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Mrs Stella Le Tissier interviewed by Margaret Le Cras 25/4/05
Edited transcript of recording

As you know, in the Churches, and in the Chapels, we continued, because they didn’t stop the services, but nothing was to be mentioned of the King or Queen or anything of England. So it was very cautious at first. But when it was the Anniversary, the Harvest Festival, or a wedding, there was no social life, and people used to go, but the services were at four o’clock in the afternoon, or in the very deep winter, half past three. So that we could get home when it was daylight. But, in the Summer, it was ordinary, six or half past six, whatever it was.
But another thing I wanted to say, at every service at Torteval — because I don’t know if they did at other places — well we went, because if there was anything special, [patois interjection] the places were packed, Emmanuel, Les Adaums, Rocquaine had no anniversaries but we supported them if they had something, you know, but at Torteval, after every service, - am I going on too long — after every service we sang “Holy Father, in thy mercy, hear our anxious prayer. Keep our loved ones, now far distant, ‘neath thy care”, and I tell you, and I tell you, the tears ran down people’s faces, it was very touching. And I know, at Torteval chapel, a man who was there, when he took the week-night meetings, we’d sing “What a friend we have in Jesus” He’d had his wife deported, and three children, and then he heard in February she’d had another baby, because she went in the June, you see, they didn’t know what was what, she was at a funny age, and, oh, when we were going to Chapel he came, and he was so excited, he was behind us, he said, “Oh We’ve got a baby girl” and that baby girl is working at Gabriel’s and she’s Dorothy Snell.

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