Memorial stones honour islanders of WW2

Islanders who lost their lives during World War Two will be remembered next week as new memorial stones are laid across Jersey.

A total of 25 stolpersteine – or “stumble stones” – will be installed at locations linked to those who died under Nazi persecution. Each brass plaque, set into the ground, carries the name and story of an individual, serving as a permanent reminder in the place they once lived or worked.

The project, led by Jersey Heritage, is the second phase of the Channel Islands’ memorial initiative. Twenty stones were laid last year, most commemorating survivors. This next phase will specifically honour those who never returned.

The first of the new stones will be placed outside St Helier’s Town Hall on Monday at 10:00 BST in memory of Peter Johnson, who died at Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp in 1944. At every installation, the story of the person being remembered will be read aloud.

Among those to be honoured is Joseph Tierney, who died in May 1945 in Kastice and is buried in Psov, Czech Republic. His daughter, Pat Fisher, said the ceremony held deep meaning for her family.

“On behalf of my family and myself, we wish to express our thanks to Gilly Carr, Jersey Heritage and the stolpersteine organisation for honouring my father with a memory stone,” she said. “We are extremely proud to witness this during the 80th anniversary year of his death.”

She described her father as “a loving, caring man who did not deserve to be treated and punished in this way. Ultimately, he died an innocent man.”

The stolpersteine project is recognised across Europe as the world’s largest decentralised memorial, with more than 100,000 stones installed to date.