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1846 Queen Victoria & Prince Albert visit the islands
1855 Victor Hugo arrives in Guernsey
1864 656 ton tea clipper, Golden Spur launched at St Sampsons
1879 Guernsey's first steam railway gets underway
1883

Pierre Auguste Renoir spent a month’s vacation in Guernsey during the summer of 1883. During his stay he painted 15 painting, nearly all of which were of Moulin Huet Bay on the south coast.

1892 Electric tramway started in Guernsey
1898 First telephone service in Guernsey
1910 Export of Guernsey granite to UK peaked at 458,000 tons in 1910
1914 Last witch trial in Guernsey
1917 Guernsey Light Infantry almost wiped out at Lys
1920 Guernsey and English currencies linked and Police force established.
1921 1,737 tons of grapes & 4,000 tons of flowers exported from Guernsey. 

George V and Queen Mary visit the islands

1925 The British Government withdrew forces from Jersey saying that the island would be impossible to defend from air attack. Guernsey was not demilitiarised until 1939.
1926 The Guernsey currency was linked to the English Pound and the English language was adopted
1928 Over 188,000 tons of granite exported from Guernsey and New Jetty harbour extension completed
1934 Telephone link with England
1935 First land based air link to the UK from Guernsey
1937 Work starts on St Saviour's reservoir (completed 1947)
1939 Guernsey airport opens
1940 With the threat of German attack and the British Government upholding the 1925 decision, the Lieutenant Governors of both islands left for the UK and then began a mass exodus of residents. All 1100 people left Alderney and some 20,200 from Guernsey and Jersey. All 471 inhabitants of Sark under the leadership of Dame Sybil Hathaway opted to stay.The Luftwaffe began raids on 28th June unaware that the islands had been demilitarised and several people were killed.  Guernsey was invaded on 30 June,  Jersey and Alderney on 1st July and Sark on 3rd July
1944 The islands had become the most heavily fortified of the whole Atlantic wall with 484,000 cubic metres of concrete and 176,500 land mines. By contrast, the rest of the Atlantic Wall from Northern Germany to the Bay of Biscay had used 6,100,000 cubic metres. There were 37,000 troops stationed in the islands. By December, the islanders were near starvation and Red Cross food parcels were arranged and delivered by the ss Vega
1945 9th May, the British forces land and free Guernsey and Jersey. Sark had to wait another two days
1947 Guernsey's reservoir completed
1949 Princess Elizabeth visits the islands
1963 The Beatles play in Guernsey
1964 The Rolling Stones visit Guernsey
1967 Guernsey ceases export of granite to UK after 150 years. Total exports amounted to 4,147,975 tons. Read more 


 

 

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