First play for Jersey Liberation hymn

Part of the Jersey Festival Choir performed the hymn with BBC Radio Jersey presenter Roger Bara on piano

A hymn written at the end of the Nazi occupation of Jersey to celebrate the islands liberation has been broadcast for the first time.

The words to Liberation Hymn were written by the Reverend Frank Killer of St Marks Church and set to the song All Creatures of Our God & King.

The rarely played hymn was suggested as a possible anthem for Jersey by BBC Radio Jersey listener Barbara Frost.

The hymn was first played on the original liberation day on 9 May 1945.

Mrs Frost called the BBC to suggest it after hearing it played for the first time at the All Saints Church in St Helier during the liberation day celebrations in 2011.

The Jersey Festival Choir heard her comments and wanted to perform the hymn.

So BBC Radio Jersey found the music used and tracked down the words thanks to another listener, Joyce Le Riche, who had a copy.

The festival choir were then invited into the studio to perform the hymn live accompanied by BBC Radio Jersey breakfast presenter Roger Bara on the piano.

Jersey's national anthem is the same as the rest of the British Isles, God Save the Queen, but the subject of an island anthem or national song has been debated for years.

Island Games medallists will hear the song Island Home if they win gold in the Isle of Wight, a hymn commissioned by the States of Jersey.

The song was written by Jersey composer Gerard Le Feuvre and named as the island's anthem after a competition at the Jersey Opera House in 2008.

But that did not stop the debate, two other songs often touted as possible Jersey Anthems are Beautiful Jersey and Ma Normandie.

Mrs Frost said she did not think it was rousing enough for an anthem but should be sung.

She said of Liberation Hymn: "I think it should be sung on special occasions, I'm not saying it should be our anthem on hearing it again, I don't think it is rousing enough for people on the podium.

"But the words are so wonderful it should be sung in schools because it tells our history."

Barbara Frost suggested the song to BBC Radio Jersey after hearing it performed

Stanley Keiller the son of the song's composer was listening to the performance on BBC Radio Jersey and thanked Mrs Frost for bringing it to people's attention.

He said: "Thank you for bringing this up because it has revived so many memories for me and as for the choir, thank you, that was delightful."

Libby Farnon is the conductor of the Jersey Festival Choir and said the idea of peace in the song was what made it so compelling.

She said: "After all the conflict this is a piece we now have that between us we can enjoy."

The full 80-strong Jersey Festival Choir now plan to make a full studio recording of Liberation Hymn later in 2011.