During the Spring of 2000 the C.I.O.S. (Jersey) was approached and asked if it would like to care for one of the two-storey bunkers forming part of the “Kernwerk” or “Battle Headquarters” for Jersey at Coin Varin in St. Peter. Built in one of the fields formerly farmed by the Romeril family at “Oaklands”, off the Rue de St. Anastase, the field and bunker were being retained by Mrs. Olive Romeril who was selling the family home and its remaining lands. “Oaklands” was being restored into a large luxury home, and whilst Mrs. Romeril did not wish to see the bunker opened to the public on a regular basis, which would be to the detriment of the new owner of her former home, she was eager that it should be secured and kept safe.

The Kernwerk sprawls over 21 acres of farm land within its own “defence sector” of almost 800 acres, on high ground bounded to the east of St. Peter’s Valley from as far south as Tesson and as far north as Gigoulande, and extending eastwards to the valley immediately west of St. Lawrence Parish Hall. Around the perimeter of the defence sector were dug long runs of slit trenches of which significant sections remain, but all on private land, and three 3.7cm anti-aircraft guns were mounted on concrete pedestals to the immediate north of the bunkers. At the most extreme southerly point of the defence sector stood a battery of 6 x 8.8cm Flak guns and 2 x 2cm Flak guns. Three two-storey bunkers were built, one for the Fortress Commander, one for the Infantry Regimental Commander and the third for the Artillery Commander. Additionally, two telecommunications bunkers were built, one for the artillery and one for the infantry, together with an underground water reservoir and pumping bunker to supply the Kernwerk. From the Kernwerk, underground telephone cables were laid to all infantry strongpoints, observation posts and artillery batteries. Direct lines were also laid to connect to Guernsey and Paris, the latter enabling telephonic communication on to Berlin.

Of the three “commander’s” bunkers, one is incorporated into a private house, and one forms part of one of the Island’s prime visitor attractions and can no longer be visited. Consequently, the opportunity to take over the third bunker, the Infantry Commander’s bunker, was eagerly grasped.

Each of the Commander’s bunkers is a cross between a Type 608 and a Type 609 and thus designated by Mr. Michael Ginns in his book

Jersey’s German Bunkers, as a Type 609 SK, the “SK” standing for “Sonderkonstruction” or “Special Construction”.

For many years the Fire Service had possession of the bunker which they regularly filled with smoke to give serving officers a feel for entering a totally dark smoke-filled house, and during this time the bunker was usually kept secure. It was also kept under the watchful eye of the late Mr. Bert Romeril, and the writer can remember with considerable clarity attempting to enter the bunker years ago without permission and being challenged by the owner who was carrying a 12 bore shotgun and who asked, as politely as is necessary when carrying a loaded gun, if the writer would be kind enough to leave his land - immediately. Argument seemed foolhardy whereas profuse apologies were considered prudent followed by a very rapid departure!

Sadly, in more recent years, the bunker was left open to the public and various fittings disappeared and vandalism occurred.

One Saturday afternoon, soon after gaining possession of the bunker, a temporary light string was installed, connected to a generator, and the bunker was opened to Society members to see what remained. It was found to be quite dry and generally in remarkably good condition, apart from the toilet and ablutions area which had been totally vandalised within the last few years. The staircase, very similar to that at the M.19 bunker at La Corbière, retains its original timber handrail and nicely shaped newel posts, whilst most ventilation trunking and all internal doors are still present, along with the external fortress doors and grille gates. Externally, the bunker was camouflaged to resemble a bungalow with a pitched roof, chimney stacks and rectangular recesses in the external concrete painted to look like windows. These were fitted with shutters, the remnants of which survive.

Society members negotiate the staircase, with its impressive woodwork.

The unfortunate “paintwork” on the handrail was probably placed there by the States of Jersey Fire Service, when the bunker was being used for training purposes (Michael Ginns)

A “clearing” party was organised one Sunday afternoon in February, 2001 to remove two skip loads of assorted post-war rubbish and discarded farm implements from the bunker, give the whole place a thorough sweep out and to clear the weed growth from around the structure. The toilet and ablutions area was excluded from this plan so that a view could be taken on the restoration of the fittings and partitioning to replicate the original.

The response from members to the plea for volunteers to carry out this far from pleasant task was excellent and far more was achieved than had been thought possible.

The “team spirit” was impressive - helped no end when Fortifications Sub-Committee Chairman, Matthew Costard, produced chilled lagers for the volunteers!!

A part of the bunker plan was a dry moat to the front 7’2” (2.20 metres) wide and 32’10” (10 metres) long spanned by two drawbridges, each of which led to a steel grille gate. The metal fittings for the hinges and locking mechanisms remain but the drawbridges themselves, presumably timber, are long gone. The dry moat is covered by the entrance defence loop-hole and includes a hand grenade chute from the entrance defence room. Once shut, the drawbridges would have made the bunker very hard to capture.

Obviously, they would have been easy to burn with a flame thrower but crossing the moat under fire from the entrance defence to attack the grille gate and then to find a locked fortress door at right angles inside blocking the way would have given an assailant a bit of a headache! The present plan is to dig out the moat, in part to investigate whether any of the equipment from the bunker was dumped there in early post-war years, and then to consider whether to refill the moat or to leave it as built. As the bunker would be the only example in Jersey with this feature, it would obviously be desirable.

The only two sources of water penetration into the bunker are the periscope which lacks its periscope tube plug, and the escape shaft through which water has poured during this last wet winter. Past attempts to seal the escape shaft by filling it with soil have merely served to block the drain at its base and a concrete cap placed over the escape shaft at some point in the past has been broken up by vandals who, having destroyed the concrete, must have been upset to find their passage into the bunker blocked by about 18’ of soil and rubble! A new concrete cap has been poured over the top of the escape shaft and the room on the lower floor of the bunker served by the escape shaft is drying out quickly.

It is not the intention of the Society to restore the bunker but to carry out a programme of active preservation to ensure that it does not deteriorate. It is of great interest to those who study the German constructions in the Island but not to people who are peripherally attracted to German fortifications and whose fascination with the Occupation years extends only to bunkers with guns or cannon.

The CIOS (Jersey) was also entrusted with the maintenance of the land in front of the bunker which includes a water pumping station. How this relates to the underground water reservoir for the is unclear but the brick built well-head includes a pump, and during the drought years of 1975-6 the well or bore-hole supplied water to the surrounding fields. Talking to local farmers, one maintains that the pump is original and was left behind in 1945, whilst another claims it was installed in 1975 to reactivate the well. Again, further investigation is necessary.

A permanent light string will be installed, capable of being run off a comparatively small generator, allowing the complex to be opened from time to time for interested parties

A front view of the bunker showing the two entrances.

The concrete lip of the infilled “moat” can just be discerned in the foreground. This area was entirely cleared of vegetation in February, 2001, although by the time this photograph was taken five months later, nature was already creeping back across the threshold! More strimming will evidently be required... (Matthew Costard)

A detail of one of the entrances, with its well-preserved grille gate.

The assembly on the lintel seems to have been used to secure the drawbridge when in a raised position (Matthew Costard)

A side view of the bunker, showing the fake window recess,

and dummy chimney, complete with pots (Matthew Costard)