TODAY we're going to hear some of the stories of Guernsey evacuees who escaped the Channel Islands' German occupation by coming to Weymouth.

Saturday (20) marks the 75th anniversary of the Guernsey Evacuation .

In June 1940, 17,000 people were evacuated from Guernsey, to Weymouth, just days before their island was occupied by Germany

The evacuation ships reached Weymouth where the evacuees sat for hours, waiting for permission to disembark.

As Winifred Le Page stepped onto dry land, she was approached by French interpreters, “They didn't think we could speak English. One person said 'We thought you'd all be in grass skirts', and that upset us all, I can tell you!”

The evacuees were led into the Pavilion Theatre where they registered their details, received refreshments and underwent a medical inspection.

Gavin Dorey recalled, "Goodness knows what they were trying to detect, but perhaps, as refugees from a distant land we were under automatic suspicion of having exotic diseases like leprosy or beri beri.

Hazel Hall still possesses her medical label which stated 'NAD' – Nothing abnormal detected.

Miss Grace Fry travelled as a helper with Vauvert School, and as her group registered, an air raid began: “The children and I were pushed out of the building onto a bus, then to my horror, the driver locked the door and disappeared.

"We were there for about an hour, I had given up. Then the driver unlocked the door and said 'Out!' I had to feel with my foot under the seats in the dark to check whether I had all the children or not.”

Gladys Merrien was searching for her husband who had promised to follow her.

Her daughter Beryl recalls, “Someone told Mum that Dad was staying in Guernsey to look after our house and business.

Also, many animals in the islands were being shot at that time. So Dad was reluctant to leave his horse, Laddie, as he would have to shoot it.”

Guernsey men of military age were dealt with separately. Between eight and ten thousand islanders joined the British Forces, athough it was not compulsory for them to do so.

Because the South coast was experiencing air raids the evacuees were quickly moved away from Weymouth, by train, to Lancashire, Cheshire and Yorkshire where accommodation could be provided.

Miss Grace Fry recalled, “Soldiers began to push the children onto a train which started to move.

One soldier grabbed my hand and said 'Can you run?' A steward appeared in at the open train door, the soldier pushed me into his arms, then off we went. We had no idea where we were going.”

On 28 June, news that Germany had bombed Guernsey's harbour reached England and no more ships were sent to collect evacuees.

On 30 June, Guernsey was occupied by Germany and thousands of people's lives were changed forever.