Pictures of the Liberation

Pictures of the Liberation

This gallery covers the events of 9 May 1945 and the following days. See After the Liberation for a further gallery of photographs of post-Liberation photographs taken in the following weeks and months

The liberating troops of Force 135 and the German surrender

Surrender ceremony on HMS Bulldog

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  Before the Occupation the Germans demanded that the island display white crosses as a sign of surrender. On the eve of the Liberation the occupiers were required to do the same
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  Liberating troops on their way to the Channel Islands
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  The Liberation fleet
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  HMS Beagle (Imperial War Museum)
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  The Bailiff heads out to HMS Bulldog
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  Bailiff Alexander Coutanche heads out to HMS Bulldog
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  Heinze surrenders
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  The surrender
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  The first two British officers to arrive on shore, Capt Ronald McDonald and Lieut David Milne
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  LCL130, the first vessel to enter the harbour on Liberation Day
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  The crew of LC130
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  One of the taskforce landing craft
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  Naval officers on one of the ships of the Liberation taskforce
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  Members of Force 135 examine a large field gun at St Martin
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  British soldiers escort German prisoners through St Lawrence
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  Crowds watch a landing craft unloading in St Aubin's Bay

The liberating troops land

Landing heavy Army equipment

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  One of the taskforce landing craft
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  Force 135 troops landing at First Tower
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  Landing craft in St Aubin's Bay
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  A landing craft in St Helier Harbour
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  DUKW landing craft cross the Weighbridge after landing in the Victoria Harbour
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  Liberators landing at La Folie ...
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  ... and marching to town
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Three Jerseymen who were part of Force 135

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  Tommies at the Weighbridge
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  A church parade at St James'
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  Liberating troops parade outside the Pomme d'Or Hotel
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  Some of the British Liberation forces
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  A parade of Liberation troops in 1945
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  Liberating troops being conducted through St Helier by a Jersey policeman
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  Liberating troops
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  Soldiers offering cigarettes to liberated islanders
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  Liberation soldiers from Force 135 at the Weighbridge
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  Naval members of the liberating forces
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  British troops march through York Street in a Liberation celebration
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  An amateur photo of liberating troops outside the Beaufort Hotel

This photograph, which we received in 2019, and the central part of which (below) has been widely used and features at the top of our main Liberation page, has always been assumed to have been taken outside the Pomme d'Or Hotel on the morning of 9 May 1945. But the wider view shows clearly that it was taken outside the main gates of Fort Regent. It is not clear why liberating troops and locals would have been there on Liberation Day and the photograph may have been taken later. Close examination of the two pictures shows that they are not identical, but were clearly taken within seconds of each other

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  Members of the liberating contingent inside the Airport building
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  Colonel Robinson at the Weighbridge
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  Esplanade
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  La Motte Street
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  Communications at the Weighbridge
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  Liberating troops from the Royal Armoured Ordnance Corps in a Morris Tourer
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Crowds gather

A crowded Royal Square

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  In the Royal Square
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  The Royal Square was crowded on 8 May for Churchill's speech
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  Colonel Robinson addresses the excited crowd in the Royal Square
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  The crowds at West Park on Liberation Day
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  Outside the Pomme d'Or Hotel
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  Brigadier Snow in the Royal Square on 12 May
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  Outside the Pomme d'Or Hotel
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  Crowds outside the Pomme d'Or Hotel

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  The 12 May 1945 ceremonies in the Royal Square
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  Crowds at the pierhead photographed from LC130
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  The crowd rushes down Mulcaster Street to greet the liberating troops
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  A Liberation Day kiss for a soldier
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  At the Grand Hotel
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  At the Harbour
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  At the Weighbridge
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  The Bailiff at the Weighbridge ...
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  ... and a closer view
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  12 May 1945
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Prisoners of War

German soldiers are marched across St Aubin's Bay before being taken away from the island

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  Prisoners of war in Conway Street
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  Prisoners of war on the beach awaiting their departure from the island
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  German prisoners walk to the Harbour under escort
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  Liberation, and German troops are taken away to PoW camps
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  German PoWs
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  German PoWs
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  German PoWs
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  A German officer now a prisoner of war
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  German officers arrive in Southampton as Prisoners of War
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  German prisoners marched down Conway Street
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  German prisoners of war march dejectedly towards their ejection from the island
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  Landing craft in St Aubin's Bay ready to receive PoWs
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  Lines of German prisoners wait to leave the island
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  German prisoners embark on a landing craft
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  Lines of Germans waiting on the beach

German prisoners await their turn to board landing craft

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  Prisoners of War being transferred from the shore in landing craft
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  Prisoners of War in a landing craft
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  The Prinses Josephine Charlotte, which took Germans to England
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  A German officer escorted into captivity
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  Prisoners of war on 12 May 1945 escorted by an English soldier
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  German prisoners at St Lawrence
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  The Weighbridge on 12 May 1945

Sundry Liberation pictures

Hospital staff with liberating soldiers

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  Brigadier Snow in the Royal Square on 12 May
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  Freed forced workers
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  A house decorated to celebrate freedom
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  Brigadier Snow, Darvall and Colonel Robinson
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  Brigadier Snow, who led the Liberation forces, visits Alderney
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  The Empire Day parade on Victoria Avenue
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  Crowds watch the Empire Day parade on 24 May 1945
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  Empire Day
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  A German vessel in the harbour on Liberation Day
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  A captured German naval vessel
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  SurgeonLt Ronald McDonald and SubLt David Milne with Jersey nursing staff
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  King George VI's message to islanders in 1945
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  At the Harbour
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  At the Harbour
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  Prisoners released from Newgate Street jail: Bunny O'Neill, Mr Rondel, Charles Gruchy, Marin Le Cornu, Hugh La Cloche, Basil Thornton, Siebe Kosta, John Bisson
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  A chance to read a newspaper again
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  A Liberator's story
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  On the Albert Pier as the first to arrive are greeted by locals
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  Role reversal from 1940 to 1945. Now the Germans were required to paint white surrender crosses, this one at Corbiere
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  Another cross on the New North Quay
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  Ommaroo Hotel on 9 May
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First Tower landing

• Liberation: Our main page on the events of 9 May 1945
• See also After the Liberation for more pictures of the following weeks and months
• And Hedley's diary, a personal account of the post-Liberation years