Monumento

​​Political prisoners plaque

Jersey

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​​This memorial tablet, installed in 1995, marks the location of the former Newgate Street Prison – otherwise known as Gloucester Street prison - where hundreds of Jersey people were incarcerated for acts of defiance and disobedience during the German Occupation of Jersey, 1940 to 1945.

​​Islanders imprisoned by the German forces for acts of resistance referred to themselves as ‘political prisoners’ - one such person was Joe Mière, who for many years campaigned for this plaque to be erected.

Joe was first arrested in October 1941 for insulting a German officer, and was again arrested in September 1942 when demonstrating against the deportation of British-born Channel Islanders to Germany. Eventually Joe was imprisoned on 13 February 1945, for a term of 18 months, for anti-German demonstrations and insulting the occupying forces. He was released on 7 May 1945, two days prior to the Island‘s Liberation.

In a newspaper article published in 1995, Mr Mière wrote: ‘If you were caught with a crystal radio set or defacing Nazi posters, or disregarded the orders of the authorities in some other way, you could have found yourself in one of the 10 ft by 8 ft cells, usually holding four detainees each. People from all walks of life found themselves in there. Often many members of one family spent a spell at the jail’.

Indirizzo

​​Gloucester Street, St Helier, JE2 3QA, Jersey​