Norman Le Brocq | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 8 January 1922 |
| Died | 26 November 1996 (aged 74) |
| Citizenship | United Kingdom |
| Organization | Transport and General Workers' Union |
| Known for | Resisting the German occupation of the Channel Islands Creating Jersey's first Island Plan Trade Union & Communist activism Activist, Jersey Communist Party (JCP) Activist, Jersey Democratic Movement (JDM) |
| Notable work | Jersey Looks Forward (1946) |
| Title | State Deputy of Jersey |
| Term | 1966-1969, 1972-1975, 1978-1987 |
| Political party | Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) Jersey Communist Party (JCP) Jersey Democratic Movement (JDM) |
| Opponent | Nazi Party |
| Spouse | Rosalie Le Riche |
| Awards | Gold watch (1966) - awarded by the USSR for his role in aiding Soviet POWs. |
Norman Le Brocq (8 January 1922 – 26 November 1996) was a communist, trade union activist, and a leader of a Jersey resistance cell opposed to the German occupation of the Channel Islands during World War II.[1] The resistance cell distributed anti-fascist propaganda throughout Jersey and sheltered slave labourers who had escaped from German captivity.[1] After the liberation of France by the allied forces, a German soldier connected with Le Brocq and they began planning a mutiny against the German commanders on the islands. However, the war ended before the mutiny could be attempted.[2][3][4] After the war, Le Brocq became a human rights activist, campaigning for a minimum wage, equitable divorce laws, compulsory school education and health insurance, and the introduction of a minimum wage.[5] He also won several elections throughout the 1960s and 70s to serve as a Jersey State Deputy. Le Brocq was a life-long member of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB).
Le Brocq was bitter towards Jersey's government and police who had gone unpunished despite collaborating with the German occupiers in deporting to German prisons 2,400 people who were not native to the Channel Islands.[6] Whilst his participation in the resistance went unrecognised by the British government, many officials who had collaborated with the Nazis had been awarded OBE titles and knighthoods.[7]
- ^ a b Renouf, Max (7 October 2018). "Norman Le Brocq: resistance to occupation and collaboration". The Norman Le Brocq Society. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- ^ Bunting, Madeleine (1995). The Model Occupation. London: Harper Collins. pp. 214–215. ISBN 0002552426.
- ^ Bunting 1995, pp. 214–215.
- ^ Heritage, Jersey (2020). "Liberation Interview - Norman Le Brocq". Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- ^ Le Brocq, Norman; Party, Communist (1946). Jersey Looks Forward. London: Communist Party of Great Britain.
- ^ Heathcote, Graham (10 May 1995). "Quiet Occupation by German Troops on Britain's Channel Islands". Associated Press. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- ^ Meddick, Simon; Payne, Liz; Katz, Phil (2020). Red Lives: Communists and the Struggle for Socialism. UK: Manifesto Press Cooperative Limited. p. 124. ISBN 978-1-907464-45-4.