11th September 1962

Composer Gerald Le Feuvre is born

When the States of Jersey set out to find a new anthem, it established a competition and invited public submissions. Explaining the rationale behind the search, the BBC quoted the Bailiff, saying, “there are occasions, both sporting and cultural, when we need a national song by which to identify ourselves… We are not England, nor the UK, nor France; we are Jersey. We have our own separate identity, and most of us are very proud of that.”

Island Home

One of the submissions it received, Island Home, came from Jersey-born Gerard Le Feuvre and, although it was declared the winner after a public performance of the shortlisted finalists, the States didn’t immediately adopt it, as a public vote had instead selected an alternative piece by James Taberner.

Le Fevure was born in Jersey and educated at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He founded the Kings Chamber Orchestra.