Bibliography Review - Autumn 2008

At our meeting in May we saw some of the original handwritten journals of Lt-Colonel William Booth, who commanded the Royal Engineers in Jersey for fifteen months at the end of the eighteenth century. Other journals written by Colonel Booth are known to exist, some from his time in Gibraltar, but of particular interest to the Section are those from time served in New Brunswick, Canada, which have recently been published. The possibility of a companion volume, covering his time in Jersey, has a certain appeal.

Group visit to the Priaulx Library

Our visit to the Priaulx Library, originally planned for May, took place on a flat calm day towards the end of August when nine members sailed up to Guernsey with Condor Ferries. We were given a most informative talk about the library and a conducted tour of the building by Miss Amanda Bennett, the Priaulx Librarian, and also a conducted tour of the building.

We were joined on our Priaulx library tour by Mrs Yvonne Ozanne who has recently published a book of personal and family reminiscences about the Guernsey she knew as a child, and on into later life. There are also a series of books, all with Donkey in the title, written in a similar vein by George Torode. All of these books recall a far more relaxed and peaceful way of life and this type of published work is an area we shall be looking at in more detail at one of our forthcoming meetings.

Société members reading this note are reminded that they are always welcome to attend our Section meetings. It is not necessary to have a large personal library to come to meetings neither is it obligatory to bring a book to a meeting, although we always hope that someone will.

David Le Maistre – Chairman