Islanders mark Peace Day 100th anniversary at Candie

THE 100th anniversary of Peace Day, which celebrated the end of The First World War, was remembered with a picnic in Candie Gardens yesterday.

Pictured at the Candie Gardens Peace Day picnic are, sitting, left to right, Steve and Christine Brown, Karen and Keith Bachelet. Behind them are, left to right, Mike and Julia Queripel, Carole Lowe, Annie Brehaut and Tom Brouard.(Picture by Adrian Miller, 25231403)

Music, dancing, crafts and living history were on offer with people encouraged to wear period costume.

Peace Day was marked in the UK with a bank holiday on 19 July 1919 soon after the signing of The Treaty of Versailles.

Fetes were held all over Guernsey, including one in Candie Gardens. Rain washed at least one of them out, in stark contrast to yesterday’s scorching weather which saw some seeking the shade.

Guernsey Museums access and learning manager Jo Dowding said she was grateful to Amherst Primary School for providing the maypole dancers as it had done 100 years ago.

Year 4 class teacher Aimee Scullion said the school maypole club was for years 5 and 6 but pupils from years 3 and 4 were being given a chance yesterday.

‘They have only been learning for three weeks, after school on Wednesdays, but they’ve learned three dances and are all very keen,’ she said.

Maypole dancing in Guernsey owed a legacy to Phyllis Burgess, who taught at St Martin’s School in the 1960s.

Hope White, 8, was among the dancers. ‘It was really good fun and nice to make history again,’ she said.

The dancers performed the Barber’s Pole, the Spider Web and the Single Plait.

Keith Bachelet, 68, and colleagues from the Old Cycle Gang had also dressed for the occasion.

‘It’s a 100-year commemoration and something like this won’t come around again in our lifetime,’ he said.

It was also another chance to see the 1,500 handmade poppies which Guernsey people made in 2014 to mark the centenary of the start of the First World War.

There was one for every Guernsey man who died in the conflict.

‘This will probably be the last time they will be displayed for some time as today is all about celebrating peace,’ said Liz Walton, who co-ordinated the poppy-making project.

‘It was huge community effort and typical of Guernsey,’ she said.

The poppies would be stored carefully until their next public appearance.

The Guernsey Military History Company were also in attendance, taking people back to the 1900s with a living history picnic in period dress.