大象传媒

The Germans search for Forbidden Radios

Our St Saviour's house had three stories, and we slept in one of the attic bedrooms where we listened to our radio, withheld from German collection and against their order. One summer night it was rather hot and we opened the window and fell asleep with the radio on only to be awoken in the morning by the sound of Big Ben. As we looked out of the window, to our horror we saw a German guarding a hole he had made in our front garden. After this, which in retrospect was fortuitous, we decided it was time to hide the radio and Pierre used the small coal shed attached to the rear of the house excavating the coal and inserting a wooden box structure and replacing the coal on top of it. About a month later one afternoon I answered the door to two SS officers who told me that they had been informed that we were holding a radio and had come to search the house. On seeing that there was a piano in the house, one officer went to the top of the house and commenced his search while the other sat at the piano and played it, and in any other circumstances I would have listened with much enjoyment. One of the pieces played was Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata and I am always reminded of that time when I hear it. Having found nothing in the house they then asked to see the outbuildings and took me with them. As I entered the coal shed to my horror I could see that the coal had subsided and pieces of the box could be seen, however they appeared not to notice and we returned to the house. One of the officers then issued a warning saying "If you have a radio you must admit it now, for if it should be found in the future you will be sent to France and shot" I remember feeling very strong and unafraid and it seemed as if I was instinctively guided to keep silent. Fortunately I did not waiver, had I weakened and given in we would have been sent to Germany with the deported Englishmen some time later and our daughter would have been born there. As the officers left the house one turned to me and said, "what sort of people are these islanders who betray their own people to the enemy?" Under the circumstances I could only remain silent, even though I knew the impression had been created by one traitor, and was false. It was probably the saddest moment of the occupation for me when I could not defend the islanders.

Lily Mauger.
Written from notes in 1995.

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