''Appointment with Venus'' () is a novel by

Jerrard Tickell Edward Jerrard Tickell (14 February 1905 – 27 March 1966) was an Irish writer, known for his novels and historical books on the Second World War. Biography Jerrard Tickell was born in Dublin and educated in Tipperary and, from 1919 until 1922 a ...

published by Hodder & Stoughton in 1951, leading to a British film adaptation the same year and a Danish film adaptation in 1962. The story is based on a real incident of the evacuation of

Alderney cattle The Alderney is an extinct breed of dairy cattle. It originated in, and is named for, the island of Alderney in the Channel Islands. It was one of three breeds of Channel Island cattle, the others being the Jersey and the Guernsey. In the ei ...

from the Channel Island during World War II.Alderneysociety.org

Plot summary

In 1940, after the fall of France, the fictitious Channel Island of Armorel is occupied by a small garrison of German troops under the benign command of Hauptmann Weiss. He finds that the hereditary ruler, the Suzerain, is away in the army, leaving the Provost in charge. Back in London, the

Ministry of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister ...

realise that Venus, a valuable pedigree Guernsey cow, remains on the island. They petition the War Office to mount a rescue operation, and Major Valentine Morland is assigned the mission, with the assistance of the Suzerain's sister Nicola Fallaize who joined the A.T.S. at the outbreak of war. They travel to Armorel by submarine, contact the Provost and other friends on the island, and discover that Weiss, a cattle breeder in civilian life, is about to have the cow shipped to Germany. Nicola persuades her artist cousin, who has tried to ignore the war, to help by painting another cow with Venus' distinctive markings, and, with some narrow escapes, they succeed in taking Venus to a waiting ship for the journey back to England.

Production

*The island of Armorel appears to be a fictionalised version of

Sark Sark (french: link=no, Sercq, ; Sercquiais: or ) is a part of the Channel Islands in the southwestern English Channel, off the coast of Normandy, France. It is a royal fief, which forms part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, with its own set of ...

. Sark was used as a location when making the film adaptation. *Before their mission, Morland takes Fallaise out to dinner, and after their main courses, he asks the waiter for "coffee and kimmel", the latter being a liqueur said to be especially popular at golf clubs.

Other adaptations

BBC World Service broadcast a 4-part dramatisation by Michael Bartlett featuring Karen Archer and Michael Cochrane in 1992. A 1993 audio cassette version of the novel was produced by Soundings Ltd ().

References

1951 British novels Novels set during World War II Novels set in the Channel Islands British novels adapted into films Fiction set in 1940 Hodder & Stoughton books {{1950s-WWII-novel-stub

Plot summary

Production

Other adaptations

See also

References