New home owners find a German bunker beneath
A GERMAN bunker under a Torteval home has been reopened for the first time in more than 50 years.
When Shaun and Carrie Tullier moved into their new home in Rue des Laurens last year, they knew it was positioned on top of a Second World War gun emplacement.
But recently they discovered there was an entire German bunker beneath their floorboards.
Mr Tullier said they were very surprised and keen to investigate.
‘Once Shaun knew it was down there, he had to get in,’ said Mrs Tullier, who bemoaned the loss of a new gravel parking area laid at the front of the house for the excavations to start.
The bunker was largely in good condition, they found.
It has been identified as a L401 bunker for a 8.8cm flak gun – very similar to the one excavated recently by Festung Guernsey at L’Ancresse.
Mr Tullier said they were keen to invite Festung around to record it, and then they would look at how to use it.
Currently access is quite tricky, but the couple hope to install proper steps and maybe convert the main room into a games room.
Mr Tullier said no matter what they did, they wanted to preserve the history.
‘We want to keep it open,’ he said.
Mrs Tullier said it was a nicer space than she had expected.
‘It is peaceful,’ she said.
‘You cannot hear any of the traffic.’
