Exile
The Evacuation of Elizabeth College
Bruce Parker(Author)
Profile Editions (Publisher)
Will be published approx. on 15. October 2026
Book
Hardback
144 pages
978-1-80649-090-5 (ISBN)
Description
With German forces poised to invade Guernsey in 1940, the pupils of Elizabeth College and other island children were hurriedly sent into exile. Under the calm and determined leadership of their Principal, Henry Milnes, the College's pupils and staff found refuge in Derbyshire, where uniquely and against the odds they succeeded in retaining their independent identity as a school and rebuilt their community in a world far removed from the island they loved. For five long years, with virtually no contact from home, they studied, played, and grew up in wartime England-sustained by shared purpose, tradition and hope.
Drawing on letters, diaries, and school records, Torn Apart by War tells the remarkable true story of how an island school survived separation and war, and how its pupils and teachers carried the spirit of Guernsey and Elizabeth College with them until they could finally return after the Channel Islands' Liberation in 1945.
Drawing on letters, diaries, and school records, Torn Apart by War tells the remarkable true story of how an island school survived separation and war, and how its pupils and teachers carried the spirit of Guernsey and Elizabeth College with them until they could finally return after the Channel Islands' Liberation in 1945.
Reviews / Votes
This is the story of a remarkable chapter in the history of Elizabeth College and at its heart is the Principal, Henry Milnes MC, OBE. He was a man of considerable moral and physical courage, whose foresight and remarkable tenacity kept the College together on its odyssey to England and whose peerless leadership ensured it didn't just survive but thrived. He met challenges with both strength and subtlety, and his clarity of purpose not only saw the College through the war but through an equally challenging return to Guernsey. It is a measure of Henry Milnes' character that his example and legacy lived on through a generation of teachers and pupils and I am delighted that his story, as well as the poignant, hilarious and alarming stories of an eclectic cast list of personalities have been captured so well in this book. I heartily recommend it. * Sir Richard Cripwell KBE, CB, Lt Governor of Guernsey * The Second World War motto 'Keep Calm and Carry On' has undergone a revival in recent years. But if ever a story expressed its spirit it's this one, of the evacuation of an entire school, from Guernsey, in that war. It's a story told with both energy and sympathy by Bruce Parker, and at its heart stands the great figure of the Principal, Henry Milnes, upon whose shoulders so much of the enterprise rested. He, above all others, kept calm, and carried on. * The Bishop of Winchester, the Rt Rev Philip Mounstephen, College Visitor *More details
Edition
Main
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Profile Books Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Trade binding
ISBN-13
978-1-80649-090-5 (9781806490905)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Bruce Parker is a former BBC and The Times journalist who presented the BBC South Today regional news programme for 37 years, during which time he fronted live the globally networked raising of the Mary Rose ship in 1984. His wide-ranging broadcast career included a pioneering role in establishing BBC local radio in the 1960s, serving as the first host of the Antiques Roadshow programme in the 1970s, and presenting occasional episodes of other popular programmes such as Songs of Praise. He is Chairman of the Friends of Winchester Cathedral.
Bruce Parker grew up in Guernsey and attended Elizabeth College, where he later taught briefly as an English master. He is the author of A History of Elizabeth College, Guernsey.
Bruce Parker grew up in Guernsey and attended Elizabeth College, where he later taught briefly as an English master. He is the author of A History of Elizabeth College, Guernsey.