ESCAPE FROM GUERNSEY

BASIL NOYON – Escape from Guernsey

This little piece of history was related to me by an elderly lady as part of her incredible life memories: She was very excited when I last visited, knowing that again, she had remembered a truly memorable fact. Whilst stories often get enhanced with the telling, this after a little research, I think is probably true.

“During the war we had some guests; Basil Noyon, his wife and two children.”

“Basil was a resident of Guernsey, a Fruit Grower. During the the German occupation he stole a boat and sailed with his wife and two children to England, landing on the South Coast. He was immediately sent to the Admiralty for de-briefing and then transferred to work with my husband in Birkenhead as a Lieutenant. My husband always thought he was either very brave or very foolhardy to make such a voyage. The family stayed with us until accommodation was found for them and after the war they returned to Guernsey. We visited them in the early 1950's.”

NEW INFORMATION: "The family had a boat, it would have been a sailing boat (yacht) and they all had use of it.  Basil was part of a large and important island family.  Apparently a family member was shot by the Nazi's and Basil could no longer bear the burden of living on the island.  I am sure it was 1944, when they stayed with us. One of their children was called Bruce.

WHO WAS BASIL NOYON?

I have searched the internet for reports of Basil Noyon escaping Guernsey with his family but only one person of that names appeared, a Captain Fredrick William Noyon.

Frederick William Noyon, a mercantile captain working in 1944 as a fisherman,

escaped from the island. He managed to fool the Germans who always accompanied the fishing boats and and sailed to England, landing at Weymouth. This was in
response to the extreme hardship being faced by the Islanders as food and medical supplies had diminished to a dangerous level and his representations in England resulted in supplies being sent.

Source: Policing During the Occupation, 1940-1945 – Albert Peter Lamy MBE BEM QPM

There is also reference to a Fred William Noyon escaping to England in the Channel Islands Educational Broadcast Series, “Memories of the Occupation”

Was Frederick William Noyon the same person as Basil Noyon? Further research about Captain Frederick William Noyon highlights that in 1932 he was awarded a gallantry award for rescuing men from a vessel in the mouth of Thames. In the 1911 census, I located Frederick Noyon born 1879 in Guernsey, occupation Pilot. Considering his age, it can presumed that he is not the Noyon we are searching for.

LOCATING BASIL NOYON

My next task was to prove the existence of Basil Noyon. This was exasperated by a transcription error but persistence proved very fruitful. On the 1911 census I found a Basil Noyon son of John Noyon, a Fruit Grower born St Sampsons, Vale, Guernsey. Furthermore, from an announcement in the Telegraph, May 2008, it is noted that Captain John David Noyon MN, born 23 April 1936, St Sampsons, Guernsey – died 11 May 2008 was the son of the late Basil and Marion Noyon. John David Noyon would have been one of the children, who accompanied his parents and sibling on their dangerous adventure to escape Guernsey.

It is well known that life was unbearable for many Islanders on Guernsey during the occupation. Basil Noyon, brave or foolhardy, decided to escape with his family, facing the threat of minefields, U-boats, dangerous seas and the knowledge that they would be shot if caught. I can only presume that he had knowledge of seamanship as he was later seconded to the Royal Navy as a junior officer.

The final question is why is there no documentation readily available.

Whilst Frederick William Noyon left the Island in agreement with the Island Police Force on a mission to get food and medical aid, it is likely, that Basil Noyon and family absconded by stealing a boat without anyone knowing, with the exception of perhaps his close family. Escapes were not reported in the national press for fear of reprisal to relatives remaining behind.

If anyone reading this has information, please leave a comment – thank you.