Rural – Jersey Country Life Magazine

EUNE FROUQU’THÉE D’JÈRRIAIS – (A FORKFUL OF JÈRRIAIS)

We continue our series of article in Jèrriais – Jersey’s own traditional native language. The ‘frouque’ in question is a digging fork, rather than a table fork. An English translation follows. This contribution comes from Rod McLoughlin

Bouônjour bouannes gens,

Ch’est Rod McLoughlin tch’ a l’plaîsi d’chârer ieune de mes mémouaithes les pus vivides dé l’année pâssée auve vous aniet.

I’ y’ a quatre mais, j’eus la bouanne chance dé pâsser quatre jours en Allémangne, env’yé par la Gâzette du Sé pouor dêcrithe les grandes célébrâtions entouor lé huiptantchième annivèrsaithe des déportâtions duthant l’Otchupâtion, iun d’s événements les pus chotchants d’la dgèrre. En Septembre 1942 quâsi 1,100 habitants d’l’île entre les âges dé 16 et 70 ans, tchi fûtent nés en Angliéterre, fûtent oblyigis d’patchi un seul bagage et d’ laîssi lus maîsons et lus anmîns pouor faithe lé viage au Sud dé l’ Allémangne, emprisonnés par l’en’mîn.

L’année pâssée j’fis l’même viage auve un groupe dé vîngt-chîn pèrsonnes, la majeure partie des fanmilyes des déportés mais étout trais pèrsonnes tchi, p’tits êfants dans chu temps-là, avaient fait l’même viage auve lus pathents, même s’i n’pouvaient pon s’lé ramémouaither aniet. Ieune des femmes fut née à Wurzach duthant la dgèrre. Achteu, par avion à Londres et à Zurich, et par cârrosse à travèrs la frontchiéthe auve l’Allémangne, ch’est un viage dé dgiêx heuthes mais à chu temps-là par bâté et par train l’viage duthait quâsi trais jours.

Nou n’peut pon s’înmaginner comment qué ch’tait eune expéthience tellement êffritante. I’ y’ en a tchi n’eutent qué trais ou quatre heuthes pouor faithe lus paquthie pouor lé viage. Pouortchi qu’les Allémands déciditent dé punni l’s ilemans ? Ch’tait eune décision dé Adolf Hitler li-même, marri par lé traitement des citouoyens Allémands en Iran. Les soudards Allémands en Jèrri né s’accordîtent pon auve la décision mais i’ n’pouvaient pon ardgumenter.

Touos les prisonnièrs, dé Dgèrnésy étout, arrivîtent à Biberach au Sud dé Ulm, la ville la pus grande dans la région, mais auprés deux’ trais s’maines là, la pliupart des Jèrriais s’en fûtent à Wurzach à vîngt kilomètres pus au Sud éyou qu’i’ y’ avait un châté au centre dé la ville tchi s’en aller dév’nîn lus prison pouor pus d’deux années.

Aniet un tas d’pèrsonnes prannent lus vacanches à Wurzach tchi, en 1950, fut donné lé titre ‘Bad’, ou « Spa » en Angliais. Pour les touristes d’aniet lé châté, bâti dans lé dgiêx-huiptième siècl’ye, a un écalyi en touothelle hardi mangnifique, mais dans chu temps-là i’ ‘tait en mauvaise condition et il avait l’air abattu comme lé reste du châté. I’ fallait qu’les Jèrriais chârent lus châté auve des rats.

Duthant les célébrâtions d’l’année pâssée, la délégation Jersiaise eut l’opporteunité d’faithe un tou dgidé d’chu châté, et d’ouie l’s histouaithes d’s înternés pâssées à travèrs les généthâtions. Mais l’expéthience la pus êmouvante ’tait la cérémonie au chînm’tchiéthe éyou qu’i’ y’ a douze fosses des citouoyens Jèrriais tchi mouthîtent à Bad Wurzach d’vant la fîn d’l’a dgèrre. Lus noms sont êcrits sus eune grande muthâle à côté des noms Allémands d’la ville tués dans la dgèrre contre l’Angliétèrre. Ch’est vraîment tchiquechose d’èrmérquabl’ye tch’ exprime la caleu des r’lâtions entre les deux c’meunautés aniet auprès vîngt ou trente années d’haine.

I’ y’ eut un grand changement en 2002 quand la pâraisse dé St Hélyi et la ville de Bad Wurzach décidîtent dé faithe un jeunm’lage et aniet les célébrâtions pouor l’annivèrsaithe fûtent organniseés par un conmité foudgeux. À la fÎn d’la cérémonie lé Connetab’lye dé St Hélyi Simon Crowcroft et la maire, ou « Burgermasterin », dé Bad Wurzach pliaichîtent eune sîmpl’ye rose à côté d’châque fosse.

