Secret Room 2 ....... "Nazi Bunker"
Discussion
Mauser is a greman gun company which made various guns / machine guns etc,
Look here,
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=9h5UZrmyzz4
Look here,
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=9h5UZrmyzz4
Quick update on some local urban myth....
The Island is full of stories about hidden wartime tunnels. This even extends to stories of U-boat pens underwater on the north coast. When Jersey was a popular holiday destination in the 60s and 70s, the coach drivers taking holiday-makers around on tours would embellish these rumours for best effect.
There is one local legend which I have had cause to consider whilst investigating the wartime history of the property. That is because the legend, on closer investigation, actually concerns the property (as it existed in the war)! Perhaps the best way to tell the story is to paraphrase from a fairly old piece of local historical research that I traced in one of the museums here, which contains several paragraphs debunking some of the local tunnel myths. After those paragraphs, it continues along the following lines:-
NOTE: For the sake of this post I have changed the name of the published property address, which in the original text is the same name as my neighbour's house.
What is interesting though, is that there is no mention of any checks being carried out or investigation being undertaken in the quarry behind the main house at the "Granary", in what is now, and undoubtedly was at the time that the aforesaid research was published, the part of the original "Granary" land that had been sold off to form my (quite separate) property
The Island is full of stories about hidden wartime tunnels. This even extends to stories of U-boat pens underwater on the north coast. When Jersey was a popular holiday destination in the 60s and 70s, the coach drivers taking holiday-makers around on tours would embellish these rumours for best effect.
There is one local legend which I have had cause to consider whilst investigating the wartime history of the property. That is because the legend, on closer investigation, actually concerns the property (as it existed in the war)! Perhaps the best way to tell the story is to paraphrase from a fairly old piece of local historical research that I traced in one of the museums here, which contains several paragraphs debunking some of the local tunnel myths. After those paragraphs, it continues along the following lines:-
NOTE: For the sake of this post I have changed the name of the published property address, which in the original text is the same name as my neighbour's house.
research paper with my notes in square brackets said:
All these stories are firmly believed in by the gullible. Perhaps the best illustration of imaginary tunnels came from a gentleman who insisted that, as a small child, he had regularly played in a tunnel which commenced in the front garden of a house called [the Granary], and ran right through to [another adjacent valley], a distance of some three quarters of a mile; he claimed he had regularly traversed the entire length of this tunnel. Attempts made to tell him otherwise were to no avail. He was adamant, and added that as the owner was worried about accidents, he had caused the tunnel roof to be blown in at 3 different places. "If you don't believe me, ask him!".
We did, and the former owner of [the Granary] roared with laughter! The alleged tunnel was nothing more that a half round steel shelter (which admittedly looked like a small tunnel entrance from the outside) which may be seen from the road and is now partly used as a garage, and partly as a wood store. It is about 30 feet long. He was able to relate that when his father in law [the father of the previous owner of my house] purchased the property as long ago as 1946, even then there were stories of german weapons concealed behind a false wall at the rear of his shelter; to clear up the matter the Royal Engineers, who were still working in the Island at the time, were asked to investigate. They did, and after much hammering and probing, were able to report that the rear of the shelter consisted of nothing but solid rock. Despite this, local folklore still insists there is a concealed tunnel
Now, as I have already said, my neighbour's property does indeed have the small half round round steel shelter that is about 30 feet long, as described above. We did, and the former owner of [the Granary] roared with laughter! The alleged tunnel was nothing more that a half round steel shelter (which admittedly looked like a small tunnel entrance from the outside) which may be seen from the road and is now partly used as a garage, and partly as a wood store. It is about 30 feet long. He was able to relate that when his father in law [the father of the previous owner of my house] purchased the property as long ago as 1946, even then there were stories of german weapons concealed behind a false wall at the rear of his shelter; to clear up the matter the Royal Engineers, who were still working in the Island at the time, were asked to investigate. They did, and after much hammering and probing, were able to report that the rear of the shelter consisted of nothing but solid rock. Despite this, local folklore still insists there is a concealed tunnel
What is interesting though, is that there is no mention of any checks being carried out or investigation being undertaken in the quarry behind the main house at the "Granary", in what is now, and undoubtedly was at the time that the aforesaid research was published, the part of the original "Granary" land that had been sold off to form my (quite separate) property
Edited by CY88 on Saturday 5th July 16:40
mrmaggit said:
Any news from the German records as to what the quarry was used for, viz the photo earlier that appeared to show some form of artillery piece?
