More than 1,000 people were killed during the Nazi occupation of Alderney during World War Two but the island was no ‘mini-Auschwitz’, a new report has found.
A review conducted by a panel of international experts has provided a shocking insight into the exact number of prisoners and labourers who died on the German-occupied Channel Island between 1941 to 1945.
The panel found that between 641 and 1,027 people, which included Jews, prisoners of war and some Romanis, died as a result of ill-treatment on the island after earlier figures suggested there had been only 389 deaths.
But while labourers were subject to atrocious conditions and executions, the site did not constitute a ‘mini-Auschwitz’, the report added.
The review was commissioned last year by Lord Eric Pickles, UK Special Envoy on Post Holocaust Issues with an aim to dispel conspiracy theories and misinformation about the island.
More than 1,000 people were killed during the Nazi occupation of the Islands during World War Two. Pictured: German officers pose outside Lloyds Bank in St Annes, Alderney
Captives comprising of Jews, prisoners of war and some Romanis, who were transported to Alderney to build fortifications as part of the German war effort. Pictued: German troops march through the main street of Alderney during the occupation
The remains of Battery Annes on Alderney, which formerly an open naval gun battery position that formed part of Hitler’s Atlantic Wall defence against Allied invasion
The Alderney Expert Review Panel calculated that the minimum number of prisoners or labourers sent to Alderney during the German occupation was between 7,608 and 7,812 people.
Labourers were transported there from countries across Europe to build fortifications as part of the German war effort.
They were housed in camps that shared many similarities with those in mainland Europe – and the labourers were subject to atrocious living and working conditions and executions.
The investigation was launched to dispel conspiracy theories and provide the most accurate figure of those who lost their lives on the island.
The report also aims to bring justice for those who died, and ensure that this period of history, and the Holocaust, is ‘remembered fully and accurately.’
Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said: ‘The findings of the review are a significant and welcome development. Having an authoritative account of this harrowing element of the island’s history is vital.
‘It enables us to accurately remember the individuals who so tragically suffered and died on British soil. Marking the relevant sites will now be an appropriate step to take, to ensure that this information is widely available.’
The panel also investigated why German perpetrators were not tried by Britain for war crimes committed in Alderney and concluded that an investigation carried out in Alderney immediately after the war was ‘wholly serious in intent’.
But because most of the victims were Soviet citizens, the case was handed over to the Russians. And in exchange, Germans who murdered British servicemen in Stalag Luft III during the ‘Great Escape’ were handed over to Britain.
The broken remains of Sylt concentration camp on Alderney which was destroyed by the fleeing Nazis in 1945
People visit a German bunker on the island of Alderney, in Guernsey where thousands of labourers were killed during WW2
A model of a German officer is displayed inside The Odeon, a 15-metre high, concrete naval range-finding tower that was built by forced labourers on Alderney
A plaque on the island of Alderney reads ‘In memory of all foreign labour who died in Alderney between the years 1940 – 1945. They also served.’
The report says the Soviet Union did not follow up the Alderney case and were thus responsible for the failure to bring the perpetrators to justice, causing much anger among members of the British government.
A spokesman for the States of Alderney today welcomed the work to establish the most accurate information possible, based on comprehensive evidence and rigorous analysis.
‘While the events that took place in Alderney do not compare in scale with other parts of Europe, it is a harrowing part of the Island’s history which its community continue to remember and commemorate. In fact, today’s publication comes just a few days after the annual service by the Island at its dedicated memorial. ‘
The President of the States of Alderney, William Tate, said: ‘ On behalf of the States of Alderney and our community, I would like to express my deep gratitude to Lord Pickles and the Review Panel for their dedication in resolving an important issue which has been the subject of much debate for many years.
‘The review makes clear what terrible conditions the people who had been brought to the Island had to endure and how cheap their lives were to the occupying forces.
‘The brave Islanders who returned home in 1945, having been evacuated in 1940, saw first hand the devastation that had been wrought upon their Island home.
‘As a community we will never forget the suffering that these poor souls endured and the tragic loss of life, resulting from the callous and inhumane behaviour of the occupying forces.’
Dr Carr, Associate Professor in Archaeology at Cambridge’s Institute of Continuing Education, and Fellow of St Catharine’s College, who co-ordinated the panel, said: ‘I am proud of the way the team of experts came together to provide answers to the questions set by Lord Pickles.
‘It shows what can be achieved when you bring together the right people with the right experience and expertise who are committed to working in memory of those who suffered in Alderney during the Occupation.’
