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Remembering Channel Islanders who died at Biberach

Chris Craddock
BBC Jersey communities reporter
BBC A man wearing a green shirt, light-coloured shorts, blue cap, and grey shoes is bending over to tend to flowers in a cemetery. The cemetery contains gravestones of various shapes and sizes, some covered in moss and surrounded by greenery. A pathway runs through the area, with trees and bushes in the background. One gravestone near the man reads 'HIER RUHT AUGUSTE PHILIPP.BBC
People from Jersey laid roses on the graves of the Channel Islanders who died in the camp

People from Jersey have visited the graves of Channel Islanders who died in the internment camp in Biberach, in Germany.

More than 2,000 people were deported from Jersey and Guernsey in 1942 and services are being held to mark the 80th anniversary of their liberation.

They were taken to Camp Lindele, where about 1,000 people, most from Guernsey, remained while others were sent to places like Bad Wurzach.

The site of the camp has been knocked down and only a police training academy remains. Those on the visit were shown an exhibition on its history and taken to a cemetery where those who died in the camp were buried.

Sylvia stands on a paved pathway next to a grassy area. They are wearing a blue floral-patterned shirt and a necklace. In the background, there is a small building with colorful circular signs on its roof, along with trees and a cloudy sky
Sylvia Diamond was held in Biberach briefly before she was sent to Bad Wurzach

Sylvia Diamond was held in Biberach before she was taken to Bad Wurzach as a young girl with her family when she was two years old.

She made the same walk internees were forced to make from the train station to the camp to remember what people went through.

Ms Diamond said "my parents had very vivid memories of the walk from the station up the hill to the camp after three days on the train" and "they had to carry me, suitcases and tugging my little sister along as well".

She added: "I wanted to come and walk in their footsteps and do it in their honour and I was glad to it."

Sir Mark is standing outdoors, wearing a blue blazer over a striped shirt. In the background, several people are gathered in a park-like setting with trees and a large clock structure visible. The sky is partly cloudy
Sir Mark Boleat's family were held in the camp during the war

Sir Mark Boleat's grandparents and his uncle were held in the camp.

He said "it's been a really interesting experience" and "they've made a great effort to ensure the people here today understand what the camp was during the war".

He added: "I think we do overlook Biberach and there's a feeling here that it's all about Guernsey people but there were a great many Jersey people that were in Biberach for the whole of the time they were interned."

The group from Jersey has returned as guests of honour of the Bad Wurzach Partnerschaft Committee to continue relationships between the island and the town.

Helga has short, light-colored hair is standing outdoors in a garden or park area. She is wearing a light green collared shirt and a dark jacket. In the background, there are various plants, trees, and what appear to be gravestones or memorial markers.
Helga Reiser has worked to strengthen ties between Biberach and Guernsey

Helga Reiser, who is from the Guernsey Friends of Biberach Group and helped co-ordinate the visit, showed the visitors to a nearby grave where Channel Islanders who died in the camp were buried.

She said "I'm very pleased they came and looked around Camp Lindele" and "people from Jersey have the same history as those from Guernsey do in this camp".

"Laying the roses at the grave is to honour the people who are buried here and didn't come back to Jersey or Guernsey," she added.

Bad Wurzach - 70 years on

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