大象传媒

A Deported Child鈥檚 memories of life at Biberach

Jill Chubb interviewed at Guernsey Museum, by Becky Kendall of 大象传媒 Radio Guernsey 12/2/2005, and recorded onto CD. Transcribed by J David 21/11/2005

We shared a room with another lady and her twin sons, my mother, my brother, and I. My father was separated, he was in another part of the camp, which we were pleased about, because we were at least in the same camp together.
I鈥︹�︹��. Going back to before Biberach, I know you were very small at the time, but you must have picked up some feelings, were you badly treated, or taken by force,
We weren鈥檛 very well treated, I remember going up to the camp with my parents, with my mum, and the Hitler Youth spitting on us as we were going up, it was a long walk, five miles I think we walked, and I wanted to spit back, because that was my nature, you know, if you do that to me I鈥檒l do that to you, you know, my mother was saying 鈥淒on鈥檛 do it, don鈥檛 do it鈥�. In the camp itself, I picked up the fear of my parents, there was always the uncertainty of what was going to happen from one day to the next, you never knew, it was such a volatile situation, and I was terrified all the time I was there, basically.
I鈥︹�︹��. So you were two when you got there?
I was five when I came home.
I鈥︹�︹��. So three years. And what kind of life did you lead?
Well, we had school in the mornings, and then we had school in the afternoons, we used to go in either the morning or the afternoon, so we were taught to read, and everything, we used to play, I mean, you know, children, I don鈥檛 know what we used to do, really. Some of them used to do concerts, the older people, and there was this parade they did, which was apparently all propaganda for the Germans, they wanted to show us what a good time we were having, but it wasn鈥檛 like that.
I鈥︹�︹��. How much influence did the Germans have on the way you lived, I mean, were you left to get on with things as best you could? Or you had a strict regime, they told you what you should be doing, when you should eat, what you should be doing? How you should be behaving?
From what I can remember, the Germans had a parade, they used to keep counting you, you had to go out and be counted, to make sure you were still there. I mean, the men wouldn鈥檛 go, because their wives were there, and their kiddies, but I remember going to be counted lots of times. They mad the men work, they used to take them into Biberach or wherever, into the towns, to work for the Germans, we would stay, of course,, with my mother, and we鈥檇 go to school in the mornings, as I鈥檝e said, or the afternoon, and we鈥檇 play. I remember my father making me some rope shoes, that was lovely, he used to make these rope sandals for me, and I remember one Christmas he made me a doll鈥檚 house with a cardboard box.
I鈥︹�︹��. So you still had contact with your father despite the fact that he was living in a different part of the camp?
Yes, they鈥檇 have to sleep there, and they鈥檇 work there, and they鈥檇 come and see the ladies, so we did get together as a family, we used to go for food to the soup kitchen, and we used to have potato peeling soup, and if you had a few potato peelings, that was wonderful.
I鈥︹�︹��. There must have been other families from Guernsey who鈥檇 been taken as well? Did you have much contact with them? Was there a kind of Guernsey area within the camp?
We were very friendly with the Godwins, they shared the same room. When we were in the camp, you鈥檇 sort of stick together, you know.
I鈥︹�︹��. How many people were actually in one room?
We had a small room, and there would have been six of us, the two mothers, the boys, the twins, my brother, and myself. So we had, like, two families in one room, in another room there would be lots of people, it all depends on the size of the room. We had bunks, I had the bottom bunk, and my mother used to sleep up the top. I remember trying to climb up the bunk, because I used to be frightened, she was always terrified I was going to hurt myself, I used to say 鈥淲here are you, mum?鈥�, and it was dark, and scary, and we slept on straw, straw mattresses, and we had to burn them once, because they had bugs in, insects and things, I think we broke some crockery once, and the Germans used to count all the cups that you had, and they鈥檇 be terrified that they鈥檇 be found out, so what they used to do, the Germans used to start one end of the barracks and work their way down, and they used to pass it out of the window, and give us a couple of cups, my mother said, so that we wouldn鈥檛 be found out.
I鈥︹�︹��. It sounds like you lived with such horrendous fear, of not knowing, of just the smallest thing, like breaking a cup. Children do that.
I think my brother was playing with a car, he had a bit of wood which they carved into a car, because it was all home-made toys, I think he managed to knock the thing where they kept all the crockery and stuff, I think it fell over, and broke the cups. That was awful, what do we do?
I鈥︹�︹��. Where were the other families from?
Guernsey, and there were some from Jersey, I know there was definitely a Jersey connection, because I was friendly with the children, and I think there was somebody from Sark, I wouldn鈥檛 swear to that, I don鈥檛 know.
I鈥︹�︹��. All taken there because you were English?
Yes, we were taken there from Guernsey and Jersey because we had English fathers. I remember playing in 鈥� it had a garden 鈥� antirrhinums are my favourite flowers, it was lovely 鈥� bunny-rabbits, I used to like to go and play, I used to think it was such a lovely, lovely garden. Anyway, we went to the store, they had these huge, huge boxes and things, and we were running around, this man called Gester, and he always walked with a limp, and he had black boots and a gun, and he was shouting out 鈥淩aus, Raus鈥� and he got his pistol out, and we were absolutely terrified he was going to shoot us, so I hid. He was terrifying.
I鈥︹�︹��. Do you know anyone who was unfortunately killed?
No, they died of disease, obviously, TB, I think it was rife in the camp, my father, he contacted TB, and I know he was ill, and I thought we鈥檇 come home, and I thought 鈥渢his is lovely, I鈥檝e had enough of this, I want to go home鈥�, but they didn鈥檛 send him home, and then later on he did have TB and he died shortly after we came home.

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