But when Colin Griffiths’ son Simon moved into his new home in Grouville recently there was a more unusual find lurking in the loft – and one which has now prompted the family to appeal for help from Islanders.
The family discovered an unusual board game based on life in Jersey during the Occupation, and, according to Jersey Heritage – which has never seen anything like it before – it may provide an insight into Islanders’ coping mechanisms during the war.
The game looks like a Monopoly board with instructions and forfeits which are completely unique to the Occupation.
The board is also marked as being as sold in the Red Triangle Store – in the Central Market – and printed in Jersey by Ashelford Printers.
Colin, a retired RAF pilot who lives in St Martin, said he now wants to find someone who might have come across the game before.
‘I have never seen anything like this in my life, it is so interesting but we have no real idea about the previous owner of the house or the history of game,’ said Mr Griffiths (72).
He added: ‘The forfeits are just fantastic such as “You have been caught by the Germans, go straight to Gloucester Street”, which is where the old prison used to be.’
Other instructions ask the players to collect their rations of two eggs and move forward or to ‘go back to the start’ as they have been found in a military position after hours.
The blurb on the front cover of the game asks the player to ‘Laugh your troubles away by playing Occupation – Novel! Exciting! A Riot of Laughter! – Play it and tell your friends about it and cheer them up as well’.
Val Nelson of Jersey Heritage said that while it would have been difficult to print something like the game during the war she has come across theatre programmes from 1944 printed in Jersey by the same group as the game.
‘We haven’t got anything like this in our archives and it’s difficult to know whether it was printed during or after the Occupation. Either way it’s an interesting example of how people use black humour as a coping mechanism,’ she said.
Anyone with information about the game is asked to contact Colin Griffiths on griff.colin@gmail.com
