States Minutes 9th May 2015

THE STATES assembled on Saturday

9th May 2015, in People's Park at 3 p.m. under the Presidency of the Bailiff ,

William James Bailhache , Esquire

in the presence of

Her Royal Highness the Countess of Wessex

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His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor, General Sir John McColl, K.C.B., C.B.E., D.S.O. was present.

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All members were present at roll call with the exception of –

Connétable Sadie Anthea Le Sueur -Rennard of St. Saviour – excused attendance Connétable John Edward Le Maistre of Grouville – excused attendance

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Prayers

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Her Royal Highness the Countess of Wessex, escorted by the Bailiff and His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor, and preceded by the Seal and the Mace, entered the area of People's Park designated as the States' Chamber for the purpose of the meeting, and took their seats on the dais.

The Bailiff welcomed Her Royal Highness the Countess of Wessex as follows –

"Your Royal Highness, it is a pleasure on behalf of all members to welcome you to the Assembly here today. And, of course, it is a pleasure to welcome His Excellency as well. And a very warm welcome to all members. You will be aware that Her Royal Highness has a message for us from Her Majesty The Queen, delivered to the States and the people of Jersey, and I will now invite Her Royal Highness to deliver the message for us.".

Her Royal Highness read a message to the Bailiwick of Jersey from Her Majesty The Queen on the occasion of the 70th Anniversary of Liberation as follows –

"To the members of the States of Jersey and my most loyal people in that Bailiwick I send greetings on this the 70th anniversary of the day of their liberation from enemy occupation. I remember well the pleasure that my parents took in being able to visit Jersey on 7th June 1945, one month after Liberation, and the pleasure that I had in attending with Prince Philip the 60th anniversary of Liberation Day in 2005. The loyalty and support which I have received from the people of Jersey has been most gratifying and I am delighted that the Countess of Wessex is able to represent me on this very special occasion. On the occasion of the 70th anniversary we remember the many who suffered during the occupation of the Channel Islands, with all the hardships that went with that including food shortages, deprivations of liberty and restrictions on ordinary everyday life. And we remember all those who left the Island in 1940 and were unable to see their families left behind or regain their homes for the next 5 years; all those who left to join the service of Our Armed Forces; and all those who were deported to Germany. Today is a day for all the survivors of that generation and for the people of Jersey, young and old, to come together to give thanks for the success of the Allied Forces and the Liberation of the Island and to pass on the spirit of reconciliation to future generations. ELIZABETH R.".

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STATES MINUTES  9th May 2015

The Bailiff , in the name of the States and People of the Island of Jersey, was pleased to present a Loyal Response as follows –

"Your Royal Highness. It is a privilege for me, on behalf of the States and the people of Jersey, to be able to respond to the message which you have kindly delivered to us on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen, and in doing so to extend to you the warmest of welcomes on this very special day which we are so pleased you are able to share with us. On May 9th 1945, His Majesty's Armed Forces freed Islanders from 5 long years of oppression by the occupying forces of the enemy, and today, 70 years later, all of Her Majesty's people join together in this Island to celebrate that joyous occasion. For those who were present on that first Liberation day, the sight of British rather than German soldiers was extraordinarily uplifting and exhilarating. The invasion of Jersey in 1940 was an historic event as the enemy then knew. Not for centuries had any part of the British Islands been successfully invaded. The history of that invasion is marked in our everyday language when Islanders refer to "the Occupation", because there has only been one such event. For those who were involved in any way, it was life-changing. Some were evacuated from family and friends taking up residence in a war-torn England, itself facing times of severe hardship and deprivation. Some were deported to Germany where they were interned between 1942 and 1945, many of them children at the time whose lives have been forever affected by the loss of freedom which they suffered. Those who remained in Jersey had daily reminders of their loss of liberty and all the consequences of living under an enemy authority in times of war. Today in the 70th anniversary celebrations of Liberation, we embrace the opportunity to grasp the spirit of reconciliation as Her Majesty suggested, so that those with past differences resolve them and we can move forward in this Island as an inclusive and outward looking community under Her Majesty The Queen. Your Royal Highness, the members of the States of Jersey, the Jurats and the members of the Court who are seated just outside this Assembly and indeed the people of Jersey are proud of their association with the Crown. We are most grateful to you for coming to Jersey on this historic occasion to help us celebrate the 70th anniversary of Liberation, and enabling us to renew our allegiance to Her Majesty The Queen whose visits here we remember fondly and with the greatest pleasure. We all gratefully seize this opportunity of expressing through you our deep affection for Her Majesty, who is held in very high esteem in this, the most southerly of the British Islands, and of reaffirming our loyalty and our respect for Her and for Her Royal House.".

Liberation of the Island – statement (see Official Report/Hansard)

The Connétable of St. Clement made a statement on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Liberation of the Island.

THE STATES rose at 3.51 p.m.

M.N. DE LA HAYE, O.B.E. Greffier of the States

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