The documents, released under the Freedom of Information Law, shine a light on criminal cases and punishments of the 1920s, admissions to the General Hospital and the physical and social impact of Occupation in the late 1940s.

Many of the records date from the year 1924, a year in which Ramsay MacDonald became the first Labour Prime Minister and King George V gave his first public broadcast at the opening of the British Empire Exhibition. In Jersey, the States Assembly discussed a bill on the optional use of English in the States and a petition was lodged by women born or resident in Jersey in support of Deputy Renouf’s bill to allow women to become Deputies of the States. The bill was passed ‘after long discussion’ in February 1924.

Linda Romeril, Jersey Heritage’s Director of Archives & Collections, said: “Each year, new records are released to the public after closures of up to 100 years under Freedom of Information exemptions. This year’s records include both stories of individuals and of wider social policies and attitudes in the inter-war and post Occupation periods.

“It is always fascinating to see the changes in society that the records show. Depositions, or witness statements, from 1924 opened to the public this year show cases of young offenders being sentenced to birching and prison with hard labour. The depositions also include a case of libel where a servant accused his mistress of bigamy after he was dismissed. Records opened after 75 years show the Island’s rehabilitation after the Occupation period and provide a wider view of events in Europe. The files include the employment of members of the Polish Armed Forces who served with the British Armed Forces during the Second World War and who were not able, or did not wish, to return to a Communist Poland at the end of the War.”

Examples of records now open to the public as of 1 January 2025

Bigamy Court Case

Historic depositions, or witness statements, opened to the public in 2025 give a good indication of the range of crimes were taking place in the Island. The statements also give first-hand accounts of the details behind each crime and the evidence provided by witnesses.

Newly-opened depositions include the case against Thomas Baignet, who was accused of committing libel and appeared in the Courts in January 1924.

Baignet was 53 at the time and was born in Surrey. He was employed as a butler by Sir William and Lady Alice Byrne and after leaving their employment he accused Lady Alice of bigamy. He was also accused of stealing a letter from Lady Byrne from Broadlands, Grouville, whilst in her employ. The letter was from Monsignor Mann and pointed out that the Roman Catholic Church did not recognise divorce.

Baignet circulated the story of bigamy to a number of the other servants, including the Byrnes’ chauffeur, William Denyer, whose witness statement confirmed that Baignet had told him that he was going to “put Lady Byrne through it for bigamy”.

Lady Byrne had been married twice before marrying Sir William but had divorced her first husband, Alexander Trimmer, in 1897. Her second husband, Donald Maclennin, had died in 1917, two years before her third marriage to Sir William in 1919.

The Royal Court trial records reveal that Baignet had a criminal record and had previously been convicted for obtaining money by false pretences. Later he was himself imprisoned for committing bigamy.

Baignet’s defence pointed out his good character and war service in both the Boer War and the Great War. The defence also pointed out that he believed the letter from Monsignor Mann meant that legally Lady Alice had committed bigamy, and that Baignet did not understand that the letter referred to the Catholic Church’s position on divorce and not the legal position in England at the time. Baignet was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment.

Birching Court Case

A case that came before the Criminal Courts in February 1924 shows the changing nature of punishment for young offenders over the past 100 years.
The case involved George Morcel, Edward Malzard, Francis Le Clair, Leon Veron and Charles Samuel. The boys were all aged between 16 and 18 and were accused of stealing a quantity of zinc belonging to Sir Jesse Boot, from 34, La Motte Street. The thefts took place between 1 December 1923 and 23 January 1924.

The boys pleaded guilty and Morcel, Malzard and Le Clair were sentenced to three months’ hard labour. This was reduced but they were additionally sentenced to 12 strokes of the birch each, six on entering the prison and six on leaving.
Veron was given a good character record by his schoolteachers and was sentenced to no jail time but the Court ordered that he receive eight strokes of the birch.

Samuel was given a fortnight’s jail sentence but was to receive five strokes of the birch on entering prison and another five at the end of his sentence.
In his summing up of the case, the Bailiff said: “It is sad to see children of this age in St Helier become vagabonds. It showed there was something wrong with our Education system. It was inconceivable that children should be able at such as age to become criminals. There was something wrong when we could see lads of such age become the refuse of society.”

Birching as a judicial penalty was abolished in 1948 in the United Kingdom. In Jersey, birching was still legal in the late 1970s. More recently, Jersey became the first place in the British Isles to introduce a new law that prohibits corporal punishment of children.

Jersey General Hospital Admissions

Each year, a historic register of hospital admissions is opened to the public. The registers include the names, dates and places of birth of individuals, as well as the reasons why they were admitted to hospital.

The register for 1924 includes Francis Airth, aged 77, who was born in India on 1 February 1847. Airth was admitted to the hospital with bronchitis in March 1924 and then again with the same illness on 7 August. Francis died on 1 September that year.

Other historic records add to his story. Although he was born in Madras, India, by the age of 14 he was living in Jersey with his father, Robert, mother Isabella and three younger siblings. His parents were both born in Scotland and Robert gave his profession as a porter.

