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William John Corbet (born 14 August 1881) was a Guernsey born pilot and World War II hero.
Born in Vale, Guernsey, Channel Islands, William Corbet was a member of the notable Corbet family of the Channel Islands.
Corbet served in World War I with the 2nd Royal Engineers in Wearside, Newcastle. His soldier number was 133579. He was honourably discharged in 1921.
Corbet was living back in Vale, Guernsey, Channel Islands when on 28 June 1940 the Germans invaded Guernsey and subsequently occupied the Channel Islands. Corbet was working as a Sea Pilot and Fisherman at the time. Within 3 years living conditions in Guernsey became almost unbearable and with his wife who was ill at the time and in need of medical assistance he decided to escape the island. He snuck minuscule amounts of gas fuel over a period of approximately one years accumulating enough to fill his vessel engine without the Germans noticing.
On Saturday 14 August 1943 at approximately 3:30PM William Corbet set off from the Parish of St. Sampson's in his privately owned fishing vessel which measured 18 feet in length. He sailed near the rocky coastline harbour retrieving six other Guernsey residents where he arranged for them to board his vessel. In total 7 people boarded Corbet's boat "Kate". The other residents of the island were: Gertrude Corbet, Grace Le Morellec (Corbet's mother-in-law), Jack Hubert, Alfred Bougourd, and Mr. and Mrs Herbert Le Page.
Corbet sailed quietly under the bright light of the moon drifting aimlessly after his engine broke down. The English Channel was eerily calm that night. In one instance the vessel passed dangerously by several German E-Boats and operation search lights but luckily Corbet and passengers were not seen; everyone hiding under blackened tarpaulins.
Within 24 hours Corbet's vessel boat was spotted by a Royal Naval minesweeper who quickly identified the occupants as allies and safely brought the small vessel to the port of Dartmouth, England. Corbet was questioned by Royal Navy as were the six other escapees. Vital information from Corbet was supplied to the Royal Air Force about the poor living conditions under German occupation in Guernsey citing hunger, health issues and torture. This information proved vital to the Red Cross which helped in sending more humanitarian care to the island.
Corbet credited his engineering abilities during World War I and his piloting skills in devising and safely reaching England. The British Admiralty offered an Honourable Commission to William Corbet but due to his wife's illness and advanced age he gratefully declined it.
Once the German Forces found out about Corbet's escape a number of actions took place. The home and land of the escapees were confiscated and family arrested for questioning. Tighter rules were employed as to fishing licenses and curfews strictly enforced. [1]
Corbet lived out his final years in England rarely discussing his escape. No credit was given by the States of Guernsey to Corbet for the information he provided to the British Forces which aided in assisting the island in receiving better care and conditions.
William John Corbet died having changed the spelling of his surname from the use of one 't' to two (Corbett).
The history of Guernsey stretches back with evidence of Neolithic occupation, followed by Roman occupation. Christianity was brought to Guernsey by St Sampson.
A cutter is a name for various types of watercraft. It can apply to the rig of a sailing vessel, to a governmental enforcement agency vessel, to a type of ship's boat which can be used under sail or oars, or, historically, to a type of fast-sailing vessel introduced in the 18th century, some of which were used as small warships.
A pilot boat is a type of boat used to transport maritime pilots between land and the inbound or outbound ships that they are piloting. Pilot boats were once sailing boats that had to be fast because the first pilot to reach the incoming ship got the business. Today, pilot boats are scheduled by telephoning the ship agents/representatives prior to arrival.
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The 1993 Cherbourg incident were a series of maritime incidents which took place from 26 March to 2 April 1993 between the British Royal Navy and French fishermen as a result of a fishing rights dispute in and around the Channel Islands waters.
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The evacuation of civilians from the Channel Islands in 1940 was an organised, partial, nautical evacuation of Crown dependencies in the Channel Islands, primarily from Jersey, Guernsey, and Alderney to Great Britain during World War II. The evacuation occurred in phases, starting with school aged children, their teachers, and mother volunteers. The islands and the British military began the evacuation following the Allies' loss in the Battle of France, after which the British Army withdrew from the islands.
The Channel Islands, Crown Dependencies of the United Kingdom, were occupied during the Second World War by Nazi Germany, from 30 June 1940 until May 1945. They were liberated by British forces following the general German surrender.
The island of Guernsey has been fortified for several thousand years, the number of defence locations and complexity of the defence increasing with time, manpower and the improvements in weapons and tactics.
Thomas Francis McManus was a fish merchant who became a naval architect, responsible for introducing the shortened bowsprit and long stern overhang to give speed to his vessels. He was well known for revolutionizing the Gloucester fishing schooner. He made the fastest vessels of their type in the world and was honored on two continents for his skill as a naval architect. He became known as the "Father of the Fishermen's Races." 500 fishing schooners used his designs to improve speed. He was a friend of Sir Thomas Lipton and President Theodore Roosevelt.
Rear-Admiral Samuel Jackson was a Royal Navy officer of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Jackson joined the Royal Navy in 1790 and served before the French Revolutionary War in the cutter HMS Kite. He transferred in 1793 to the frigate HMS Romulus, in which he participated in the Siege of Toulon. After having served for a while in the Mediterranean Jackson transferred with the captain of Romulus, John Sutton, to the ship of the line HMS Egmont. In her Jackson fought in 1795 at the battles of Genoa and the Hyères Islands. In 1796, having been promoted to lieutenant and still in Egmont, Jackson was integral in the saving of the entire crew of the ship of the line HMS Bombay Castle off the Tagus during a large storm. In the following year he fought at the Battle of Cape St. Vincent and with Horatio Nelson at the Assault on Cádiz.
