Editing History of Guernsey (section)

==20th century==
===World War I===
During [[World War I]], approximately 3,000 island men served in the [[British Expeditionary Force (World War I)|British Expeditionary Force]]. Of these, about 1,000 served in the [[Royal Guernsey Light Infantry]] regiment formed from the [[Royal Guernsey Militia]] in 1916.<ref>{{cite book |last=Parks |first=Edwin |title=Diex Aix: God Help Us – The Guernseymen who marched away 1914–1918 |publisher=States of Guernsey |year=1992 |location=Guernsey |isbn=1-871560-85-3}}</ref> In August 1917, Guernsey hosted an anti submarine French flying boat squadron, erecting hangars near Castle Cornet. The base is credited with having destroyed 25 German submarines.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-guernsey-26177630 |title=WW1 submarine hunters: French seaplane base in Guernsey |publisher=BBC |date=6 August 2014}}</ref> The Guernsey Roll of Honour includes 1,343 who were Bailiwick of Guernsey individuals or who served in the Royal Guernsey Light Infantry.

The economic depression in the 1930s also affected Guernsey. Unemployed labourers being given jobs such as building sea defences and constructing roads, including Le Val des Terres, opened in 1935 by [[Edward VIII|''Le Prince de Galles'']].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/guernsey/content/articles/2009/03/10/val_de_terres_stone_feature.shtml |title=Val des Terres stone |publisher=BBC}}</ref>

===World War II===
{{main|German occupation of the Channel Islands}}
For most of [[World War II]], the Bailiwick was [[German occupation of the Channel Islands|occupied by German troops]]. Before the occupation, many Guernsey children had been evacuated to [[England]] to live with relatives or strangers during the war. Some children were never reunited with their families.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-11708270 |title=Evacuees from Guernsey recall life in Scotland |work=BBC News |access-date=12 November 2010 |date=12 November 2010}}</ref>
[[File:Guernsey July 2010 Plaque 50.jpg|thumb|Plaque to the memory of Guernsey civilians killed, particularly in the 28 June 1940 bombing raid]]
The occupying German forces deported some of the Bailiwick's residents to camps in the southwest of Germany, notably to the ''Lager Lindele'' (Lindele Camp) near [[Biberach an der Riß]]. Among those deported was Ambrose (later Sir Ambrose) Sherwill, who, as the President of the States Controlling Committee, was ''[[de facto]]'' head of the civilian population. Sir Ambrose, who was Guernsey-born, had served in the [[British Army]] during the [[First World War]] and later became [[Bailiff of Guernsey]]. Three islanders of Jewish descent were deported to France and from there to [[Auschwitz]] where they were killed in [[The Holocaust]].<ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.thisisguernsey.com/2005/07/09/i-escaped-the-nazi-holocaust/|title= I escaped the Nazi Holocaust|date= 9 July 2005|publisher= www.thisisguernsey.com|access-date= 24 February 2013|archive-date= 9 June 2011|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110609183004/http://www.thisisguernsey.com/2005/07/09/i-escaped-the-nazi-holocaust/|url-status= dead}}</ref> In [[Alderney]], four camps were built to house forced labourers, mostly from Eastern Europe, two were handed for the [[Schutzstaffel|SS]] to run. They were the only concentration camps run on British soil and are commemorated on memorials under Alderney's French name ''Aurigny''.

Occupation laws were enforced by the German garrison. For example, rewards were offered to informants who reported anyone for painting [[V sign|"V-for Victory" sign]]s on walls and buildings; a practice that had become popular among islanders wishing to express their loyalty to Britain.<ref>{{cite book |first=Barry |last=Turner |title=Outpost of Occupation: The Nazi Occupation of the Channel Islands, 1940-1945 |date=April 2011 |publisher=Aurum Press (1 April 2011) |isbn=978-1845136222}}</ref>{{rp|173}}

