Patrick Christopher Healy

By Gilly Carr 

Patrick Christopher Healy was born on 8 August 1918 in Newcastle West, Co. Limerick, Ireland. We do not know when or why he arrived in Jersey but, like other Irishmen in the Island, he probably arrived before the Occupation to help with the potato harvest.

At the time of the registration of Islanders in January 1941, Patrick Healy was married, living at 19 Pierson Road, and working as a labourer. He moved three times within St Helier before his deportation; his last address was at 73 New Street.

Healy comes to our attention because, on 21 December 1943, he was sentenced by the German forces to six months’ imprisonment for ‘serious military larceny with another and continued simple larceny’. It is likely that his accomplice was his brother, William Healy, who was charged with him of the same crime.

Despite Healy’s charge sheet being given to the local authorities, neither his name nor that of his brother features in the prison records for Jersey prison.

We know almost nothing about what happened next to Healy. Our only further source of information comes from a local historian, the late Joe Mière. He recorded that the Healy brothers were ‘subsequently deported to France where William was incarcerated in St-Denis Prison [probably Internment Camp] before being moved to a German camp in 1944. He was eventually liberated on 15 June 1945.’ Can we assume that the brothers were sent to the same camps?

Some of this information was corroborated by Roger Harris, author of Islanders Deported, who noted that he saw, in an (un-noted) file at The National Archives, a reference to Healy’s brother William: ‘William P Healy, deported from Jersey January 1943 [which seems to be a typo for 1944]. Last heard of at St-Denis Internment Camp, France, in September 1944. Foreign Office note: Arrived from Paris 15 June 1945. Working for Americans and in touch with Irish Legation.’ We cannot say where else Healy might have been during the Occupation. It is possible that he was moved to Laufen Internment Camp, but the camp register of this camp has not yet been located.

The family of Patrick Healy is invited to get in touch with the Frank Falla Archive if they wish to share further information about his story.

Sources

Patrick Christopher Healy, image from Occupation registration card, Jersey Archives ref. D/S/A/14/A176.

Patrick Healy’s Occupation registration form, Jersey Archives ref. D/S/A/14 B176.

Reverse of Patrick Healy’s Occupation registration form, Jersey Archives ref. D/S/A/14/B176.

Patrick Healy’s court records, Jersey Archives ref. D/Z/H6/7/2.

Jersey War Tunnels, information displayed in café about Patrick Healy.