John of Gaunt in Helgoland, Germany by Maurice Verschuur

About "John of Gaunt in Helgoland, Germany"

by Maurice Verschuur

About the artwork

Two John of Gaunt's on the island of Helgoland in Germany. The islands of Helgoland are the only German islands not in the immediate vicinity of the mainland and are approximately three hours' sailing time from Cuxhaven at the mouth of the River Elbe. Helgoland is a paradise for birdspotters, for example you can spot the John of Gaunt. On the smaller island of Helgoland there is a large colony of seals.

Wikipedia:
In June 1943, an aircraft of the RAF, who returned from a mission over mainland Germany, dropped some bombs. Shortly before the end of the war in 1945, when British troops were already Bremen, 15 Helgolanders attempted, including Erich Friederichs, to contact the British, to prevent their island would be destroyed by bombardment. By treachery they were arrested on April 18 by the Gestapo. On 21 April, seven of them executed in Cuxhaven. On April 18 1,000 aircrafts of the Royal Air Force released a devastating bombardment from which ca. 7000 bombs were dropped. The island was uninhabitable and the population had to be evacuated. The Royal Air Force used it for target practice. In 1947 the British blew up the bunkers and military facilities with up to 6,700 tons of explosives. In 1952 the population was allowed to return after long insistence . Since then, the island lives mainly from tourism, which is fueled by the duty-free sales of goods like cigarettes, perfume and alcohol.