places.

Em_Ux · Feb 24, 2011

This looks interesting....Thanks for sharing

swanseamale47 · Feb 24, 2011

Blimey cheerfull looking place to wake up after being wounded. Nice pics though, thanks for sharing.

oldscrote · Feb 24, 2011

Another nice post JJ,it was a visit to the Jersey underground hospital in 1969 that triggered my interest not only in W.W.2 leftovers but holes in the ground in general.I didn't know there was a similar one on Guernsey,thanks for sharing.

ford369 · Feb 26, 2011

underground hospital

the Guernsey underground hospital is very different to Jersey which is a much more clinical and commercial operation altogether,more like being a museum .Both the main Islands have much to see but If you get a chance visit battery Mirus in Guernsey which is well worth a look and very big considering the size of the island,If you want to see restored bunkers contact the occupation societies on either island they are very helpful and the bunkers are amazing,when a former bunker commander at Corbiere in Jersey visited he said it was just like it had been when he left in 1945

Nigel

nij4829 · Feb 26, 2011

I have been to Guernsey a couple of times, and would love to return.

There is many relics of WW2 and be it open to the public or not, they are all worthy of a report (and the smallest church lol).
One of the first books that got me interested in history was one I bought in Guernsey called 'The fight of the Channel islands' and had a lot of history and images from WW2. I think all the islands have hidden treasures and it is nice to see.

jjandellis · Feb 26, 2011

ahhh....you mean the little chapel ....

Guernsey Military Underground Hospital

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