The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society featurette: watch islanders share their memories of the Nazi occupation

A new film sheds light on one of the darkest moments in the history of the British isles: the Nazi occupation of the Channel Islands during the Second World War.

Based on a 2008 novel of the same name, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society stars Lily James as a young author who visits Guernsey and learns from the islanders about their quiet acts of resistance against the Nazis.

In a new featurette from the makers of the film, real Guernsey residents share their memories of the war. Half the population of the island were evacuated, while those who remained would frequently have their homes ransacked by German officers, hunting for hidden radios and other contraband items.

"We never gave the Germans anything," recalls Guernsey resident Renaud de Garis. "We kept it to ourselves – kept everything hidden."

The title of the film hints at the fact that the islanders were reduced to inventing recipes from leftovers, such as potato cake and potato sponge, after supplies from the mainland were cut off. 

With rations short, in 1944 the Germans were forced to contact the international Red Cross to beg for food. "Everyone was starving – absolutely starving – including, of course, the German troops," says Diana Nicole, who was evacuated from the island during the war.

Directed by Mike Newell (Four Weddings and a Funeral), the film's supporting cast includes Tom Courtenay and Penelope Wilton as members of a secret book club that would meet during the war.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society is released on Friday April 20