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Message:: [QUOTE="Jimski, post: 2760071, member: 77373"]In recognition of the 73rd anniversary of D-Day (6 Jun 1944), this post and two others to follow, present coins from my collection which mark Britain’s involvement in WWII.  Jersey 1/12 of a shilling, bronze, 31 mm  [ATTACH=full]634155[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]634159[/ATTACH]The date on this coin records the date of the Liberation of Jersey from German occupation, not the date the coin was struck. This commemorative type of coin was struck for circulation in 1949, 1950, and 1952.  A similar coin was struck with Elizabeth II’s image in 1954.[ATTACH=full]634162[/ATTACH] Jersey is a crown dependency.  From Wikipedia: The Crown Dependencies are the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea, and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey in the English Channel. They are independently administered jurisdictions, and do not form part of either the United Kingdom or the British Overseas Territories. They are self-governing possessions of the Crown (defined uniquely in each jurisdiction). Internationally, the dependencies are considered "territories for which the United Kingdom is responsible", rather than sovereign states. As a result, they are not member states of the Commonwealth of Nations. However, they do have relationships with the Commonwealth, the European Union, and other international organizations.[ATTACH=full]634163[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]634164[/ATTACH] Alderney 2 pounds, silver 0.9250 fine 0.8410 ASW, 38.5 mm, proof. Alderney is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown dependency From <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/topics/occupation_channel_islands" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/topics/occupation_channel_islands" rel="nofollow">http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/topics/occupation_channel_islands</a> German Occupation of the Channel Islands Hitler considered the Channel Islands - Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark and Herm - a valuable landing stage for the invasion of mainland France, as they sat just 20 miles off the French coast. Winston Churchill, however, thought they held no strategic importance for Britain and decided to de-militarise them and leave them undefended. The Germans invade As the German army stormed through France in June 1940, some 30,000 Channel Islanders (one third of the total population) were evacuated. Once the initial panic was over, the rest decided to stay and tough it out, mainly on Jersey and Guernsey. On 28 June, the Luftwaffe bombed Jersey and Guernsey, unaware that the islands were undefended. They killed 44 people. Two days later, Luftwaffe personnel took control of Guernsey airfield. There they met the chief of police, who informed them that the islands were undefended. The following day, a detachment of troops arrived on Guernsey and that afternoon the German flag was raised. More arrived later and their attention turned to the other islands. Jersey surrendered on 1 July and soldiers were swiftly stationed. Islanders had to show their compliance by flying white flags over their houses. Sybil Hathaway, the Dame of Sark, received German officers on 2 July. They assured her she had nothing to fear and the island's garrison of just ten men arrived on 4 July. Alderney, meanwhile, was almost completely empty, but was garrisoned by a company of troops. Herm, the smallest of the islands, was visited by German soldiers on 25 July, although they did not set up a permanent station there. Life under Nazi rule A curfew was imposed between the hours of 11pm and 5am and ID cards had to be carried. The sale of spirits was banned. Later, wirelesses were banned and all British-born Islanders were deported to Germany. A register of Jewish people was created and all Jewish business had to publicly identify themselves. Some were deported to concentration camps. Cars were requisitioned and the Germans controlled the food grown by farmers and caught by fishermen. Anyone caught trying to escape to Britain was imprisoned or shot - if they didn't drown. Four concentration camps were built on Alderney - the only ones on British territory. Alderney became the most heavily fortified of the islands, built by slave labour. Resistance and collaboration Whilst there was no consolidated resistance movement as there was in France, V for Victory signs were painted around the islands, underground newsletters were written, and guns and ammunition were stolen from German stores. Some Islanders assisted their Jewish neighbours and fed slave labourers. On Jersey, letters sent to the Commandant by informants were intercepted by the Post Office and destroyed. Many who did collaborate were attacked after liberation. The beginning of the end The D-Day landings in June 1944 came as both a blessing and a curse. Whilst they marked the beginning of the end for the German occupiers who relied on supply lines from the continent, they also meant that food lines were cut. As supplies dwindled, everyone began to starve. However, after negotiation with the Home Office, the Germans allowed the Red Cross' SS Vega to deliver food, saving many of the Islanders' lives. The Vega continued to bring food parcels even after the British liberated the islands on 9 May 1945.[/QUOTE]

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