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It subsequently came to light, from articles
published in the local newspaper (which
was under the control of the occupying
authorities), that the reason for removing
the main furnishings of the temple intact
was to transport them to Berlin for use in
staging an anti-Masonic exhibition.
Likewise, the reason for taking
photographs was to enable exhibition
managers to replicate precisely the layout
of a traditional Lodge room. Exhibitions
were also staged in Paris and in Brussels
using artefacts stolen in similar fashion from
French and Belgian Lodges. Another was
held in Belgrade, in connection with which
a set of commemorative stamps was issued.
Thankfully, no action was taken to defile
the main fabric of the building, and for the
remainder of the Occupation it was used as a
wine/liquor store and to house confiscated
wireless sets.
What was most remarkable was that,
having taken such drastic action against the
physical attributes of Freemasonry, and
given the purpose of the notorious Black
Book, no action was taken to harass or
persecute individual Freemasons, full details
of whom would have been ascertainable
from the stolen records.
The situation becomes more astonishing
given that in 1942 and again in 1943, Hitler
ordered all high-ranking Freemasons to be
deported to Germany. The orders were sent
directly to the Commander-in-Chief, but
no action was taken to identify, locate and
deport these senior Masons, of whom there
were many, including my own father. This
opens up the intriguing line of speculation
that some of the most senior military
commanders had Masonic connections
or sympathies, or may even have been
members of the Craft at some time.
The Germans were anxious to study
closely the behaviour of the Channel
Islanders under enemy occupation to learn
how best they might shortly govern Britain.
Berlin felt therefore that the occupying
forces should be led by individuals who
would create, as far as possible in the
circumstances, a favourable and sympathetic
impression on the local population.
And it is clear from the many accounts,
including the Official History of the Occupation
of the Channel Islands by the late Charles
Cruickshank, that they could not have made
a wiser choice of Commander-in-Chief
than Major-General Rudolph Graf von
Schmettow for almost the whole of those
five awful years.
‘Graf’ means ‘Count’ and he was head of
an ancient Silesian dynasty with long military
traditions. He already had the respect of his
troops, but also quickly gained that of the
local population, including Alexander
Coutanche, the Bailiff of Jersey and Ambrose
Sherwill, the Attorney General in Guernsey,
who described the General as a man of great
charm and humanity, someone who earned
the reputation of favouring the Channel
Islanders whenever he could.
And von Schmettow was most certainly
not a Nazi, as Coutanche writes in his
memoirs. He records that the General told
him quite openly that he suspected that
most of his personal guard were Nazi party
members and were spying on him. And
there were numerous occasions when, as
Cruickshank illustrated, von Schmettow
completely ignored instructions from Berlin
if he felt their effect on the civilian
population would have been unjustifiably
harsh and inhumane.
It is therefore perhaps not surprising, in
furtherance of the policy of trying to create
the right kind of impression, that when he
came to Jersey in September 1940, the
General brought with him Major Prince
Georg von Waldeck to take command
of all the regular troops, Baron Hans von
Helldorf as his Chief-of-Staff and, in 1942,
Baron Max von Aufsess to handle the liaison
between the military government and the
Jersey authorities.
We know that none of these highly
cultured intellectuals were Nazis, and that
von Schmettow became increasingly suspect
by his masters in Berlin.
Baron von Helldorf also came under
suspicion for his leniency towards the local
civilians, and for failing to carry out orders
he received from Berlin he was banished to
the island of Herm, pending court martial,
and the wife of von Aufsess, who was still in
Germany, was declared an enemy of the
state and arrested by the Gestapo.
But what is interesting from a Masonic
standpoint is that two of the senior
commanders mentioned had very close
Masonic connections i.e., General von
Schmettow and Prince von Waldeck.
As von Schmettow became increasingly
suspect, especially after the D-Day landings
when food supplies from the Continent to
the Islands were almost completely cut off,
the naval commander in the Channel Islands,
Admiral Hufmeier, a rabid Nazi, went over
the head of his C-in-C directly to Berlin.
He reported that the General had failed
to get across to his men that, come what
may, they had to hold out, that the troops’
rations were too high and that the civilian
population were being treated too leniently.
Suspecting that von Schmettow might, at
any time, in order to prevent further
suffering by the civilian population and
indeed his troops, seek terms of surrender, in
February 1945 the General was summarily
dismissed from his command and was
succeeded by the fanatical Hufmeier.
After the Liberation by British forces on 9
May 1945, came the massive task of
restoration which confronted the Masonic
authorities. Since the last meeting of
Provincial Grand Lodge in October 1939,
the Province had lost its PGM, his deputy
and many other senior members. However,
despite the immense difficulties, Provincial
Grand Lodge was convened on 16 August
1945, just one month after the Masonic
authorities repossessed the building.
But the physical task of restoration was
daunting. All the furniture and furnishings
needed replacing, and to meet the cost the
Province had to rely almost entirely on its
own resources and the generosity of friends
worldwide. By early 1946 the temple been
restored to some kind of normality,
although it took several decades to complete
the restoration.
The anti-Masonic exhibition referred
to earlier was staged in an area of Berlin
which suffered almost total destruction at
the end of the war, and it is more than likely
that the building in which it was housed was
completely destroyed. So, sadly and despite
endless enquiries, none of the stolen treasures
except for some 250 library books have been,
or are ever likely to be recovered.
However, as those who are able to recall
and compare will readily testify, the present
splendour and beauty of both the exterior
and interior of the very fine Jersey Masonic
building even exceeds that which existed
immediately prior to the traumatic events
of January 1941.
And this is indeed a tremendous tribute
not only to those on whose shoulders fell
the enormous burden of restoration and
rehabilitation, but also to their countless
friends worldwide who contributed so
much and so generously to this massive task.
This article is part of Dennis Perrin’s
paper, Jersey Freemasonry and the German
Occupation 1940–1945: Before, During and
After. Anybody who would like a signed
copy of the full text and the Summons
should contact the Librarian & Curator
at the Jersey Masonic temple.
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Copyright 2002-2007
MQ Magazine
Web site created by Mark Griffin
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