How 'Guern' does a Guernseyman have to be?
MY ANCESTRAL association with Guernsey goes back to 1760 and probably further, the Gillingham family owned the Ship Inn, now known as the Mariners on the Bridge, St Sampson's. My great-grandmother was born at the Dunes at Vazon. Her maiden name was Eliza Renouf Falla and her mother's maiden name was Mauger. Eliza married into the Gillingham family. They brought up their family at Gilgo House in the Amballes along with some of their grandchildren, my father being one of them. His father lost his life at the end of the Second World War.
At the outbreak of that war my mother, along with her family, evacuated from Alderney to Guernsey, her father being a fisherman along with his two sons, Jack and Harry Quinain.
One of the reasons for my family going to Guernsey was a request from Ambrose Sherwill, HM Comptroller, who was a friend of my grandfather, to come and help with the supply of fish to the Guernsey population through the impending world war.
As a consequence of my mother evacuating to Guernsey she met my father and they were married in 1944 under special licence from the German authorities.
After the war ended my parents, along with my sisters Ann and Jean and the rest of the family, moved back to Alderney in 1950. I came along in 1952.
While I am not looking for any preferential treatment under the present Guernsey local market housing laws, I am prevented from returning to my forefathers homeland.
If my family history is not Guernsey enough, what is?
I believe everyone born within the Guernsey Bailiwick should have the right to live in Guernsey, and after a prescribed number of years of living in the Bailiwick islands those people should have rights also.
The following is an extract from The Channel Islands Pilot 1870 written by Staff-Commander John Richards, RN, during the Admiralty survey of these islands in the years 1859-70.
'Alderney forms part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, and is included in the military command of the Lieutenant-Governor of that island; it forms one parish, under the patronage of the Crown, named St Anne, the area of which is 1,962 imperial acres at high water of spring tides.
'The land was originally divided into small parcel amongst the inhabitants, but of late years the government have purchased about a third of it for their works.
The civil government or States consist of a Judge, appointed by the Crown, six jurats, and 12 douzeniers.'
DAVE GILLINGHAM, senior,
Address withheld.
