Guernsey WW2 liberation hero honoured in sculpture

A Guernsey schoolboy turned war hero is to be honoured in a bronze sculpture planned for a naval dockyard in England.

The Coastal Forces Memorial at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard will depict Guernsey's decorated officer, Lieutenant Commander Robert Hitchens, and Seaman Seymour Pike poised on the bows of a motor gunboat alongside Eve Branson - a signaller from the former Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS), known as the Wrens.

It is thought to be the first-ever full statue of a Royal Navy Wren.

Lieutenant Governor of Jersey Sir Jerry Kyd said it would "serve as a very fitting tribute to all those who served at sea with such distinction in Coastal Forces". It is set to be unveiled in 2027.

Coastal Forces was a specialised division of the Royal Navy during World War One and World War Two.

Coinciding with Guernsey's Liberation Day on Saturday, the Coastal Forces Heritage Trust said it was launching a campaign to raise £100,000 for the work by sculptor Amy Goodman.

"Conducting extremely risky missions Coastal Forces displayed impressive daring and resolve throughout the Second World War," said Kyd.

The Channel Islands, which is marking Liberation Day on Friday and Saturday, were the only part of the British Isles to be occupied by Nazi Germany during World War Two.

It turned the surrounding waters into a "frontline", the Coastal Forces Heritage Trust said, where Coastal Forces crews carried out dangerous missions near occupied shores.

Raids, convoy interceptions and reconnaissance sorties, as well as "fierce firefights" with enemy coastal forces, were often aided by the Royal Naval Volunteer reserve (RNVR), who were civilian volunteers.

Hitchens was known for his "extraordinary courage" in dangerous night-time operations, said the charity, which is partnering with the Portsmouth Historic Quarter on the project.

He lived in Havelet House in Guernsey - now the Hotel de Havelet - as a boy in the 1920s and became a skilled sailor, adept at navigating the Channel Islands' waters and tides.

"His strong personal connection to the islands further strengthened his resolve in the fight against German Occupation," the charity added.

Alongside him will be a signaller based on leading seaman Seymour Pike, a young sailor who played a crucial role in the St Nazaire Raid.

The other figure in the work will be modelled on the late Eve Branson, who served as a signaller during World War Two and was the mother of British tycoon Sir Richard Branson.

Wrens filled a variety of roles left by men between 1917 and 1993, serving in both world wars.

"Together, the figures are intended to capture not just individual bravery, but the teamwork, skill and determination that defined Coastal Forces operations," the charity said.

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