Fisherman Rob Le Noury has had the number of years since the original Liberation Day painted on the gable end of his seaside house on the west coast at Rocquaine Bay since 2005’s 60th celebrations. It is a focal point for people heading north up the coast.
‘The first time I painted it was only a couple of days before the event,’ he said.
‘I did it on a bit of a whim, I just woke up with the idea in my head and decided to do it. I popped to B&Q and got them to mix up the paint.’
The number 60 remained up on the gable of the house until Mr Le Noury repainted for the 70th anniversary.
‘And then a few years after that I started changing it every year,’ he said.
The painting had its foundations in a Christmas prank.
‘I bought the house in the late 1990s and did it up, we had the wall redone and the plasterer wrote ‘Merry Christmas’ on the first coat and left it there, and loads of people commented on it.’
He added that now island tours even stop outside his house to look at the number, along with a propeller from a B17 bomber that Mr Noury dragged up from the seabed after it snagged on a crab pot near L’Ancresse 10 years ago.
‘Every year I repaint, I get lots of comments about how high the speed limit on the west coast has become.’
The mural has become one of the most iconic backdrops to the Liberation Day cavalcades and Mr Le Noury was disappointed it was not coming past this year, with the vintage vehicle event only going from L’Ancresse to St Peter Port.
‘It is a shame the cavalcade isn’t going to be coming past,’ he said. ‘A lot of people don’t want to go to Town and it will be jammed.’
Mr Le Noury’s connections to Liberation run deep. His mum and dad were both born locally during the Occupation and have memories of the harsh conditions faced by islanders and occupiers.
‘It is something that should never be forgotten and it’s great for the island to have its day to remember,’ he said.
‘I’ll paint the 80th but it will be last minute – I might go for something bigger but I’ll decide on the day. I’ll definitely still have all the flags and bunting out. I’ll be carrying on every year and when I’m gone I hope my boys will carry on.’
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