Guernsey's Finest Hour: 'Guernsey has every reason to be proud of her sons'

And it was that letter which West deputy David De Lisle, a distant relative of the general, says encapsulates his feelings about the conflict.

He and his wife, Anna, are two of the many islanders who have made donations towards dedicated memorials in Guernsey and in France to commemorate the heroic contribution of the Royal Guernsey Light Infantry.

And it was a quote from General De Lisle which Deputy De Lisle decided to include with their dedication on the newspaper's Guernsey's Finest Hour campaign's Roll of Honour.

'I just felt something should be done to commemorate all the lives lost in that battle,' he said, when asked why he had decided to donate to the Royal Guernsey Light Infantry Charitable Trust's appeal, which the Guernsey Press campaign is supporting.

Deputy De Lisle had relatives from both sides of his family who fought and died in the First World War.

General De Lisle was born in Guernsey and Deputy De Lisle said he was a distant relative, who had links with the island.

At the time of Cambrai, the centenary of which is this year, General De Lisle was commanding officer of the 29th Division, which included the RGLI

In a letter to the Bailiff he said he wanted to convey to the Guernsey authorities his high appreciation of the services rendered by the unit.

'Theirs was a wonderful performance,' he said.

OUR Guernsey's Finest Hour campaign was set up by the newspaper to help the RGLI Charitable Trust's appeal to raise £30,000 for the memorials.

You can donate either directly to Lloyds Bank or by sending a cheque to Chris Oliver.

Donations should be made to Lloyds Bank, St Peter Port, quoting sort code 30-93-73, account number 32700168 and The Royal Guernsey Light Infantry Charitable Trust.

Cheques should be made payable to The Royal Guernsey Light Infantry Charitable Trust and posted to the RGLI Charitable Trust, Les Emrais, Ruette des Emrais, Castel, GY5 7YF, tel. 251683.

Inclusion on our Roll of Honour is optional. If you want your reason for donating to appear on the roll, either email

chris@lesemrais.com or include a note if sending a cheque, using no more than 30 words.

More details of our Guernsey's Finest Hour campaign appear on guernseypress.com.

If you have a story for us about the RGLI please email newseditor@guernseypress.com.