Over the past few posts, I have been looking at what everyday life became like in the occupied Channel Islands - the restrictions, the shortages and the quieter forms of resistance.
But in 1942, something happened that must have brought home just how little control some islanders now had over their own lives.
They were ordered to leave.
In September 1942, the German authorities began deporting British civilians from the Channel Islands to internment camps in Germany.
It was largely an act of retaliation. German civilians working in British-occupied Iran had been detained and deported to Australia, and Hitler ordered the deportation of British residents of the Channel Islands in response.
In Jersey, the deportation order arrived on the 15th of September 1942. It applied to certain British residents who were not permanent residents of Jersey or who had not been born there, along with members of their families.
For some, the warning was frighteningly short.
Many had less than 12 hours to make arrangements for their homes, possessions and businesses.
Among those affected was Nellie May Faulder. Nellie had been born in Jersey, but her husband Robert had been born in London. Under the deportation rules, that meant the couple were liable to be sent away.
On the 18th of September 1942, Nellie and Robert were deported to Germany.
Channel Islanders would eventually find themselves in civilian internment camps including Biberach, Wurzach, Laufen and Dorsten.
Many had made their lives there. They had homes, neighbours, jobs and friends - and suddenly they were being taken hundreds of miles away into an uncertain future.
As people were taken away from Jersey, crowds gathered to see them leave. On one occasion, patriotic singing broke out between those standing on shore and those being carried away.
Further deportations followed in 1943.
For those left behind, occupation had already meant living with rules imposed by someone else.
Now it also meant watching friends and neighbours disappear.
Can you imagine being told that within hours you had to leave your home, not knowing when - or even if - you would see it again?
If you would like to read more about what happened to the deportees and what life was really like inside the internment camps, I’ll be sharing a much longer version of their story with my subscribers.
Have a cuppa and let’s discover history together.
Image: German deportation notice issued in Jersey, 15 September 1942. Wikimedia Commons - Public Domain.
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