Elizabeth College has chosen to mark Liberation Day in 2025 by exploring a unique time in its history, when the school was exiled to Derbyshire during WWII. Through the efforts of Principal, the Rev. W.H.G Milnes, the College was able to continue, in a truly remarkable display of leadership and strength, away from occupied Guernsey.  It would have been understandable, if in those dark days of 1940 those in authority had given up hope of maintaining the College as a separate unit and if they had taken the easier courses open to them of uniting with another school or accommodating the students in private houses. The determination to preserve the College as a distinct establishment, while incredibly difficult, brought rewards and Elizabeth College was able to return to Guernsey in 1945 with its identity and traditions unimpaired.

The College has an impressive collection of photographs and other items from the school's time in exile in its archive.  Elizabeth College will host an exhibition to the public to view items from its archive on Saturday 3 May to commemorate and celebrate Liberation 80. The exhibition in College Hall provides an insight into exile from the point of view of the students, and explores the time which tested the strength of the school and enriched its life more than any other in its history. Large prints of photographs of the College in exile (some of which are included below) have been mounted around the hardcourt in front of the Main Building and further materials, including excerpts from diaries, telegrams, letters and photo albums, will be on display in College Hall.