I've traced some wartime records which apparently refer to the Island quarries and were written by the Germans. I had to order access to them through an archive centre though, and haven't received word that they are ready for inspection yet. There's also some other interesting sounding documents I've asked to see which may shed some light of what it was being used for.Something I'd really love to know is why the Germans built a big warehouse (see pic below) in the quarry in the winter of 1944/45, well after D-Day had happened and presumably when the Nazis were in retreat in Europe. As far as I know, the warehouse wasn't there after the war either??
Edited by CY88 on Saturday 5th July 17:19
CY88 said:
Something I'd really love to know is why the Germans built a big warehouse (see pic below) in the quarry in the winter of 1944/45, well after D-Day had happened and presumably when the Nazis were in retreat in Europe. As far as I know, the warehouse wasn't there after the war either??
Had the Germans realised the war was "over" in February 1945 ? I know liberation in Jersey didn't happen until June. However as I understand it the big problem in the islands towards the end of the war was food supply so maybe it was simply a warehouse of some sort to store food for the occupying forces rather than directly related to fighting ? Season wise that sort of fits if it was built just after the first photo - somewhere to keep the harvest over the winter. As a food store it could have been a "portable" and less secure building than something relating to weapons hence why it could have been removed easily - especialy if it was empty by the summer. DippedHeadlights said:
CY88 said:
Something I'd really love to know is why the Germans built a big warehouse (see pic below) in the quarry in the winter of 1944/45, well after D-Day had happened and presumably when the Nazis were in retreat in Europe. As far as I know, the warehouse wasn't there after the war either??
Had the Germans realised the war was "over" in February 1945 ? I know liberation in Jersey didn't happen until June. However as I understand it the big problem in the islands towards the end of the war was food supply so maybe it was simply a warehouse of some sort to store food for the occupying forces rather than directly related to fighting ? Season wise that sort of fits if it was built just after the first photo - somewhere to keep the harvest over the winter. As a food store it could have been a "portable" and less secure building than something relating to weapons hence why it could have been removed easily - especialy if it was empty by the summer. halis said:
DippedHeadlights said:
CY88 said:
Something I'd really love to know is why the Germans built a big warehouse (see pic below) in the quarry in the winter of 1944/45, well after D-Day had happened and presumably when the Nazis were in retreat in Europe. As far as I know, the warehouse wasn't there after the war either??
Had the Germans realised the war was "over" in February 1945 ? I know liberation in Jersey didn't happen until June. However as I understand it the big problem in the islands towards the end of the war was food supply so maybe it was simply a warehouse of some sort to store food for the occupying forces rather than directly related to fighting ? Season wise that sort of fits if it was built just after the first photo - somewhere to keep the harvest over the winter. As a food store it could have been a "portable" and less secure building than something relating to weapons hence why it could have been removed easily - especialy if it was empty by the summer. 
Blog makes the New York Post today http://www.nypost.com/seven/07062008/postopinion/o... sharing the page with Will Smith.
CY88 said:
Blog makes the New York Post today http://www.nypost.com/seven/07062008/postopinion/o... sharing the page with Will Smith.Looks like you've been doing your homework and finding out some great info, when you gonna let us in on what you were told "seceret" by the first owners after the war? if i remember rightly! or have i missed it or got it totaly wrong?
I'm dying to know if there's more bunkers?????? Intriguing to say the least
all the best jeff
Edited by jeffm3 on Monday 7th July 23:47
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