01/09/2026
Moments Before Departure: Jersey, 1939–1940
The first two pictures show the scenes at St Helier Harbour on 1 September 1939, as Jersey Reservists boarded boats to join the Armed Forces in England.
The third image captures a different kind of crowd - gathered outside the Town Hall in June 1940, queuing to register ahead of mass civilian evacuations.
What follows is an extract from the unpublished diary of Arthur Kent, held in the Jersey War Tunnels Collection.
He describes the chaos, fear, and heartbreak that unfolded at the harbour the next day, as thousands fled the island in the shadow of German occupation.
"It was stated that the first boats would be in at 4 a.m., so early next morning found the harbours crammed with people carrying their suitcases, pushing children in prams or being driven down in cars, the darkness adding to the general confusion. In the harbours lay some small craft, some were obviously colliers and into these the people were herded, down in the holds, anywhere at all possible to hold another person. Many intending to go turned back on seeing the plight of the travellers whilst, contrariwise, many others who had gone down to the pier out of curiosity and with no intention of leaving, boarded the ships with nothing but the clothing in which they stood.
One by one during that eventful, nerve-wracking day, the ships left with their human cargoes. Cars by the dozen were either abandoned on the piers or given by the owner to some friend who happened to be standing among the crowd. Many baby-carriages too were left behind, for these were not permitted on the ships. It must have been a nightmare trip across, especially for the aged people and those who had tiny children in their care; but we, who stopped behind, had we been able to conceive what the next five years held for us, would assuredly have made that trip a score of times rather than remain."
Arthur Kent was an employee of the States of Jersey Department of Labour during the years of the German Occupation, and later worked for the Jersey Evening Post newspaper.
