Monthly Archive: April 2016

The last Jewish woman of Sark

The Dame of Sark.

The Dame of Sark. Did she help Annie avoid deportation to Auschwitz?

My article about the fate of Annie Wranowsky, the only Jew on Sark during the Nazi German occupation, appears in today’s edition of the Jewish Chronicle.

From the article:

A few weeks after the Germans occupied the Channel Islands, orders were issued regarding the registration of the Jews.

Any Jews in Sark were required to register at the office of the Seneschal, a local official.

A Guernsey police inspector reported to a leader of the island government about Annie, who was believed to be a German national.

He wrote: “Enquiries have been made by the Seneschal of Sark concerning the above named woman. She states that neither her parents nor grandparents were Jews and that she can trace back five generations in her family without encountering Jewish blood. Her passport, No. 558, issued in London on 13/2/39, is stamped with a ‘J’.”

Read the full article here.

New photo shows additional Basalt raiders

This extraordinary photo — published here for the first time — shows several of the commandos who participated in the October 1942 raid on Sark. While other photos have shown some of the officers, this is a rare photo of the “other ranks”.  The caption and article which follow were written by Graham Robinson, who has written a short article which appears below. Thanks to Graham for finding this and allowing me to share it.

 

Operation Chess Photo anotated (1).docx

Operation Chess Raid on Ambleteuse France 27/28 July 1941 E Troop 12 Commando. .Back row 4th from left Tim Robinson and far right Horace Stokes. Front row far left Eric Forster.

 

Photographs of the officers who took part in Operation Basalt have been available for many years but I am now able to make available a photograph which includes at least three (and possibly all four) of the Other Ranks from E Troop 12 Commando who I believe took part along with their Troop leader Philip Pinckney.

Tim Robinson
Horace Stokes
Eric Forster
Jimmy Flint

On the night of 27/28 July 1941 Pinckney led Operation Chess, a raid on Ambleteuse, a town on the French coast, involving 17 men from E Troop. In my father’s collection of war time souvenirs are two photographs of the men who took part, taken in Dover either immediately before or after the raid. Both of the original photographs are very small but on enlargement one shows a group of 14 men and the other pictures 7 of the participants. It is the second photograph which is most clear and of particular interest and which is attached. (more…)