Guernsey was very heavily fortified during World War II out of all proportion to the island's strategic value, for example four captured vintage Russian [[Obukhovskii 12-inch/52-caliber Pattern 1907 gun|305mm naval guns]] were installed at [[Batterie Mirus]].<ref name="TLR">{{cite book |last=Fowler |first= Will |title=The Last Raid: The Commandos, Channel Islands and Final Nazi Raid |year= 2016 |publisher=The History Press Ltd |isbn=978-0750966375}}</ref><ref name="nvo.ng.ru">{{cite web |url=http://nvo.ng.ru/history/2009-04-24/14_canons.html |title=Русские пушки на службе германского вермахта |publisher=NVO.ng.ru |date=24 April 2009 |access-date=31 May 2011}}</ref> German defences and alterations remain visible, including additions made to [[Castle Cornet]] and a [[Windmills in the Channel Islands|windmill]]. [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]] had become obsessed with the idea that the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] would try to regain the islands at any price, so over 20 per cent of the materials used to construct the "[[Atlantic Wall]]" (the Nazi attempt to defend continental Europe from seaborne invasion) was committed to the Channel Islands, including 47,000 [[Cubic metre|cu&nbsp;m]] of concrete used for gun bases.<ref name="nvo.ng.ru"/> Most of the German fortifications remain intact and although the majority of them stand on private property, several are open to the public.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ciosjersey.org.uk/Intro1.htm |title=Channel Islands Occupation Society (Jersey) |publisher=CIOS Jersey |access-date=10 October 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013073622/http://ciosjersey.org.uk/Intro1.htm |archive-date=13 October 2007 |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.occupied.guernsey.net/fortifications.htm |title=Fortifications |publisher=CIOS Guernsey |access-date=10 October 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013121322/http://occupied.guernsey.net/fortifications.htm |archive-date=13 October 2007 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

Starvation threatened the Island in late 1944 after the German forces were cut off and supplies could not be brought in from France. The [[SS Vega (1913)|SS ''Vega'']], chartered by the [[International Committee of the Red Cross|Red Cross]], brought [[Red Cross parcel|Red Cross food parcels]] and other essential supplies into the Island.<ref name="BRC">{{cite web |url= http://www.redcross.org.uk/About-us/Who-we-are/Museum-and-archives/Historical-factsheets/Channel-Islands-relief-in-the-Second-World-War |title= Delivering relief to the Channel Islands in the Second World War |publisher= British red Cross |access-date= 9 January 2016 |archive-date= 21 August 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170821143447/http://www.redcross.org.uk/About-us/Who-we-are/Museum-and-archives/Historical-factsheets/Channel-Islands-relief-in-the-Second-World-War |url-status= dead }}</ref>

The Island was liberated on 9 May 1945.

===Post-war===
After 1945 the Islanders had to rebuild their lives, the return of evacuees, especially children who could hardly remember their relatives. Many properties had been damaged through wood being stripped from them for fuel, the island had an enormous debt, tourism was destroyed and the growing industry was damaged. The amount of scrap metal collected is now regretted. Rationing continued as in the UK, until the mid-1950s.

Many traditional businesses, such as fishing and quarrying, would not return. So the Islanders looked to other opportunities, the physical import/export of goods was difficult as the harbours were too small and freight cost too expensive, so control of trade was looked at, the right to supply [[Mateus (wine)|Mateus Rosé]] to the UK was controlled by a Guernsey business and it became the top selling wine in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blog.wblakegray.com/2014/06/mateus-rose-once-worlds-biggest-wine.html |title=Mateus Rosé: Once the world's biggest wine, now ripe for hip revival}}</ref>

By the 1960s the island had recovered, tourism was important again, the [[horticulture industry]] was booming, 500 million tomatoes being exported annually, then came the crash. Cheap North Sea fuel allowed the Netherlands to provide cheap heating to their growers, the Guernsey industry was undercut on price, which combined with rising fuel prices saw the complete demise of the tomato industry after 100 years by the end of the 1970s.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/guernsey/content/articles/2009/03/18/tomato_growing_feature.shtml |title=The tomato growing industry |publisher=BBC}}</ref> Restrictions were introduced to make it harder and more expensive for people to move to the island as there was a fear of a massive population increase.

During the 1970s and 1980s the island began to boom in the finance industry. Not an easy transition for people from the growing industry to an office environment. Profits and salaries were good and the Island had revenues to support long term capital expenditure plans. Continuing through the 1990s with divergence to related industries, such as captive insurance and fund management have managed to keep unemployment low. Tourism declined in the 1980s when the price of a holiday in Spain became much cheaper than coming to Guernsey, leaving the island aiming to attract the higher end of the market.

Light industry businesses had continued to appear and operate for a few decades in Guernsey including electronic ([[Tektronix]] from 1957 to the 1980s) and the current [[Specsavers]] which was established in 1984.