IDENTITAESKARTE - Joseph
Arthur MIERE
Jersey-born Joe Mière was 15 years old when he was first arrested
in October 1941 for insulting a Wehrmacht officer. He was fined and held
in custody for four days. He was arrested again in September 1942 for demonstrating
against the German occupying forces (he and others led the singing of “There’ll
always be an England” as English-born people were being deported).
Released after two days with a final warning he was arrested once again
in November 1944 on the much more serious charge of being in possession
of weapons and arraigned for trial before the Truppenkriegsgericht (the
War Court Martial). He was detained in custody in the public prison.
In his report to the court of 12 February 1945, Feldpolizeiinspektor Bode of the Secret Field Police stated that, ‘his record shows that he has consistently insulted the occupying forces and carried out acts of sabotage. He refuses to admit to his crimes. He can be violent and when interrogated by the Field Police he had to be restrained by force but continued to insult the interrogating police officers’.
Joe Mière was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment and released from the public prison on the evening of 7 May 1945. After a career in local commerce Joe became the curator at the German Underground Hospital and has devoted himself to building his photographic collection - on display in the Visitor Centre - and keeping alive the memories of his turbulent youth. Joe has now retired and still lives in Jersey with his wife Marie.