Select a region
The extent of the brutality suffered by World War II prisoners in Alderney has never been fully clear. A handful of researchers and historians continue to work towards uncovering the truth. In the second of this two-part FOCUS series, Express speaks to some of them and looks into their work.
In part one, we discovered that some researchers and campaigners are certain that the official record is wrong - or at least downplays the atrocities which happened in Alderney when German troops occupied it in World War II.
Marcus Roberts is a Holocaust historian who has written extensively on the plight of Jews and others subjugated, mistreated and in many cases ultimately killed by the Nazis.
“The official narrative continues to be that nothing too bad happened here [in Alderney], which is just a continuation of the post-war approach,” said Mr Roberts.
Pictured: Labour and concentration camps were operated in Alderney by the occupying German forces between 1942 and 1945.
He claims that his and others' research shows that more people died in Alderney's concentration camps than the official number of 337. He says that witness reports from the time suggest the number was more likely to be in the tens of thousands.
“The government narrative implies hundreds," said Mr Roberts.
He said that some historians "are now sticking to the hundreds line and to what in my view are highly restrictive and not particularly justifiable methods of counting".
“When you’re dealing with the Holocaust, in eastern Europe for example, it’s quite common for the authorities to apply very restrictive counting measures in order to restrict numbers and it seems like the same sort of thing is happening here.”
Pictured: Lager Sylt was one of four camps the Germans set up in Alderney.
Mr Roberts said that attempts to downplay the story of what happened in Alderney are deliberate and organised. He said the UK Government can then avoid the embarrassment of admitting that the British Isles hosted its very own Holocaust.
He argues that the Pantcheff report, which was drawn up immediately after the Liberation following an investigation into what happened in Alderney, was given to the Russians on purpose because it was known they wouldn’t follow it up as they saw prisoners as traitors.
“There seems to have been a deliberate policy to bury what happened [in Alderney],” he said.
Meanwhile, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) encourages the global community to avoid too much speculation.
Dr Kathrin Meyer is the Secretary General of IHRA. She said: “Safeguarding authentic sites of Nazi persecution, such as those found in Alderney, is critical to the IHRA’s work.
“These sites are vital to educating and informing visitors about the facts and preserving evidence of the crimes that took place.
"When identifying death toll numbers at remembrance sites, we must protect the facts. Relying on speculation without full or clear evidence risks causing Holocaust distortion, which disrespects victims and survivors of the Holocaust.”
Pictured: Alderney commemorated Holocaust Memorial Day earlier this year (27 January).
The IHRA has been working with the States of Alderney to safeguard the history of the Holocaust in Alderney. In doing so, it has developed a five-year plan that includes work officially to designate Lager Sylt – one of four camps in the island – as a protected zone.
“Our project team on safeguarding sites is working with Alderney and consists of experts with decades of experience in academia, Holocaust heritage and history,” said Dr Meyer.
“They conduct their work alongside external advisors from international organizations such as UNESCO and The Council of Europe.
"The IHRA will continue to work with the States of Alderney and the governments of our 35 Member Countries to ensure the facts of the Holocaust are kept alive through places such as Alderney.”
FOCUS: Searching for the truth in Alderney
Report into Alderney Nazi camps to be added to local archive
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.