Westmount - Slave
   Workers Memorial
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This plaque is part of the present Memorial at Westmount, Jersey commemorating all those Spanish slave workers who were forced by the Nazi's to work under inhuman conditions.
Commemoration to the Spanish victim's
   According to German records (Bailiff's Library, Guernsey) shows that in May 1943 there was a total of 16,000 foreign workers in the three main islands of Guernsey, Jersey and Alderney.  In November 1943 the number was 8,959 and July 1944 it was 817.
    Although no evidence of mass slaughter has been uncovered, there is a lot of evidence of sickening inhumanity by many against the slave workers.  Beatings took place for the most trivial offences and in many cases death took place.
    The most numerous of slave workers were Russian prisoners, having been captured by the Nazis's during Hitler's invasion of Russia.  Other nationalities included Jews, Poles, Belgians, French and Spanish Republican many having fought for the Spanish democratic elected government of Spain, against the reactionary elements led by General Franco.  The insurgents were the fascist Falange, the Catholic Church, the Monarcy , the Armed Forces, the landowners and the industrialists.
    Thus those Spaniards who were forced into slavery occured once Hitler had invaded and took control of France.  Many were given to the German's by the Vichy Government and indeed the new facist dictator, General Franco.  It is also known that Franco sent thousands to the quarry mine of Mauthausen where many met there death.
Letter to
Gary Font
The beginnings of Westmount Memorial
to the Channel Islands Slave Workers
Jersey was liberated on May 9th 1945, without
a shot fired on that day and since then the Isand celebrates its freedom, remembers the past and the price so many paid.
WESTMOUNT MEMORIAL - JERSEY (ABOUT 1975)
Left to right: Juan Robles, Antonio Garcia, Pedro Jarraga, Vincent Gasulla Sole, Ramond Paljalti, Pascual Pomar and Casimiro Perez Gomez.
The Ceremony 9th May 2004
WESTMOUNT MEMORIAL - JERSEY
(2003)
A Spanish couple pose in front on the Memorial which is dedicated to all the slave labours who suffered under the Nazi's.
  On the 16th June 1960, a Russian timber ship arrived in Jersey.  The crew
were informed that many of their country-
men had been slave workers in the Island
and with great interest were taken by coach
to visit Westmount.  Escorting them was
Francis le Sueur, a member of the then
Jersey Communist Party and Norman le
Brocq, who I believe Jack Jones knew.
The crew of the SS Jarensk pooled their
money and a plaque was made and inscri-
bed in Russian, "Your motherland will
never forget you."
    Each year members of the Jersey Com-
munist Party, the French community,
Spanish Republicans who remained here
after the occupation, members of the
Jewish community and a few years later a
Russian Attache from the Embassy in
London would lay flowers at this one
plaque and remember all slave workers also
sparing a thought for the estimated 17,000
foreign workers, men, women and children
who passed through the Channel Islands to
what fate we may never know.
    In 1975 the Memorial that stands today
was built with funds from the Public
Health Committee and the plaques pur-
chased by the nationalities concerned.  As
for the Russian plaque, this was replaced
with one commissioned from the Russian
Embassy in London.  The Jarensk plaque
is now with the Jersey Heritage Trust.
Francisco Font, one of many who cam-
paigned for the Memorial to be built, was
the first Master of Ceremonies at West-
mount, he was one of 1,500 Spanish
Republicans used as forced labour building
fortifications around the Island.  Along
with other Republicans he faced a nine
month ordeal in the Island of Alderney
where he witnessed atrocities and brutality
in the extreme.  After his death, in 1981,
the late Norman le Brocq and then Stella
Perkins presided over the ceremony.
   The honour of speaker at the Westmount
Memorial was kindly handed to me three
years ago keeping this important part of
Jersey history alive so younger generations
realise brutality and tragedy do not happen
in far away places, it happened here on our
beautiful Channel Islands.

Editted article from a letter written by Gary Font to Marlene Sidaway Secretary of the International Brigade Memorial Trust.
SLAVE LABOURS MEMORIAL - ALDERNEY
(LATE 1960's)

Left to right:  Raymond Paljalji, Vincent Gasulla Sole, Juan Robles and Francisco Font.
WESTMOUNT MEMORIAL - JERSEY
(Sometime during the 1970's)

Left to right: Juan Robles, unknown, Francisco Font, Russian Attache, Antonio Garcia, Ramond Puljalti and Pedro Tarraga.
WESTMOUNT MEMORIAL - JERSEY
(Late 1960's)

Left to right, front row: Francisco Font, Mr Theault (French Consul), Soviet Air Attache, Norman Le Brocq, unknown little girl, Sttella Perlins, Henry Prax and Antonio Garcia.

(We apologise that some of the names are vaguely placed.  We will clarify it as soon as we can - editor)
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2003 Ceremony at Westmount
   This year from the UK Mr Rob Smith, Joan Brown and Louise Osborne represented the International Brigade, also friends of the Brigade Manuel and Juan Moreno and for the last
seventeen years Fernando de la Torre, with a Republican flag draped on shoulders, paid homage to Spanish Republicans.  It is through Fernando that the Brigade and our ceremony in Jersey are now entwined and I am grateful to him for the rfriendship many of us have made.