Frederick Frank Vasse

By Gilly Carr

Frederick Vasse was born in Jersey, and at the start of the German occupation was 18 years old, earning his living as an agricultural worker, and living in St Brelade’s Bay in Jersey.

Very little is known about Vasse’s experience during the occupation. However, Jersey court records show that on 22 December 1941 he was sentenced to 14 months’ imprisonment for ‘serious larceny’.

During the occupation, the German forces requisitioned much food from the local population, and many of the Islanders convicted for theft were trying to take the food back again. It is possible that this is what Vasse was convicted of stealing.

The political prisoner log book from Jersey prison shows that he was deported on 12 January 1942. He arrived in Caen Prison on 13 January, which he left on 16 February 1942. Vasse’s name next occurs in the register for Fort de Villeneuve-Saint-Georges Prison, where he arrived the same day.

His sentence was recorded as being due to finish on 21 February 1943. He left the prison that day and was handed to the German gendarmerie at the Villeneuve-Saint-George station.

Vasse is next named on the transport lists from Jersey for 25 February 1943; he is listed as joining the transport in St Malo on route to ‘Camp T’; the other men in this transport went to Kreuzburg civilian internment camp for the duration of the war, so we must assume that this is also what happened to Frederick Vasse.