Accessories handmade in Wurzach internment camp

The deportation of non-native Channel Islanders came about in response to British military victories in the Middle East through 1941; in particular, the British invasion of Iran and the detaining of German civilians working there. Outraged at the situation, Hitler ordered that British-born citizens in the occupied Channel Islands be deported in retaliation. Although this was ordered in 1941, the matter initially got lost in government bureaucracy and disappeared for a year. It was not until the Swiss Government attempted an exchange of prisoners-of-war in September 1942 that Hitler realised that the deportations in the Channel Islands had never actually been carried out, and ordered that the evacuations be undertaken with immediate effect.

The initial deportation order, which arrived in Jersey on the morning of 15 September 1942, gave notice that all British people who were not permanent residents of Jersey or who had not been born on the Island, would immediately be transferred to Germany, together with their families. Many people had less than 12 hours to tie up their affairs in the Island before their departure.

Faulder and her husband were deported to Germany on 18 September 1942, only 3 days after the deportation order was issued. Robert Faulder was born in London, making the couple eligible for deportation, despite Nellie Faulder being locally-born herself. Faulder was sent first to a camp at Biberach, but was shortly moved on to a camp in the town of Wurzach, along with many other Jersey families. The internees had no idea how long they would have to live in these camps, with no end to the war in sight.

We can get a small glimpse into the lives of some of the deportees through the artworks, writings and objects that were created from inside the camps. Diaries, letters and greetings cards give an insight into people’s routines and their private thoughts, while artworks provide a visual depiction of camp life and the environment that people were living in.

Other interesting collections are the everyday objects that were made in the camps, which highlight the skills of some of the individuals living there. With resources being very limited, and even basic commodities such as thread in short supply, the internees would collect and recycle anything useful that they could source. The string and cellophane wrapping that came on Red Cross parcels was always collected, as this could be woven and used for crafting. Faulder produced a number of different items from these materials, including shoes, bags, belts and trinket boxes, which show off her creative abilities. Accessories such as these helped the interned women to keep up appearances and therefore slightly boosted morale, as well as providing a means of passing the time. The circular workbag pictured in image 2 reportedly took Faulder three months to make. The trinket boxes would be created from old food tins, and decorated with the woven cellophane wrappings to create colourful storage containers. For the women living in communal rooms with many other people, it was important to have a place to store personal items.

Faulder returned to Jersey after the war and continued to produce artworks, mostly pencil and pastel drawings. A number of these are now in the museum collection, along with a collection of the items that she made during her time spent in Wurzach. Faulder passed away in Jersey on 9 March 1991.