By 1871, Airth had joined the Army and was listed at Fort Regent Barracks with the 15th Regiment. Records show that Airth was not in Jersey in 1881 but by 1891, aged 44, he was living back with his parents and employed as a labourer.

In 1901, Airth was living in Ann Street and was listed as a General Porter. Unfortunately, during his time in Jersey, he appears to have been in trouble with the law a number of times. In December 1865, he appeared before the Courts for cutting and destroying trees in the road leading to the house of Clement Nicolle of St Saviour.

On 9 June 1870, Airth was imprisoned for 15 days with forced labour for swindling James Dean. In 1887, Airth was back in Court charged with habitual drunkenness in both November and December. The same happened the following year and in 1889.

The hospital admission records for 1924 show cases of infectious diseases. In July that year, Blanche Mary Eustache, aged 24, was admitted with paratyphoid. She was discharged after five weeks. Sarah Haynes, aged 27, was also admitted with paratyphoid in August 1924 and she sadly died the following month.

The Medical Officer of Health’s report for 1924 indicates that there was a significant increase in the enteric fever group, including typhoid and paratyphoid. In 1923, there had been 28 cases and in 1924, this increased to 38 with four deaths registered. The report highlights that seven of the cases occurred in one school where the source of drinking water was found to have been the cause of the outbreak.

Tuberculosis was the cause of 65 deaths in 1924. The hospital register includes a number of people admitted for the disease and also shows the impact of the disease on some individuals. In 1923, George Albert Rolland was admitted for tuberculosis of the foot when he was only 11. In 1924, he was back in hospital for an artificial leg – it would appear the disease resulted in his leg being amputated.

The hospital continued to be a place where those living in poverty were admitted, though this seems to become gradually less common throughout the early 20th century. In July 1924, Ethel and Gladys Garnham, aged four and 1½ were admitted to the hospital due to being in poverty at home. The girls were discharged a couple of weeks later.

On 26 July, six children of Philip John Le Maistre aged between two and ten were admitted to the hospital, also for reasons of poverty at home. Four of the children were sent home on 11 August with the eldest two girls being sent to the Girl’s Home on the same day.

On 4 October, Emily Theresa McDermott and her seven children were admitted to the hospital as they had no place to live. The children were aged 11, ten, nine, six, four, one and four months old. Emily went on to have two more children in 1925 and 1926.

Polish Nationals

In the winter of 1946/7, the Jersey Agriculture Committee was involved in the proposed employment of members of the Polish Re-Settlement Corps (PRC) to spray potatoes as part of the anti-Colorado beetle campaign in Summer 1947.

The PRC was formed by the British Government in 1946 as a holding unit for members of the Polish Armed Forces who served with the British Armed Forces during the Second World War and were not able, or did not wish, to return to a Communist Poland at the end of the War.

The majority of soldiers who formed the Corps were displaced persons whose homeland was first occupied by the Germans and then the Russians. The British Government formed the PRC to help them transition from military to civilian life. The Corps were originally housed in former military camps and were made up of around 150,000 people.

The Corps were disbanded in 1949 with around 150,000 Polish soldiers and their dependents having settled in Britain by this time. The newly-open file in Jersey includes the names of the Polish men who came to the Island under this scheme and requests from individuals and businesses who wished to employ Polish people.

In one letter, Mr Duncan, of La Place, St Brelade, wrote to the Chief Alien’s Officer to ask for permission to take a Polish soldier by the name of Wladislaw Yurkiecwicz into his family.

He vouched for Yurkiecwicz’s excellent character and pointed out that his wife Helen was Polish by birth and so there would be no language barrier. He said that Wladislaw’s town in Poland was now part of Russia and that, having fought against the Russians, Yurkiecwicz could not go home. Unfortunately, Mr Duncan’s request was turned down as the policy of the Insular Authorities was not to grant labour permits for displaced persons.

There was also a request from Gladys Lea, of 104, St Saviour’s Road, for Mikolaj Fiodoruk, a member of the Polish 2nd Corps to stay in Jersey as a civilian as they wish to get married. The Island Defence Committee wrote back to say that it is not possible for her fiancé to stay in Jersey as he was required to return to his unit in England.

There is evidence later in the file that Lea did marry Fiodoruk, even though he had to return to the UK, on 21 January 1948 in St Helier, and that in May 1948, Fiodoruk applied to the Defence Committee for permission to take up employment and live in the Island with his Jersey-born wife. Permission was refused and in January 1949, he applied to the Home Office to be naturalised as a British subject after he had been released from Polish Resettlement Corps in December 1948.

Fiodoruk’s application for naturalisation was refused in 1949 but he was permitted to work for Cranwell Construction Limited in Jersey in March 1949. His Alien’s Card shows that he stayed in the Island under work permits until 1953 when he was permitted to take up employment without a permit. In 1963, he was naturalised as a British subject.