Bailiwick Gold

Soon after the Channel Islands were liberated following five years of occupation during World War II, rumours of hidden loot (spoils of war) began to circulate. During subsequent years these were fuelled by stories concerning German tourists, many still of military bearing, who were reportedly seen probing in hedgerows and other odd locations in and around the Bailiwick of Guernsey. Now who can doubt the need for soldiers to make provision for an uncertain future should spoils of war come to hand? Where better to hide or bury something of value than on an island lying clear of the main ravages of war? Why wouldn’t survivors come back to look for it? Failing that, those who feared they would not survive the war might well have left hidden or disguised messages that would benefit relatives in the event of death. This story explores one such possibility.