Comments
A programme called 'Occupation Walks' on BBC Radio Jersey recording of the story of a man deported to Wurzach, Michael Ginns, and a 17 year old survivor of Belsen that he met, Irvine van Gelder. 1) Part 1: Back story of the second world war and occupation in Jersey culminating with the deportations in 1942 when Michael Ginns with other non Jersey born islanders were transported to Biberach for six weeks and then on to Wurzach. Michael Ginns talks of why the deportations took place and why he was deported, the conditions in Wurzach, receiving red cross parcels, life in and the set up at Wurzach and where it lay in Germany. Irvine van Gelder was an American Jew living in Holland who saw German anti-Semitic legislation first hand. He talks of the restrictions placed on their life, being told to be ready to be transported to a camp with an hours notice, being threatened with deportation a number of times but being saved by his father's nationality, being sent to Camp Westerburg in Holland, the terrible conditions in the camp, ending up in the camp at Bergen Belsen, being sent there on the train and put in barracks, where it is situated, being forced to work as slaves and being punished if not productive enough, the terrible conditions, being kept at starving point on tiny rations, ill treatment of prisoners resulting in death from starvation and disease and bodies being burned in a crematorium and the impressions the camp had on van Gelder. Michael Ginns talks about life being fairly easy in comparison in Wurzach, regular inspections by the Protecting Powers, it being hard for the elderly and those with young children, not realising what was occurring in the rest of Germany and the problem of boredom in the camp. In Belsen Irvine van Gelder remembers reaching the end of his strength and being put in hospital, he didn't want to live any more and was told that he had only another week to live. 2) Part 2: Recap of the previous weeks story. Events took another turn. Van Gelder tells how he heard there was a transport leaving Bergen Belsen with those Jews of english and american nationality and he and his family decided they had to leave despite his illness, taken to Wurzach on a passenger train, a lorry took them to the schloss at Wurzach where internees Mr Spencer and Mr Hickman put van Gelder in a bath, got him new clothes and put him in a bed with clean sheets. Michael Ginns watched the Jews arrive and appreciated how different their circumstances were, feelings of pity and sorrow, people gave food and clothing to them, once they had been deloused became integrated into camp life. Van Gelder remembers help from islanders which finally brought him back to health, he only weighed 69lbs when he arrived at 17 years old, he finds the difference between Wurzach and Belsen impossible to describe, remembers the red cross parcels, getting his strength back and later playing football and cutting wood, he still feels close to Jersey people, his best friend in Wurzach was a boy called Richard Tucker. Ginns remembers the delousing of the Jews' clothes. Van Gelder will never forget liberation, had followed the campaign on BBC radio, they were liberated by French troops who didn't know it was an internment camp. Michael Ginns missed out on liberation as he had been repatriated back to England through Germany, Denmark and Sweden. Van Gelder talks about seeing Schindler's List which captured the horror of concentration camp life, the only difference being the smell of the camp and the victims had too much meat on their bodies.
Reference | L/D/25/L/60 |
Date | 8 February 1999 - 15 February 1999 |
Names | Hickman, Mr Spencer, Mr Tucker, Richard John BBC van Gelder, Irvine BBC Radio Jersey Ginns, Michael |
Keywords | crematoriums | deaths | diseases | Hospitals | films | cinemas | repatriations | Prisoners of war | Liberation | radios | concentration camps | Food | Rationing | jews | Red Cross parcels | Internment | internment camps | deportees | deportations | Second World War | Occupation | sound | sound recordings |
Category | L/D-Societies and associations |
Places | Holland, Biberach, Belsen, Wurzach |
Dimensions | 2 sound cassette |
Language | English |
Level of description | File |