Sarnia Cherie

The anthem can be heard on a number of occasions each year, every 9 May Liberation Day,[1] at Island Games gold medal ceremonies,[1] the annual Viaër Marchi community festival in July, inter-island sporting events, etc.

[2][3] It was first performed at St. Julian's Theatre (which later became Gaumont Cinema[2][4] and then an office complex[2]) at a benefit night in November 1911 by Wilfred Shirvell, a local hotelier and friend of Deighton.

[2] During the Nazi occupation of the Channel Islands in World War II, the song gained even greater recognition as a local anthem,[2][5] and it was sung in the later years of the occupation and as British troops liberated the island on 9 May 1945,[6] including by groups of Guernsey evacuees all over the UK, as far as Glasgow.

[1] In 2005, the then Chief Minister of Guernsey, Laurie Morgan, called for an updated version of the song, which was abandoned after it met with near-universal opposition.

[citation needed] On 30 June 2009, a CD of 13 renditions of the song was released after an effort spearheaded by local campaigner Roy Sarre, who stated that "it wasn't easy getting copies of Sarnia Cherie".

Thy voice calls me ever, in waking, or sleep, Till my soul cries with anguish, my eyes ache to weep.

Thy rock sheltered bays, ah; of all thou art best, I'm returning to greet thee, dear island of rest.

Sarnia, chière patrie, bijou d'la maïr, Ile plloinne dé biautai, dans d'iaoue si cllaire Ta vouaix m'appeule terjous, mon tcheur plloin d'envie, Et mon âme té crie en poine, mes iars voudraient t'veis.

Sàns saver ta valeur, j'm'en fus en colère, Je v'yagis si llian, à l'aute but dé la terre.

Nous 'tait tous amis et i fit bal chaque jeur, Mais ta vouaix m'applait terjours, a m'déteurtait l'tcheur.