A couple discovered a World War II Nazi bunker – underneath their home. (Image: undefined)
A couple uncovered a World War II Nazi bunker – beneath their home.
Shaun Tullier, 35, and wife Caroline, 32, relocated to their new property and commenced renovations.
They were astonished to uncover a substantial bunker featuring two large chambers and a corridor – complete with German inscriptions on the walls.
One of the messages scrawled was “achtung feind hort mit” – which translates to “beware, the enemy is listening”.
The pair from Torteval, Guernsey, relocated to their residence in October 2021.
Shaun revealed they were aware of the location being utilised as a German gun emplacement.
Nevertheless there was always “a suspicion” there was something else present.
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German forces occupied the Channel Islands from 1940 until 1945 (Image: undefined)
How did this Nazi bunker end up in British soil?
German forces occupied the Channel Islands from 1940 until 1945 and, under Adolf Hitler’s orders, transformed the islands into an “impregnable fortress”.
Shaun said: “I was born in Guernsey, so I always knew about bunkers, but when Guernsey people came back to Guernsey after the war, they wanted to fill all the bunkers up.
“A lot of people still have bunkers here, but they are down the road and in gardens – not underneath the house!”
“You just never knew what state these bunkers are in – where they are, how deep they are – you can’t start digging all round just to try and find out.
“We knew the actual foundation of the house had been utilised as a German gun storage – but what we didn’t know is if there were any rooms.
“We always thought, ‘imagine that!’ but we had no factual information around it.”
Shaun, a carpenter by trade, initially wanted to convert his front garden into a turning point. He and his partner dug it up and gravelled it over during the works.
SWNS_GERMAN_BUNKER_036_087977.jpg (Image: undefined)
Willkommen home
In the meantime, Shaun crafted some chopping boards to sell on Facebook marketplace. It was then that the previous owner of the house contacted him, recognising the distinctive pink kitchen in the photos.
He recalled: “The old owner of the house got in touch with me – as she recognised the very pink kitchen in the photos.
“She said, oh did you find the rooms below your house!”
“I then replied, ‘oh, so there are rooms!’, to which she said, ‘yes, we used to play in there when we were kids, my dad filled it in – I know they’re at the front of the house.”
Intrigued by this revelation, Shaun told his wife they would have to dig up the drive again, just a week after laying it down.
He shared the news with a friend who was equally excited about the prospect, saying: “I told my friend about the news, and he thought it sounded ace – so replied, if you get the digger, I’ll dig it up!”.
Dig for victory
They ended up excavating 100 tonnes of ground before they found the entrance to the bunker.
The underground structure consisted of two main rooms measuring 17ft by 10ft and 17ft by 20ft, and a hallway which is 30ft by four ft wide. The depth from ground level to the floor of the bunker is 26ft.
Among the items they discovered were numerous old bottles, rubble, water, a tiled floor, an escape hatch and German writing on the walls.
Shaun described the discovery as “completely wild”.
He said: “You can’t really put it into words.
“It is history and it’s good to have but I couldn’t have imagined going through that – it really puts you back, especially when you go down.
They were astonished to uncover a substantial bunker featuring two large chambers and a corridor (Image: undefined)
“It’s cold and damp.
“The people doing it, they didn’t have a choice. It’s not just rooms for us, it’s a part of history.”
A concrete idea
Throughout the project, the family ended up installing 80 tonnes of concrete for the walls and steps, and they continue transforming the bunker into a games room – complete with a snooker table and gymnasium.
They are preserving the German writing on the walls too, and hope to have flooring installed and the bunker decorated by November this year.
Shaun added: “It’s not something you find everyday!”.
“We are definitely keeping the writing – and might get someone that can calligraphy it back on, otherwise it gets lost. Even the air getting to it has faded it a bit.
The family ended up installing 80 tonnes of concrete for the walls and steps (Image: undefined)
“So in that way we can kind of frame it.
“My wife is not great, she wants the house done – not the bunker!”.
“But I have promised everyone a halloween party down there for the last three years, so fingers crossed it’s happening this year – it’s my duty to uphold.”
Dark history
During the Occupation, hundreds of islanders were deported to prisons in Europe and many who remained on the islands nearly starved.
Guernsey and Jersey were liberated when occupation ended on 9 May 1945. Sark was freed a day later, whilst Alderney, where the majority of islanders had been compelled to abandon their homes, did not see their return until 15 December 1945.
Nowadays, islanders commemorate the termination of the German occupation with Liberation Day festivities in Guernsey, Jersey and Sark, as well as Homecoming Day in Alderney.