The injustice of it, has got to be put right. During the German occupation of their island, a group of Guernsey policemen were deported to brutal labour camps in Nazi-occupied Europe after appearing before a British court. Their crime? Stealing food from the Germans to stop civilians from going hungry. Here is a link. The 'Robin Hood' policemen who stole from the Nazis
I've been discussing this today with a fellow forum member and the story may not be as clear as the article suggested, he quoted some books which described the food that was stolen as coming from Islanders stores rather than German stores and that other Islanders shunned them and their families - he also provided the below from the Channel Islands Police ( CHttpHandler.ashx (guernsey.police.uk) ) which again doesn't seem to paint the men in the heroic light the BBC article does. It wound be interesting to learn more about it all
I have sent the link and your answer to a couple of German friends with excellent connections to Guernsey.And, I will call someone in Guernsey next week, an Ex- officer of the British Army in Germany after 1945. Stefan.
From the Frankfallarchive.org One of the more controversial events of the Occupation was the arrest and deportation of over half of the Guernsey police force in the spring of 1942. 18 policemen were alleged to have been involved in the theft of food and alcohol from German depots, and from local stores who, the policemen argued, were preferentially dealing with or supplying the German troops. This stolen food was then redistributed among members of the population in great need and who were starving
One of the outstanding points about the role of the Guernsey police during the occupation was the iniquity felt by policemen that their convictions arising from offences imposed by the Germans for aiding civilians was still retained on their files postwar. Spent a good holiday there and roamed around the island visiting various wartime historical places...snapped up interesting books I think one of the best publications and as near to an official one on the German occupation that there is,is the publication Charles Cruickshank's "The German Occupation of the Channel Islands" A very good publication recording Policing in Guernsey during the German Occupation entitled simply "I Beg to Report ....." by William M Bell.....a very comprehensive account of the occupation and the position and experience of the police during 1940 to 1945. Looking at the BBC report,it would appear that some content has been taken from William M Bell's work Pocket gems such as Frank Stroobant's "One Man's War" and "The Silent War" by Frank Falla gives personal insights of life under the jackboot. For those interested in the many fortifications on Guernsey,there is an excellent guide,"German Fortifications in Guernsey" by Ernie Gavey. Despite the fact that the British declared the Channel Islands demilitarised and of no strategic value,Hitler turned the islands into a festung. Guernsey was heavily fortified and equipped with concealed heavy naval guns as well as 6 x 88mm batteries and numerous 20 - 37mm Ack Ack batteries,four of the latter guarded the airfield. Faithful to the Third Reich to the end,the capture of the Cotentin Peninsula did not result in the absence of German occupational forces.There was a contribution from the festung in resisting the Allies by mounting a commando raid on Granville organised by Vice Admiral Huffmeier. It was no more than a nuisance raid,which resulted in the Allies reviewing their security in the area behind the lines. Huffmeier went on to be awkward in accepting that the days of the Third Reich were over when a formal surrender was put to him by the incoming British liberating naval and army party...The war had been concluded on the European mainland on 8 May 1945 and the Guernsey garrison was surrendered to British at 0714 the following day....Huffmeier excused himself and did not sign the surrender document,quoting his absence to deal with Wehrmacht unrest and left it to his second in command,Heine to sign. ATB covers the account of the Granville raid to its usual high standard but there is also a good contribution from the Axis History Forum on the event. German Commando raid, Granville 1945. - Axis History Forum
I have written a couple of blogs about the arrest of the police force. You can find them here GUERNSEY’S ENTIRE POLICE FORCE ARRESTED – 5 MARCH 1942 - Island Fortress And here THE ROBIN HOOD POLICEMEN -PART TWO & A FILM - Island Fortress
Nick, in the local ILAG we had a case of a Guernsey man which was questioned by the local police for stealing car tires in Guernsey before he was deported to Biberach. Stefan.
