Frank Marquis brought the battered Walter’s Potato Puffs tin into the Guernsey Press office, after finding it buried among belongings he had accumulated over the years.
The exact age of the tin, rusting in places, is unclear, as all that remains is the brand label and price tag – 24 x 4d – which translates to approximately 1.67p a pack. But Mr Marquis believes it dates back to before the Second World War.
‘When I saw the price, against today’s price, I thought “wow”,’ he said.
‘And you get far less now than what you had then.’
For him, the old relic also brought back memories of a time when islanders had to make do with whatever they could find.
During the Occupation, he recalled converting similar tins into makeshift stoves.
‘What we used to do is cut a round hole in the side there, about the size of a broom handle, and the same in the top,’ he said.
The tin would be filled with sawdust, which was then lit and allowed to burn slowly, providing enough heat to cook a meal on top.
‘We did all sorts,’ he said.
Mr Marquis, who lived in the island throughout the Occupation, remembers the experience well. He also made a crystal radio set which allowed him secretly to listen to outside broadcasts.
‘If we’d have got caught, we would have been shipped out,’ he said.
‘We didn’t spread it around that we had it, because it was dangerous, because people used to let you down.’
Creating the set required creativity of its own. Mr Marquis recalled putting grapevine tips to the test – attempting to make the necessary crystals for the device, using sulphur and lead filings inside an old German rifle cartridge case.
‘I lit a fire up in the garden, but I couldn’t have sealed the thing properly, and some gases came out,’ he said.
‘All at once there was a big bang, and the bricks went flying, coals in the air.’
When a neighbour asked what had happened, the young Frank was careful not to reveal his secret.
‘I said, “I don’t know. Something just went “bang” around there”.’
Mr Marquis spent two years of the Occupation working at a bike shop, which he described as ‘quite an experience’ trying to keep the bicycles running amid shortages.
His knack for repairing things continued long after the war. He went on to work as a mechanic for around 40 years, and later found work at Capelles Building Stores. And at 97, he has not entirely put his tools away.
‘I still go up there and repair stove doors,’ he said.
When asked whether keeping busy might be the secret to keeping sprightly, Mr Marquis offered another possibility. ‘I like to eat dark chocolate,’ he said.
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