Why Humanitarian Aid to Gaza must continue

Why Humanitarian Aid to Gaza must continue

Let them starve, when we asked for aid
Our dear Channel Islands would have paid
No Red Cross Vega, no help come here
The people would die, and disappear
But it was not to be, the Red Cross came
Yet his words remain, to his great shame

( From “The Bulldog Breed”)

By late summer of 1944, after the D-Day landings, the war was turning against Germany. Normandy had been liberated, which effectively cut off the Channel Islands from the German supply lines. Food was running short.

The end of summer that year saw the start of a bitterly cold, harsh winter, and lack of fuel and food meant, effectively, a famine in which many of the Channel Island’s population, already on meagre rations, would not survive. There were 62,000 civilians, 39,000 on Jersey and 23,000 on Guernsey. That was after those born in England, with their families were taken to Camps in Germany, effectively hostages on Hitler's personal command. In total, 2,300 civilians from the Channel Islanders were interned at camps at Bad Wurzach, Biberach and Laufen.

By the 8th September the Channel Islands had an estimated forty five days minimum rations. This did not include medicines and there was also a severe shortage of fuel to cook any food available.

A request was made for food to be supplied by the Red Cross. But Churchill, on 27 September 1944, wrote a note saying: "Let them starve. No fighting. They can rot at their leisure"

The rationale for this was almost certainly that it was felt that the Germans would take the food for themselves. I can hear the same rationale being given today for not supplying humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Eventually following an appeal from the Bailiffs of Jersey and Guernsey an International Red Cross ship the SS Vega made five trips to the Islands prior to the liberation in May 1945. The first arriving in Guernsey on 27 December 1944. A further visit was made in June 1945.

My mother’s family was here during the Occupation, and without that aid, they might well have perished. I would not be here today.

When I hear that some saying that Gaza should not be supplied with aid because of that being taken by Hamas, I can still hear the echo of Churchill’s infamous note.