Albert Gustave Bedane (1893–1980) lived in

Jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...

during the

German occupation German-occupied Europe, or Nazi-occupied Europe, refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly militarily occupied and civil-occupied, including puppet states, by the (armed forces) and the government of Nazi Germany at ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and provided shelter to a Jewish woman and others, preventing their capture by the Nazis. In 2010, Bedane was posthumously named a

British Hero of the Holocaust The British Hero of the Holocaust award is a special national award given by the government of the United Kingdom in recognition of British citizens who assisted in rescuing victims of the Holocaust. On 9 March 2010, it was awarded to 25 individ ...

Life

Albert Bedane was born in

Angers Angers (, , ;) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Duchy of Anjou, Anjou until the French Revolution. The i ...

in France in 1893 and lived in Jersey from 1894. He served in the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

, 1917-1920, and was naturalised as a British subject by the

Royal Court of Jersey The Royal Court is the principal and oldest court in Jersey, and exercises both criminal and civil jurisdiction. It can sit in a number of configurations, depending on the type of case and the powers to be exercised. History The Court has its ...

in 1921. By profession he was a

masseur Massage is the rubbing or kneading of the body's soft tissues. Massage techniques are commonly applied with hands, fingers, elbows, knees, forearms, feet, or a device. The purpose of massage is generally for the treatment of body stress or pa ...

physiotherapist Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is a healthcare profession, as well as the care provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through patient education, physical intervention, disease preventio ...

, running a physiotherapy clinic from his home in Roseville Street, St Helier. During the

German occupation of the Channel Islands The military occupation of the Channel Islands by Nazi Germany lasted for most of the Second World War, from 30 June 1940 until liberation on 9 May 1945. The Bailiwick of Jersey and Bailiwick of Guernsey are British Crown dependencies in the ...

, some of the Germans came to his clinic for treatment. Bedane was also using his home to shelter an escaped French prisoner of war, three escaped Soviet slave labourers and a Dutch Jewish woman, Mrs Mary Richardson, who was married to a local man, Captain Richardson. For 2 1/2 years, Mary Richardson lived in the cellar and attic of Bedane's house. Beneath his clinic there was a three-roomed cellar, which he used to shelter those who had sought refuge. By asking for payment in food rather than money from his clients, Bedane managed to feed everyone without arousing suspicion.

Recognition

In 1966 the Soviet government presented Albert Bedane (along with other Jersey resistance activists who had helped and sheltered escaped Soviet slave-workers) with a gold watch. On 4 January 2000, Albert Bedane was posthumously recognised as ''

Righteous Among the Nations Righteous Among the Nations ( ) is a title used by Yad Vashem to describe people who, for various reasons, made an effort to assist victims, mostly Jews, who were being persecuted and exterminated by Nazi Germany, Fascist Romania, Fascist Italy, ...

''. In 2004

BBC South West BBC South West is the BBC English Region serving Cornwall, Devon, Isles of Scilly, West Somerset, West Dorset and Channel Islands. Services Television ''BBC South Wests television service (broadcast on BBC One South West) consists of the flags ...

launched an audience vote for ''South West Heroes''. The four nominations from Jersey, which falls within the BBC's South West broadcasting region, were

Gerald Durrell Gerald Malcolm Durrell Order of the British Empire, OBE (7 January 1925 – 30 January 1995) was a British naturalist, writer, zookeeper, conservation movement, conservationist, and television presenter. He was born in Jamshedpur in British Ind ...

, Sir

Walter Ralegh Sir Walter Raleigh (; – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebelli ...

, Sir

Billy Butlin Sir William Heygate Edmund Colborne Butlin (29 September 189912 June 1980) was an entrepreneur whose name is synonymous with the British holiday camp.''#refRiverside, American Heritage Dictionary 2004'', p. 135.#refScott2001, Scott 2001, p. 5. ...

and Bedane. On 9 March 2010 the award of

was made to 25 individuals, including four Jerseymen, by the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

government in recognition of UK citizens who assisted in rescuing victims of

the Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

. The Jersey recipients were

Louisa Gould Louisa Mary Gould (, 7 October 1891 – 13 February 1945)In ''Another Mother's Son'', between the end of the story and the start of the cast list, there are a few frames with photos and details of the main characters and what happened to them ...

Ivy Forster Ivy Forster (1907 – June 1997) was a politician from Jersey. During World War II she and her family sheltered Russian forced labourers brought to the islands by the Nazis, activity that resulted in her sister being killed in a concentration cam ...

, Harold Le Druillenec and Bedane. It was, according to historian

Freddie Cohen Frederick Ellyer Cohen (1957 – 5 December 2021) was a British businessman and former politician. He was a senator in the Bailiwick of Jersey for six years from October 2005 until unseated at the election of November 2011. Born in Manchester, ...

, the first time that the UK Government recognised the heroism of Jersey islanders during the German occupation.''Senator is a driving force behind move for international recognition'', Jersey Evening Post, 9 March 2010 The Righteous Among the Nations medal and certificate are on display in the Occupation Tapestry Gallery at the

Jersey Maritime Museum The Maritime Museum is located in Saint Helier, Jersey in the Channel Islands. It is housed in a set of five 19th-century warehouses and was opened in 1997. The collection includes artefacts from the island's maritime industry as well as from ...

on New North Quay. A plaque erected by the

Vingtaine de la Ville The Vingtaine de la Ville is one of the six vingtaines of Saint Helier in Jersey, and roughly corresponds to the historic town centre and harbours. It is divided into two cantons: * Canton de Bas de la Vingtaine de la Ville * Canton de Haut de la ...

marks the site of his home in Roseville Street,

St Helier St Helier (; Jèrriais: ; ) is the Capital city, capital of Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands in the English Channel. It is the most populous of the twelve parishes of Jersey, with a population of 35,822, over one-third of the island' ...

, where he sheltered escapees.

Notes

External links

BBC article
*

– his activity to save Jews' lives during the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

, at

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem (; ) is Israel's official memorial institution to the victims of Holocaust, the Holocaust known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (). It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; echoing the stories of the ...

website {{DEFAULTSORT:Bedane, Albert 1893 births 1980 deaths People from Saint Helier French Righteous Among the Nations British Righteous Among the Nations Honours recipients from Jersey People from Angers British physiotherapists British Army personnel of World War I British Heroes of the Holocaust Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom