In Howards Davis Park near St Luke’s Church you find a Commonwealth War Cemetery. At this cemetery lie the remains of fallen soldiers from the First and Second World War. Forty-one British war graves from the Second World War and one from the Great War together with American Sailors and airmen rest at this field of honor.
Operation Tunnel
The Germans approached with a blockade runner, the Münsterland with its cargo of latex and strategic metals in late October 1943. The Royal Navy was aware of this German approach and reacted with Operation Tunnel, to intercept the German flotilla. The destroyers HMS Charybdis, HMS Grenville and HMS Rocket together with four Hunt-class destroyers HMS Limbourne, Wensleydale, Talybont and Stevenstone Were assigned to the operation.
The cargo ship Münsterland was escorted by five German Kriegsmarine type 39 torpedo boats from the 4th Torpedo Boat Flotilla. The Germans were well trained and had a well-rehearsed procedure for escorting cargo vessels.
HMS Charybdis picked up the German group with its radar, HMS Limbourne picked up radio messages before both were spotted by the German torpedo boats. A German Torpedo boat T23 spotted the Royal Navy destroyers at first and the group attacked, firing six torpedo’s at the two destroyers. They hit HMS Charybdis with two torpedo’s at port side, sinking it in a half hour with the loss of 462 men. The destroyer HMS Limbourne was also hit by a torpedo from torpedo boat T22, blowing off its bow and killing 40 sailors. When towing her back failed she was scuttled by HMS Rocket. The German flotilla passed the blockade unharmed this night.
Only 38 Royal Navy Sailors washed up ashore and lie buried on this cemetery, 26 of them are unidentified. There are two RAF servicemen at the cemetery and one fallen soldier from World War One.
St. Helier War Cemetery
The wooden crosses are different than other Commonwealth War Graves. Lady Stewart presented an oak tree following the liberation in 1945 to a craftsmen. She herself lost her son during the war. The craftsmen created these beautiful crosses.
There are United States burials as well, U.S.A. Airmen and United States Navy sailors have a resting place here in Jersey.
Usually the Common Wealth Cemeteries have the white stone headstones but the Jersey locals and authorities asked to keep the wooden crosses. The War Commission agreed and it was formally approved in 1955.
Maurice jay Gould
Maurice Jay Gould hated everything Nazi and decided to flee Jersey with his friends, carrying hundreds of photos and maps of German weaponry and gun positions. Unfortunately their boat sunk and they were caught. Dennis drowned and Maurice and Peter were send to France, designated Nacht und Nebel. This means you don’t get any contact with relatives and no one knows were you are or what happened to you. You just disappeared.
Maurice was send to different prisons and was tortured all along. He was send to Hinzert Concentration camp where he was beaten and tortured for six weeks while working 12 hours a day. After this he was send to Wittlich Prison for work in a basket factory but he was fatally weakened and he succumbed to tuberculosis.
His body was repatriated by his friend Peter Hassal to Jersey in 1997.
Visit
We parked the car on a nearby parking lot, named the Georgetown Car Park. A short walk from the cemetery. While visiting the war graves check out the Church of St. Lukes as well, in and around the church of St Luke are memorials to be found.
There are more parking’s in the neighborhood.
