Inspection of the work so far - July 1940
Inspection of the work so far - July 1940

Amongst the people photographed are Mrs Hathaway as she was then called, and her husband. It is presumed this photograph was taken after the 3rd July which was when the Germans arrived on the island, as work carried on until materials ran out.

A named list of the people present is shown in the next image.

The person in the white shirt with his back to the camera and shown looking at in the direction of Mr Hathaway is Douglas Coode, the engineer. His Grandson, Nick McGhee has kindly given permission for the following information to be shown on this website:-

Douglas Coode came over from England - where he already had a young family - to work on the Maseline Harbour, and was caught out by the rapid German arrival. With other members of the Matthews Party he was given the choice of working for the Germans for the duration, or a prisoner-of-war camp on mainland Europe. He chose the former. I have a letter written by Matthews at the end of the war testifying to Coode’s having been as unhelpful as he could get away with on the tasks he was assigned. John Matthews wrote ‘That giving advantage to Guernsey was done willingly and well, that having any military use was done lingeringly, loafingly and with loathing. In all of the above work Mr D.C. Coode, M.I.C.E., gave of his very good best in the direction given by me, and secretly, whilst seeming to carry out German instructions. The reason for this certificate is my strong desire to record my gratitude for the unswerving loyalty of Mr Coode through the period mentioned above of the German occupation and the confidence it gave me to carry out “Failures” without this loyalty such work would have been more dangerous if not impossible. I am indeed grateful.”

Coode was evidently allowed a reasonable degree of freedom during the occupation. He got involved in amateur dramatics, taking roles in the shows produced by Basil Meiklereid. That is how he met Nick McGhee's grandmother, with whom he lived at St Martins, Guernsey for a few years, and they had a son. He returned to England on HMS Bulldog right after the liberation.

Location: La Maseline Harbour Sark

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Inspection of the work so far - July 1940

Amongst the people photographed are Mrs Hathaway as she was then called, and her husband. It is presumed this photograph was taken after the 3rd July which was when the Germans arrived on the island, as work carried on until materials ran out.

A named list of the people present is shown in the next image.

The person in the white shirt with his back to the camera and shown looking at in the direction of Mr Hathaway is Douglas Coode, the engineer. His Grandson, Nick McGhee has kindly given permission for the following information to be shown on this website:-

Douglas Coode came over from England - where he already had a young family - to work on the Maseline Harbour, and was caught out by the rapid German arrival. With other members of the Matthews Party he was given the choice of working for the Germans for the duration, or a prisoner-of-war camp on mainland Europe. He chose the former. I have a letter written by Matthews at the end of the war testifying to Coode’s having been as unhelpful as he could get away with on the tasks he was assigned. John Matthews wrote ‘That giving advantage to Guernsey was done willingly and well, that having any military use was done lingeringly, loafingly and with loathing. In all of the above work Mr D.C. Coode, M.I.C.E., gave of his very good best in the direction given by me, and secretly, whilst seeming to carry out German instructions. The reason for this certificate is my strong desire to record my gratitude for the unswerving loyalty of Mr Coode through the period mentioned above of the German occupation and the confidence it gave me to carry out “Failures” without this loyalty such work would have been more dangerous if not impossible. I am indeed grateful.”

Coode was evidently allowed a reasonable degree of freedom during the occupation. He got involved in amateur dramatics, taking roles in the shows produced by Basil Meiklereid. That is how he met Nick McGhee's grandmother, with whom he lived at St Martins, Guernsey for a few years, and they had a son. He returned to England on HMS Bulldog right after the liberation.

Location: La Maseline Harbour Sark

Buy this print online:

 
Item added to cart