‘I didn’t mean to talk over you,’ she said. ‘Come on, I thought we were over all this. I thought this was a clean slate.’
‘It is,’ I replied. ‘It’s fine.’
She pulled herself up and headed for the door, then suddenly turned back around. ‘You’d tell me, though, if there was anything, wouldn’t you?’
I smiled faintly (but still psychopathically).
‘Of course.’
Did she know I was lying? I can’t be sure. It’s funny how things have changed between us, and are changing still. Before Dad died I had her full attention and I was always pouring out my worries to her. I’d wait until it was officially bedtime and then insist we discuss The Meaning of Life or The End of The World, and she’d listen carefully and pretend to be bothered even if she wasn’t. But after Dad died she stopped coming into my bedroom and I was afraid to ask her anything. I still had loads of questions, though, and they kept multiplying. Why is it that the most important questions are the ones you ask too late?
Property of Emile Philippe Rozier
The Editor
Guernsey Evening Press
23 South Esplanade
St Peter Port
Guernsey
[undated draft]
Sir –
I am writing to you with regard to the article ‘The Unanswered Questions of the Nazi Occupation’, which appeared in last week’s Saturday supplement. As the owner and editor of The Patois Press, a publishing house dedicated to the documentation of recent island History, I have written to your newspaper innumerable times, calling for an inquiry into the ‘closed’ Occupation files. I was surprised last week’s article made no mention of my work. Perhaps your reporter was the victim of Selective Memory Loss, a condition widely noted in the wake of the Occupation?
Let me remind you, Sir, my own attempts to compile a definitive and detailed history of the German Occupation have floundered due to pressure from the UK government and our local States deputies. I come under criticism from these same quarters because my books are apparently too reliant on informal and ‘idiosyncratic’ sources, but given all the red tape what choice do I have? I readily accept that one person’s point of view can differ wildly from another’s, but this only makes it more vital that the official files relating to the Geheimfeld polizei are made public.
The official line is that the release of ‘highly sensitive’ archival materials would cause embarrassment to certain families in the Channel Islands, but surely it is time for the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth to replace the gossip and hearsay. Once we know all the facts we will be better equipped to counter the many allegations that have been brought against us, and I am speaking from personal experience, as someone whose own family name has been dragged through the mud on more than one occasion. My father, Hubert Wilfred Rozier, was shot dead by the Germans whilst allegedly ‘trying to escape’, my brother, Charles André Rozier, was then arrested and tortured by the Nazis at the notorious prison of Paradis before being deported to a German concentration camp, where he remained for the rest of the War.
As I wrestled to uncover the harrowing details of their story I grew to understand why so much had been repressed. Repression is a natural defence in the immediate aftermath of traumatic events, but it cannot become a way of life. It is time we faced up to our complicated history, and with that in mind I would like to launch my own campaign for an Unofficial Occupation Memorial. This would be a monument to be sited in a public place, and would list the names of all those who were imprisoned under German rule. For too long the bravery and courage of islanders has been overlooked, and I can remedy this situation with the help of your readers. It would go some way to countering the long silence from our States deputies.
But perhaps our States deputies are running scared. We all know that although many islanders suffered during the War, a great many more stood by and watched. Some had no choice but to co-operate with the Germans, others swapped sides willingly. In compiling a roll call of honour I might uncover this less honourable truth. Only a very foolish person would deny the existence of collaborators, informers, jerrybags and black-market racketeers, whose behaviour during this dark period of island history was tantamount to treason. They might be few in number but they have