For the last few years, barrister and television presenter Rob ‘Judge’ Rinder has been hosting the Specsavers Liberation tea dance and Hangar Ball alone, but this year he was joined by co-star, presenter and television personality Rylan Clark.
‘This is my first time here in Guernsey and I think the island’s absolutely beautiful,’ said Rylan.
‘I’m here with the bestie, my work husband, who has been telling me all about Guernsey and Liberation for the past few years. I just thought I can’t miss out any longer, I’m going to have to come over and see what it’s all about.
‘This is an absolutely incredible celebration and I’m so thrilled and honoured to be a part of it.’
When asked if he would be joining the Gurkhas on the dancefloor, Rylan said: ‘Have you met me? I have my dancing shoes on for the day, and I have even more dancing shoes for the evening.
‘It’s really special, there are a lot of older people here today, I’ve been meeting a few of them and hearing everyone’s stories.’
The ‘honorary Guernsey Donkey’ Rob has become a familiar face at the event, but continues to attend and host as a reminder of the sacred value of freedom.
‘So many survivors are diminishing, people with lived memory, yet they are here every year,’ he said.
‘To come to the tea dance is a different experience, to be in a room filled with people who have lived memories of what it was like to return to the island that they loved after being evacuated, and some who were on it when it was liberated.
‘Whenever I leave Guernsey, I remind people that there was a little bit of our shared country that knew what it was like to be occupied, and they have a special understanding of the sacred value of freedom.
‘This is a place that doesn’t take it for granted. I really feel connected to it and that’s why I come back every year to be here, to remind the UK just how sacred those values are.’
‘Lots of people have different memories, but it’s nice to be here to celebrate’
Some of those attending stayed on-island with their families during the Occupation.
Michael Brown was one of them.
‘Being born in 1939, I was just a young boy during the war,’ he said.
‘Lots of people have different memories, but it’s nice to be here to celebrate.’
He said that the Germans had been building a power station by his house.
He grew up around German soldiers and said they had a lot of fun getting to know him.
One day he said to them that it was his birthday, and when the Vega was due to arrive, they would say it was his birthday cake arriving.
Elaine Nichols was born in April 1939 and grew up under German rule.
‘I think that being here celebrating the 80th anniversary is absolutely wonderful,’ she said.
‘I was very young and I was only six when the war ended, but I’ve grown up with the stories from my parents and grandparents.’
She said that during the Occupation, she was not allowed to play outside because of the ‘scary Germans’, but she remembered, after the Liberation, her father telling her she could go outside to play now.
Mrs Nichols said that she really enjoyed the tea dance and would be making her way to the dance floor after her tea.
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