Restored hospital bunker opened in Alderney
A restored Second World War German hospital bunker in Alderney was opened to the public for the first time this weekend.
Fittingly a bandage was chosen rather than a ribbon to be cut by States of Alderney president William Tate as part of the official ceremony.
The large bunker, hidden away off Longis Road in the centre of the island, has been transformed over the last six months to create a visitor attraction.
The hospital, constructed of 1,440 cubic metres of concrete, was built by forced labour in 1943 for use by the German occupying forces.
There were bunk beds for up to 30 patients, separate rooms for doctors and medical orderlies, an admissions room and a treatment room capable of dealing with major operations.
States of Alderney member Boyd Kelly paid tribute to historian Colin Partridge and a team of dedicated volunteers who helped transform the hospital bunker, along with various island contractors and sponsors.
It is the only bunker of its design in the Channel Islands, known as a 118b-type bunker, with two-metre thick reinforced concrete walls and roof.
The bunker has a number of information boards as well as a staged treatment room which includes an operating table.
A room dedicated to the two-hour shelling of the adjoining Battery Blucher in August 1944 by HMS Rodney will be opened separately on 12 August – the 80th anniversary of the bombardment.
The hospital bunker is now open to the public every day between 10am and 4pm. Admission is free.
