Enemy within the gates
The RAF stalled Hitler ’ s Operation Sealion plan to invade England in 1940 , but Jersey was a much easier target . Philip Josse ’ s uncle recalls childhood memories of life on an island under a brutal army of occupation
His eyes twinkle slightly behind his thick glasses , reflecting dimly perceived memories of a childhood shaped by the winds of war .
The year was 1940 , the month June , on just another sunny day . But these were the Channel Islands , and the closest of the British Isles to a continent under the jackboots of the Nazi legions .
Maurice Josse was barely 12 months old when Hitler ’ s stormtroopers arrived on Jersey . And he was to spend the next five years , as he recalls mischievously , giving the invaders the runaround .
“ They were building a tunnel up from the hill where I used to live ,” he remembers with a smile .
“ There were these mining carts where you pull the handle to make them roll along the track .
“ I jumped on one cart and started tearing off down the hill . And the German troops saw what I was doing and opened fire !”
Most people would have been petrified at the thought of provoking the invaders in this way . But for Maurice Josse , the fearless bravado of youth trumped everything .
Even today , the memories are as vivid as yesterday , though it all happened more than 70 years ago .
We are sitting in his small flat in St Lawrence sharing memories that refuse to die . He has lived on the island all his life , his trips away few and far between .
He still cuts a sprightly figure at 76 , and his only regret is that his wife is longer with him to share the passing of the years , and he has lived alone ever since .
After the war , Maurice became a baker , working to feed the local population which had seen so much deprivation during the occupation , especially in the harsh winter of 1944 .
“ You weren ’ t allowed to grow more food than you needed for your own use , and if you did , you had to hand it over to the occupiers ,” recalls Maurice . “ You weren ’ t allowed local newspapers , and radios were banned .”
The Germans were very specific in their orders to the island ’ s population . And instructions came with threats .
“ They dropped pamphlets the day of their arrival on 30th June 1940 , saying that every dwelling in Jersey should have a white flag flying from the chimney . Or else they would be bombed ,” says Maurice .
The intention of the invaders was to dominate the population as swiftly as possible .“ My parents seemed to live on the very edge because my dad had a radio . It was very dangerous , listening to the London news , the BBC telling you what you ought to know ,” said Maurice .
“ The Germans didn ’ t want you to know what was going on , there was nothing to be gained by having a radio , and yet there were quite a few people who did .”
As Maurice tells it , there was very little resistance , but his father was part of it . “ We had some big trees in the garden , and he hid food in the trees , tobacco , sugar beet , and things like vegetables and potatoes ,” he recalls .
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