It is believed that most if not all the photographs were taken in the 1930s which is of course prior to the occupation of Sark by the German military. The notes were annotated pre-war and post-war.
It is shown from the front piece inscription that the lady who owned the book (P??????? Shaw) was a close friend of a Miss Pattie Hale (now known to be Hannah, the sister of Laura Eliza, the editor of the book).
By kind investigation by residents of Sark, it has been found that Hannah, Laura's sister, also went by the name of Pattie. Laura died in 1929, Samuel in March 1941 at Vieux Clos and Hannah (Pattie) in December 1945. In the front piece of the book, Hannah ( Pattie) is listed as dying during the occupation, when in fact it was just after in December 1945 at New Place, now Vieux Normand on Rue Lucas.
The father and mother of Laura E Hale had 8 children, Edmund, John, Laura Eliza, Hannah Martha (Pattie), Matthew, Frederick, Jessica and Samuel. Jessica died aged 4
In the 1901 Census Laura E. Hale (aged 36) is the Head of Petit Dixcart and is also living with her sister Hannah M Hale, (aged 33). Also in the house is a Domestic General Servant and Ethel Cheeswright (Visitor) (aged 25), (miniature painter Sculp), who is understood to have come to live Sark in 1892 and stayed there for the rest of her life.
Miss Cheeswright eventually had a studio at Rose Cottage and painted many views of Sark. Though born in Brixton London, she went to school in Guernsey. During the Occupation she was sent to Biberach in Germany.
Typed & added in book:-
"Now all in ruins. The residence portion is being reconditioned (1948) after nearly all interior work had been torn away by occupying Germans (and, alas the islanders) In the farm buildings could be seen an old granite cider mill (wrong term, should be cider crusher. MD) consisting of a huge circular trough in which a granite wheel revolved on its edge being turned by a donkey harnessed to the axle which was let into a vertical pole in the centre of the trough."
This residence was the primary target in 1942 (4th October) of OPERATION BASALT led by Major Geoffrey Appleyard - the only reason that it was deemed the primary target was that it was the first building on the map from the initial landing - it was found to be empty!
From the outcome of this raid, Adolf Hitler declared from that point on if any Allied Commandos were captured whether in uniform or not they were to be treated as terrorists and executed.
Ref: 2025-03-02-0026-
Location: Sark
