Longis is a settlement in the south-east of

Alderney Alderney (; french: Aurigny ; Auregnais: ) is the northernmost of the inhabited Channel Islands. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown dependency. It is long and wide. The island's area is , making it the third-larges ...

in the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey ...

, United Kingdom. It has a beach, an island fort, a nature reserve, and remains of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

and prehistoric occupation.

Roman fort

In Longis, there is a small Roman fort, dating back to the 4th century AD. It is known locally as The Nunnery. Though it was originally suspected to be a Roman fort, this assertion was not proved until 2011 when an archaeological dig affirmed the presence of Roman architecture. After the Romans left Alderney, the nunnery had no evidence of use again until the Middle Ages through to the

Tudor period The Tudor period occurred between 1485 and 1603 in England and Wales and includes the Elizabethan period during the reign of Elizabeth I until 1603. The Tudor period coincides with the dynasty of the House of Tudor in England that began with t ...

. It later became home to the Governors of Alderney. After the excavations, it became an Alderney visitors centre. During the

German occupation of the Channel Islands The military occupation of the Channel Islands by Nazi Germany lasted for most of the Second World War, from 30 June 1940 until liberation on 9 May 1945. The Bailiwick of Jersey and Bailiwick of Guernsey are two island countries and Briti ...

, the Nazis used The Nunnery as a barracks for German soldiers.

Occupation

During the Nazi occupation, an anti-tank wall was constructed at Longis on the beach. The site at Longis provides evidence of

forced labour under German rule during World War II The use of slave and forced labour in Nazi Germany (german: Zwangsarbeit) and throughout German-occupied Europe during World War II took place on an unprecedented scale. It was a vital part of the German economic exploitation of conquered te ...

, with several slave labourers being buried in mass graves underneath Longis Common. The graves were under threat following a plan to link the electric grids of the United Kingdom, France and Alderney that would pass through the gravesite. The licences for the project were approved by the

States of Guernsey The States of Guernsey (french: États de Guernesey), sometimes referred to as the Government of Guernsey, is the parliament and government of the British Crown dependency of Guernsey. Some laws and ordinances approved by the States of Guer ...

, however the

States of Alderney The States of Alderney (French: ''États d'Aurigny'') is the parliament/council and the legislature of Alderney, part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey. The origin of the States is unknown, but has operated from the medieval period. The States of A ...

refused planning permission on the grounds that it would disturb the graves.

References

{{Alderney topics , state=collapsed Geography of Alderney