In their final academic year of 2019-2020 I led an extensive programme of study exploring Jersey’s Liberation and Occupation history with a group of 35 A-Level photography students at Hautlieu School. Students surveyed the landscape of coastal fortifications around the island of Jersey and were challenged with responding to personal stories told by islanders experiencing the German Occupation first-hand in 1940-45. Finding inspiration by looking through images, documents and objects held in various collections in Jersey’s public archives they produced a series of individual creative outcomes such as montages, photo-zines and collectively constructed a visual narrative presented as a newspaper supplement printed and distributed by Jersey Evening Post leading up to the 75th Liberation of the island of Jersey on 9 May 2020.

Collaboration with educational partners included Société Jersiaise Photographic Archive, Jersey Heritage, Channel Island Occupation Society, Jersey War Tunnels, Bureau des Îles Anglo-Normandes and post-graduate students from École Européenne Supérieure d’art de Bretagne in Rennes with funding from Liberation 75.

Photographs: A-Level photography students, Hautlieu School
Design and concept: Martin Toft, with support from Patrick Cahill
Editing and sequencing: Martin Toft
Text: Timothy Le Cocq, The Bailiff of Jersey, Martin Toft
Newsprint, 52 pages, 420mm(h) x 561mm(w)
Colour and black and white photographs 
Printer: KP Services (Jersey) Ltd
Published by: Jersey Evening Post
Publication date: 24 April 2020
Print run: 12,0000