Auprès ch’na j’eus l’oppporteunnité d’pâler auve un homme Allémand tchi s’ramémouaithe hardi bein la dgèrre même s’i’ n’tait qu’un mousse dans chu temps-là. I’ m’explyitchit qué iun des pus grands problièmes pouor les întèrnés ‘tait l’enniéthie. Duthant dé longues périodes, i’ n’avaient rein à faithe. Don, tchiques uns faîthaient du travas pouor les Allémands à condition qu’chu travas n’eûsse (pon) autcheune connexion auve les êfforts dé la dgèrre.

Un Jèrriais tchi ‘tait un tchuisinnyi travaillait dans eune hôtel au centre dé la ville et châque jour eune dgèrde l’accompagnait à l’hôtel à neuf heuthes du matîn et au châté à la fîn du jour. Tchiquefais, quand nou n’pouvait pon trouver eune dgèrde pouor chutte tâche împortante, lé mousse tchi n’avait qué sept ans, ‘tait nommé dgèrde. ‘Comment qu’ou vos sentiez ?’ qué j’li d’mandis. ‘Ah, j’tais hardi ordgilleux. Ch’tait vraîment un grand honneur pouor mé !’

À la fîn d’mes quatre jours à Bad Wurzach, j’tais hardi encouoragé par l’amiétchi entre les fanmil’yes des înternés et les citouoyens dé Bad Wurzach. La visite fut ieune des miyeu choses dé 2022 !

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Hello everyone,

It’s Rod McLoughlin who has the pleasure today of sharing one of my most vivid memories of last year with you.

Four months ago, I had the good fortune to spend four days in Germany, sent by the Jersey Evening Post to describe the big celebrations around the eightieth anniversary of the deportations during the Occupation, one of the most shocking events of the war. In September 1942 almost, 1,100 inhabitants of the Island between the ages of 16 and 70 who were born in England were forced to pack a single bag and leave their homes and their friends to make the journey to southern Germany, imprisoned by the enemy.

Last year I made the same journey with a group of 25 people, most families of the deported but also three people who, small children at the time, had made the journey with their parents, even if they couldn’t remember it today. One of the women was born in Wurzach during the war. Now, by plane to London and to Zurich, and by coach across the border with Germany, it’s a journey of ten hours but in those days by ship and by train, the journey lasted nearly three days.

One can’t imagine how frightening the experience was. There were those who had only three or four hours to do their packing for the journey. Why did the Germans decide to punish the Islanders? It was a decision of Hitler himself, angered by the treatment of German citizens in Iran. The German soldiers in Jersey didn’t agree with the decision but they couldn’t argue.

All the prisoners, from Guernsey as well, arrived at Biberach, south of Ulm, the largest town in the region, but after two or three weeks there, the majority of the Jersey people went off to Wurzach 20 kilometres further south where there was a castle in the centre of the town which would become their prison for more than two years.

Today many people take their holidays in Wurzach which, in 1950, was given the title of Bad or Spa in English. For the tourists of today the castle, built in the eighteenth century, has a magnificent spiral staircase but in those days it was in poor condition and had a forlorn appearance like the rest of the castle. The Jersey people had to share their castle with the rats.

During last year’s celebrations, the Jersey delegation had the opportunity to undertake a guided tour of the castle and hear the stories of the internees passed across the generations. But the most moving experience was the ceremony at the cemetery where there are 12 graves of Jersey people who died in Wurzach before the end of the war. Their names are written on a large wall next to the names of the Germans from the town killed in the war against England. It’s certainly something remarkable which explains the warmth of relations between the two communities after 20 or 30 years of hatred.

There was a big change in 2002 when the parish of St Helier and the town of Bad Wurzach decided to make a twinning, and today the anniversary celebrations were organised by an enthusiastic committee.  At the end of the ceremony, the Constable of St Helier Simon Crowcroft and the Mayor, or Burgermeisterin, of Bad Wurzach placed a simple rose next to each grave.

After that, I had the chance to speak to a German who remembered the war very well even though he was only a boy at the time. He explained to me that one of the biggest problems for the internees was boredom. For long periods, they had nothing to do. So, some of them worked for the Germans on condition that the work had no connection with the war effort.

One Jersey person, who was a cook, worked in a hotel in the centre of the town and every day a guard would accompany him to the hotel at nine in the morning and to the castle at the end of the day. Sometimes, when they couldn’t find a guard for this important task, the boy who was only seven years old was named guard. ‘How did you feel’, I asked him. ‘Oh, I was very proud. It was certainly a great honour for me!’

At the end of my four days in Bad Wurzach, I was very encouraged by the friendship between the families of the internees and the citizens of Bad Wurzach. The visit was one of the best things in 2022!

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