Liberation Day in Town is one of the busiest in years
THOUSANDS of people descended on Town yesterday for what was one of the busiest Liberation Days in recent years.
Entry numbers trebled on past years in Castle Cornet where some 5,000 people passed through the gates.
A day of family-focused entertainment drew large numbers to the Town seafront between the Weighbridge and Castle Cornet.
The day began with the traditional Liberation Parade at the North Esplanade, which preceded the service in the Town Church.
The Lt-Governor, Vice Admiral Sir Ian Corder, inspected the parade with visiting inspecting officer General Sir Adrian Bradshaw.
‘It’s been a very successful day and I think it was one of the largest parades I’ve seen for a long time,’ said the Lt-Governor later.
‘It was good to see people braving the chilly weather. I think Liberation Day is going from strength to strength and it bodes well for the 75th anniversary next year.’
The morning and afternoon passed without serious incident for the emergency services. An ambulance was called to Church Square at 11.25am while the service was going in the Town Church. The male patient did not require hospital treatment and was taken to his home address.
Event organiser Julie Settle, from EC Events, estimated that between 8,000 and 10,000 people had been in Town.
‘It’s been absolutely fantastic and beyond my wildest expectations,’ said Mrs Settle.
‘There’s isn’t a single area that hasn’t worked as far as I’m concerned and the weather has been really kind to us. Everybody I’ve spoken to says they’ve loved the way that things have been spread out and we’ve had things to do for people of all ages.’
The cavalcade for military vehicles and old cars began at L’Ancresse and concluded at the bus terminus.
The Guernsey Old Car Club celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Education, Sport & Culture president Deputy Matt Fallaize judged Paul and Denise Billington’s 1934 Austin 7, Box Saloon de Luxe to be the best-dressed vehicle.
‘We bought it unseen, apart from photographs, on eBay about 12 years ago,’ said Mr Billington.
‘We had to rely on the people we bought it from, who live in Kent, picking us up with the car on a trailer at Gatwick Airport and driving us down to Portsmouth to get the ferry home.
‘It was an education to drive it at first.’
Another of the day’s novelties was an authentically dressed 1940s policeman, aka Vince Comley, 64, from Swindon, Wiltshire, who was ‘on the beat’ in Town.
He based his character on actor Jack Warner’s BBC TV star Dixon of Dock and, in particular, his role in the 1950 film The Blue Lamp.
‘People tell me I stand, look at them and talk to them like a 1940s policeman and they think I must be former officer, but I’m not,’ he said.
‘Many say I remind them of their father or grandfather.’
EC Events, part of the same group as the Guernsey Press, has been awarded the contract to organise Liberation Day for three years, including yesterday.
Liberation Day celebrations, Pages 2, 3, and centre pages
