States' staff volunteered 20 hours of time to help get Victoria Tower air raid siren replaced, FoI request shows
- Victoria Tower's 50-year-old air raid siren was replaced for £3,375 after failing during November 2024 Remembrance ceremony
- Original unit from the 1970s deemed beyond economic repair due to age and weather exposure
- Replacement serves ceremonial purpose only, sounding on Liberation Day and Remembrance Day to mark periods of silence
- States employees volunteered 20 hours of personal time for installation work, with minimal paid staff hours required
- New siren expected to last 50 years with annual visual inspections by States Property Unit
A replacement air raid siren was installed at Victoria Tower for approximately £3,375 after the previous unit failed during a Remembrance ceremony in November 2024.
Education, Sport & Culture disclosed the costs and details of the replacement in response to a Freedom of Information request submitted in April.
The original siren, believed to have been installed in the 1970s, failed to sound in November 2024 due to its age and prolonged weather exposure. Officials determined the unit was beyond economic repair.
The total project cost included £2,875 for purchasing and posting the replacement siren, and approximately £500 for crane hire and traffic management. Additional work, including installation, risk assessments, method statements, lifting plans, road closures and signage, was undertaken by States employees in their own time at zero cost.
Research was conducted on the previous siren using historic images, as access to the upper floor of Victoria Tower is restricted. Officials made local enquiries to locate suitable replacements in private ownership, but none were found. Further searches identified a matching, fully refurbished unit available from a specialist supplier in the UK.
The Committee declined to name the specialist siren provider or crane hire company, citing commercial confidentiality protections under the Freedom of Information Code.
Decommissioning the siren was considered, but officials decided replacement was justified given the siren's ceremonial role in commemorating Guernsey's liberation from occupation and fallen military personnel, combined with the low cost of the solution.
Refurbishment of the existing siren was also evaluated but identified as more expensive and time-consuming than replacement, with no guarantee of success. Attempting refurbishment would have required two separate road closures and crane hires for removal and reinstallation.
Given the low costs involved, officials determined a formal business case was not necessary.
Background and history
Victoria Tower was erected in 1848 to commemorate the historic 1846 visit of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to Guernsey, marking the first time a reigning monarch had set foot on the island. The foundation stone was laid on 27 May 1848 by Major General John Bell during a large ceremony, and the tower cost £2000 to build, funded by public subscription. Following structural problems in 1999, the tower was closed to the public and was not re-opened until 24 May 2006, Queen Victoria's birthday. More than £300,000 was spent on repointing work at Victoria Tower in 2016, addressing damp problems caused by voids in the walls and previous repointing with cement. The tower's association with commemoration deepened through the twentieth century. Air raid sirens were first installed across Guernsey in 1937 and fulfilled their intended purpose in 1940 when German forces bombed tomato trucks at St Peter Port harbour. The Channel Islands endured German occupation from 30 June 1940 until liberation on 9 May 1945. On 8 May 1945 the war in Europe ended and HMS Bulldog arrived in Guernsey to receive the German surrender, with British soldiers from Force 135 landing on 9 May to take back control. The air raid sirens were decommissioned as an emergency alert system in 2010, but the Victoria Tower siren remained solely for commemorative purposes. The previous siren had been installed at Victoria Tower since the 1970s, making it approximately 50 years old when it failed in November 2024.
The siren serves a purely ceremonial function and does not form part of any emergency alert system. On Liberation Day, the warning siren sounds at 08:59 for one minute before two minutes of silence, followed by the all-clear siren at 09:02 for one minute. The same protocol is followed on Remembrance Day, commencing at 10:59.
The sounding of the siren is included in the Liberation Day programme and clearly advertised. Guernsey Museum management staff are responsible for operating it.
No further testing is currently planned. The new siren was tested during installation and successfully used on Liberation Day this year.
Officials conducted no assessment of noise or public impact, noting the installation reinstated a previous function rather than introducing new equipment.
The Committee has received no negative feedback following installation. A small number of online comments on States of Guernsey social media posts suggested the sounding of the siren is valued for its authenticity and emotional resonance.
Based on the lifespan of the previous unit, the replacement siren is expected to last approximately 50 years. The States Property Unit holds maintenance responsibility and will conduct annual visual inspections as part of routine activity.
The work was completed by Guernsey Museums in conjunction with the States Property Unit. No other heritage organisations were consulted, as officials deemed this unnecessary for a replacement siren. The previous siren has been retained.
The project required a total of three working hours from a States Property Unit officer. A Special Constable assisted with traffic management whilst the crane was in use. Less than one hour in total was needed for communications with the media and TETRA management, handled by two different officers.
Five officers from the Museum Service and States Property Unit volunteered approximately 20 hours of personal time to complete various aspects of procurement and installation work.
Operational responsibility for Victoria Tower falls under Education, Sport & Culture, with Guernsey Museum staff responsible for sounding the siren. The replacement was purchased by Guernsey Museums.
Maintenance of both Victoria Tower and the siren falls under the remit of the Policy & Resources Committee and is managed by the States Property Unit.
Q&A
Q: Why was the Victoria Tower siren replaced?
A: The original siren, believed to have been installed in the 1970s, failed to sound in November 2024 due to its age and prolonged weather exposure. It was determined to be beyond economic repair.
Q: When is the siren used?
A: The siren is used for ceremonial purposes on Liberation Day and Remembrance Day. On both occasions, the warning siren sounds at one minute before two minutes of silence, followed by the all-clear siren one minute after the silence ends.
Q: How much did the replacement cost?
A: The total cost was approximately £3,375, including £2,875 for purchasing and posting the siren and around £500 for crane hire and traffic management. Additional work was completed by States employees volunteering their personal time at zero cost.
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