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Hans was a Polish boy from Warsaw who apparently had to join the German army at the age of 15 or his grandmother and 12 year old sister would be shot. My brother Eddie, who was an apprentice baker at Mr. Gilberts’ bakery at Le Rocque, met him in 1944 and Hans got into the habit of visiting him at the bakers when he had a day off. Although bread was rationed the bakers in turn would receive a very small loaf made from the scrapings of the wooden trough in which the bread dough was mixed. Around this time Eddie stopped bringing his loaf home when it was his turn and told us that he was giving it to Hans because Hans didn’t get a meal on his day off. Shortly after D-day in 1944 Hans came to the bakery and told Eddie that his grandmother and little sister had been killed in an air raid on Warsaw therefore he was going to desert the German army. Eddie tried to dissuade him out of this pointing out that Jersey was a small island and escape would be near impossible. Hans had also been befriended by a young jersey couple, Mr. and Mrs. le Clere and went to them for help. They, unfortunately for them, provided him with civilian clothing. Hans was eventually caught somewhere in the parish of St. Johns and ‘persuaded’ to inform on Mr. and Mrs. le Clere and was shot soon afterwards as a deserter although not yet 16 years old. Mr. and Mrs. le Clere were arrested but allowed to leave their 1 year old baby with his grandparents and they were sent to prison in France. As the German army was cut off by the advancing allied troops they could not be taken any further and were subsequently rescued and returned to the island.

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