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A Critical History of Education in Guernsey under German Occupation
by John Crossley Hayes
This work was written for publication in 1947, and presented in typescript, but it was not published then and is now seen for the first time.
Although it was aimed at those with a special interest in education, it is full of gripping detail and amply conveys the atmosphere of the war years…
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A Tribute to
David Fanshawe
Composer and Explorer
19th April 1942 - 5th July 2010
Our much loved David Fanshawe died peacefully on 5th July following a stroke. He was one of Britain’s finest musicians, composer of African Sanctus and many other notable works, and a tireless recordist who travelled the world rescuing music which would otherwise now be extinct. ...[Read More]
John Crossley Hayes was a gifted musician and composer of light classical music who wrote his best work under German Occupation in Guernsey during 1942, notably his Suite Guernesiaise and Aubade and Serenade.After his death in 2003 they were discovered in beautifully handwritten manuscript, and are now ready for orchestras to play.
Also found were several writings, including his memoirs, of which A Sojourn in Guernsey forms the first part. As a teacher he was passionate about education and was a versatile individual who had a rare originality of mind. A science graduate, he was very well read in arts subjects such as history and loved learning languages, some of which he spoke fluently, some just dabbled in. He learned Hungarian, French, German, Russian, Swahili, Greek, Turkish and Arabic to name but a few. He spent long curfew evenings during the war teaching himself Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.
His opinions were always worth listening to, especially as he got older. For this reason his writings are published here in the expectation that people from all walks of life will find something to interest them.
September 2009