The History Islands Paul Darroch

Welcome to another episode of the History Islands, continuing the true story of one of Jersey’s most famous daughters. Elinor Sutherland has survived the ordeal of her Channel Islands shipwreck in 1875, and she now begins her ascent to the heights of Hollywood.
This episode is adapted from my second book Jersey: Secrets of the Sea. 
Music courtesy of Epidemic Sound (Chariots by Gavin Luke).
Photo of Elinor Glyn from Wikimedia Commons / George Grantham Bain collection at the Library of Congress. 

Let me introduce you to Lucy and Elinor. They are two sisters growing up in St Helier, at the height of the Victorian age, in an unhappy home that reeked with the stench of gin.
Through fierce determination, both girls would make their mark on the twentieth century. Their paths would take them from that dreary house on Colomberie to the glittering catwalks of New York and the sun-drenched boulevards of Hollywood respectively. 
Yet their story almost ended before it had begun. Turn the clock back, and we meet two frightened little girls, on a black steamship, heading home to Jersey in the night. It has been an uneventful voyage so far, but history has other plans.
Extract from my book Jersey: Secrets of the Sea by Paul Darroch.
Music credit: Chariots by Gavin Luke Courtesy of Epidemic Sound.

The wind dropped like a stone. Then the fires of hell burst down over Grouville Bay. A dragon's flame seared across the sky, pointing the way to a glistening but fatal treasure. 
This is a Jersey legend of unearthly signs and human greed. It is based on a morality tale first published by William Creed in 1595, at the height of the seafaring Elizabethan age. 
The extract features in my book Jersey: Secrets of the Sea.

Welcome to Series Two of the History Islands.
In this episode I tell the story of the SS Stella, a tragic Victorian shipwreck. As the ship sank fast on the razor reef of the Casquets, the heroism of stewardess Mary Ann Rogers would save many lives.
You can discover a brace of maritime tales from Jersey's past in my second book, Jersey: Secrets of the Sea.
 

We conclude our multi-part series on the life of Harry Vardon, one of the greatest golfers in history. We rejoin him in New York City in 1900, on the brink of global fame. The boy from Grouville in Jersey would go on to ignite a wave of enthusiasm for golf in America. 
Vardon's life was a blend of professional triumph and heartbreaking personal tragedy. The world he knew has passed into history. Yet over a century since his six Open victories, his record stands unbroken. 

Harry Vardon was born in Jersey and went on to become one of the greatest golfers of all time. This episode continues his story of heartbreaking personal tragedy and breathtaking professional triumph. It opens in the mist-shrouded streets of St Helier and ends in the lavish opulence of the finest hotel in New York City. 
[Sensitivity warning: contains themes of baby loss and bereavement].