GILL CULLEN, a Guernsey girl now living in Vancouver, wrote this letter to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Liberation of the Channel Islands. It has touched my heart and the hearts of so many people and is reproduced here with her kind permission. Thanks, Gill. Long live Freedom!
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| Torteval Church, Guernsey |
Dear Guernsey
How I wish I could be with you this year . This 70th celebration of the end of the Occupation.
How many years I have sat and listened to stories of your Occupation , from my father ... Stories of trepidation and daring , Of victory signs , Of tea dances , of curfews (often missed . With bad recompense ) Of hunger .. Of seaweed bread ... Of cabbage soup , Of Crystal sets , Of prisoners of war .....
My childhood was during a time of recovery for you, dear Guernsey ... And I embraced your lovely beaches , your windswept shores , your crashing waves ...
Ferry rides ...watching every wave as it broke on the bow of the "Martha Gun " or the " Capstan" or the " Lady Dorothy "
Other Liberation days when a trip to Herm was often in order to help celebrate ..and to walk through the fair on the way back ....
My life has taken me away from your beautiful shores , but my heart remains a Guernsey Girl, an islander through and through ...
I would love to to stand with everyone this year, on this anniversary .. So many of our loved ones gone .. Yet I am sure still present .. In the cry of the seagulls or in the rise and fall of the tide ...
I miss you always more on days like this ..
Yet you always welcome me back with open arms and a warm hug
Enjoy your day, dear Guernsey ........
You will always be my first love ...
My Sarnia Cherie ....
8 comments:
What a wonderful tribute. I very much enjoyed reading this and your last post. Thank you.
I'm glad you liked it too, Lindsay - it seemed so sincere.
Now you've made me cry! Thank you so much for sharing it Marilyn.
It made me cry, too, Barbara. The words were so clearly written from the heart...
Beautiful and touching. Thank you for sharing (())
I'm so glad you like it, Francie! Thanks for stopping by. :)
Oh what an emotional and beautiful poem.I too was born on the wonderful island of Guernsey in 1947 and all my memories of it came flooding back as the tears came to my eyes,thankyou Marilyn for printing it.
Gill Cullen has such talent. Her writing is almost like poetry. I think she has been surprised by all the interest people have shown in her work. Here's to Guernsey girls wherever you are....
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