Evacuation of civilians from the Channel Islands in 1940 opened up an evacuation account for each of the Bailiwicks of Guernsey and Jersey, to which certain costs could be charged, such as the cost of the evacuation ships, rail travel and the education costs of children. There were concerns over helping Channel Island private schools with their costs as British private schools received no help when evacuated from cities. From the people who had left the Channel Islands in 1939-40 and been evacuated in 1940, over 10,000 islanders served with Allied forces. A higher percentage of serving people from the islands had died per head of pre-war population than
German fortification of Guernsey Guernsey comprising: Commanding Officer of the German garrison, Lieutenant-General Graf von Schmettow, nephew of Gerd von Rundstedt commander of OB West (Commander-in-Chief West), ordered the writing of a 500-page book that described the fortifications in great detail, illustrated with maps, photographs and coloured drawings. A copy was destined for Hitler. The chapters from the original book have been reproduced in a set of ten paperbacks. "Festung Guernsey" (fortress Guernsey). Whether the Islands were impregnable was never tested, except for "Battery Bluecher" in Alderney. Alderney was considered too well-protected against aircraft attack so HMS Rodney was tasked with shelling it. "Rodney"