Albert Bedane

During the Occupation, Albert Bedane risked his life to help others to escape persecution by the German forces. Albert's heroism went unnoticed for a long time after the war until 1965 when he was presented with a gold watch by the Russian Government for helping Russian slave workers. On 4th of January 2000, he was posthumously awarded Israel's highest Holocaust honour, Righteous among the Nations for harbouring a Dutch Jew. Albert helped others to evade German capture and when asked why he risked his life his answer was "I thought that if I was going to be killed I would rather be hung for a sheep than a lamb.".


Alexandriene Baudains


The occupation of Jersey by German forces began on 1st July 1940. The following five years of German rule challenged the loyalties of many of those who lived through it. The names and faces of those who are celebrated for their resistance and heroism, and those made infamous through public accusations of their collaboration with German troops, can be found within the collections of the Jersey Heritage Trust.

Alexandriene Baudains, nicknamed "Mimi the Spy", was branded a traitor for associating with Nazi officers and allegedly informing German secret police of those illicitly using radio sets, committing rationing offences, or showing signs of resistance to the occupying forces. When liberation arrived on 9th May 1945 Mrs Baudains, fearing public retribution, took her son and fled to the safety of the prison from where she was secretly sent by boat to England.

The island's official Occupation records, along with numerous personal documents, are held at the Jersey Archive. These inlclude:

  • The Bailiff's Chambers' files, documenting details of administration in the island.
  • The official set of 33,000 registration cards for Jersey's civil population aged 14 and above.
  • Personal documents including diaries, letters and red cross messages.

Objects in the World Wars display in The Story of Jersey exhibition at the Jersey Museum reveal some of the hardships faced by families during the Occupation. The highly acclaimed Occupation Tapestry was made by the people of Jersey to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Liberation and is possibly the greatest community project undertaken in Jersey. Each of the twelve panels reveals a different aspect of life in the island from the outbreak of war to Jersey's liberation. The tapestry can be found at the Maritime Museum site.