'Historic development' to remember WW2 liberator

The work of a World War Two Allied military leader has been officially recognised in Guernsey and Jersey for his involvement in the liberation of the Channel Islands, campaigners say.

Jersey and Guernsey were liberated on 9 May 1945, and Sark the following day, after five years of Nazi rule.

Brig Alfred Snow, who was born in Bristol, was the senior British officer responsible for the liberation of the islands.

The British Channel Islands WWII Remembrance Campaign said it welcomed a "significant and historic development" after the Bailiff of Jersey and the Bailiff of Guernsey agreed Brigadier Snow should receive "appropriate remembrance".

Brig Snow commanded Force 135, the British and Commonwealth formation tasked with liberating the islands after almost five years of German occupation.

He was among the senior British officers involved in accepting the German surrender in the Channel Islands and was appointed by King George VI as Military Governor to oversee the restoration of the British administration.

Following inquiries with Somerset Council and Taunton Crematorium, the remembrance group discovered he died in 1983 at the age of 85. His ashes were scattered within its Garden of Rest.

The remembrance group said Snow was a "significant person in Channel Islands history" and was "was entrusted with leading the force responsible for liberating approximately 69,000 Channel Islanders".

It added the Bailiff of Guernsey had suggested Snow would be a worthy candidate for Guernsey's Blue Plaque Scheme, recognising his lasting contribution to local history.

Campaign lead Kev South, whose own father and grandparents were among those liberated in 1945, said the campaign was "deeply personal".

He said: "Like so many Channel Islands families, we owe a debt of gratitude to those who restored our freedom.

"I believe my family would have wanted the very best remembrance for the liberation commander and the men and women of Force 135 who made that freedom possible."

He added: "The fact that both the Bailiff of Jersey and the Bailiff of Guernsey are now aligned on this issue is excellent news.

"It is a significant moment and, in my view, the first time since 1945 that there has been agreement at this level on how he should be remembered."

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