Sir Ambrose James Sherwill (12 February 1890 – 25 September 1968) was
Bailiff of Guernsey
The title Bailiff of Guernsey has been used since at least the 13th century and indicated the leading citizen of Guernsey.
The 90th and current Bailiff is Richard McMahon.
History
A ''Bailli'', the early Norman name for Bailiff was the perso ...
from 1946 to 1959. In the early months of World War II, he helped in the administration of the Channel Islands when they were occupied by the Germans.
Early life
Educated in
Guernsey
Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency.
It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...
and in
Cherbourg
Cherbourg (; , , ), nrf, Chèrbourg, ) is a former commune and subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French department of Manche. It was merged into the commune of Cherbourg-Octeville on 28 Feb ...
he worked for a lawyer in Guernsey before passing the qualification of Licencié en Droit at
Caen
Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,
Although a member of the
Royal Guernsey Militia
The Royal Guernsey Militia has a history dating back 800 years. Always loyal to the British Crown, the men were unpaid volunteers whose wish was to defend the Island of Guernsey from foreign invaders.
Militias were also created in the Bailiwick ...
, Sherwill volunteering as a dispatch rider but was called up as an air mechanic in the Royal Navy Air Service Armoured Car Division and served as a petty officer until he was commissioned into
The Buffs
The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment), formerly the 3rd Regiment of Foot, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army traditionally raised in the English county of Kent and garrisoned at Canterbury. It had a history dating back to 1572 and ...
in 1916. Sherwill was awarded the
Military Cross
The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries.
The MC i ...
(MC) for services at the battle of Messines in 1917, where he was wounded, being promoted to Lieutenant shortly afterwards. He received a second bad wound in 1918, and used the recovery time to continue with his law studies. On demobilisation in 1919 he moved to England to pass the English Bar exams before returning to Guernsey in May 1920 to apply for admittance to the Bar as an Advocate of the Royal Court.
His military service continued with the
Royal Guernsey Militia
The Royal Guernsey Militia has a history dating back 800 years. Always loyal to the British Crown, the men were unpaid volunteers whose wish was to defend the Island of Guernsey from foreign invaders.
Militias were also created in the Bailiwick ...
being appointed Lieutenant in 1921, Captain in 1922 and Major in 1925 before retiring in 1928 when the militia was scaled back.
Standing for election to the States of Guernsey, he served as a Deputy from 1921 to 1926 whilst continuing to practice law. In 1935 Sherwill became His Majesty's Attorney General (with the duties of public prosecutor), having to give up private practice and accept the reduced income associated with public office.
World War II
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, he was President of the Controlling Committee during the
German occupation of the Channel Islands
The military occupation of the Channel Islands by Nazi Germany lasted for most of the Second World War, from 30 June 1940 until liberation on 9 May 1945. The Bailiwick of Jersey and Bailiwick of Guernsey are two island countries and British ...
, responsible for the running of the Island government and the main contact for the German authorities, reporting only to the elderly Bailiff,
Victor Carey
Sir Victor Gosselin Carey was born on 2 July 1871, in Guernsey, Channel Islands. He held the post of Bailiff of Guernsey from 1935 to 1946. Carey was a leading member of one of Guernsey's oldest families. In 1935, when incumbent Baliff Arthur W ...
, until Sherwill was deported to
Cherche-Midi Prison
The Cherche-Midi prison was a French military prison located in Paris, France. It housed military prisoners between 1851 and 1947.
Construction on the prison began in 1847, when the former convent of the Daughters of the Good Shepherd was demolish ...
Junkers Ju 52
The Junkers Ju 52/3m (nicknamed ''Tante Ju'' ("Aunt Ju") and ''Iron Annie'') is a transport aircraft that was designed and manufactured by German aviation company Junkers.
Development of the Ju 52 commenced during 1930, headed by German Aeros ...
, he spent November and December 1940 in several prisons including 45 days in the very unpleasant
Cherche-Midi Prison
The Cherche-Midi prison was a French military prison located in Paris, France. It housed military prisoners between 1851 and 1947.
Construction on the prison began in 1847, when the former convent of the Daughters of the Good Shepherd was demolish ...
in Paris. On his return he was informed he would no longer be allowed any contact with the German authorities. This was lifted for the winter of 1942–3 when he again practised as Attorney General.
He conducted himself with distinction at the Laufen Internment Camp to which he was eventually deported in February 1943, becoming head of the British forces/citizens at the camp in June 1943. Laufen was a chateau housing single men, mainly from the Channel Islands as well as some "American" men, who had been in Europe when America entered the war. Liberation came on 4 May 1945 with the internees being flown to England in June.
Controversy
Sherwill has been variously accused of excessively cordial relations with the German occupying troops, and acquiescing without due resistance to the Feldkommandant. Most notable perhaps is the episode of August 1940, when Sherwill, with the professed intention of reassuring those evacuated Guernsey citizens who anxiously awaited news of their loved ones who had chosen to remain on the Island, recorded a broadcast for
Radio Bremen
Radio Bremen (RB), Germany's smallest public radio and television broadcaster, is the legally mandated broadcaster for the city-state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (which includes Bremerhaven). With its headquarters sited in Bremen, Radio Brem ...
assuring of the 'kindly' treatment of islanders at the hands of the German troops. No doubt Sherwill's intentions were noble, but his naivety was nonetheless exploited by the German propaganda machine in their desire to show that the realities of German occupation were far removed from the bleak picture propagated by British communiqués and propaganda.
Post 1945
He returned to Guernsey after the War, and was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in December 1945. He served as
Bailiff of Guernsey
The title Bailiff of Guernsey has been used since at least the 13th century and indicated the leading citizen of Guernsey.
The 90th and current Bailiff is Richard McMahon.
History
A ''Bailli'', the early Norman name for Bailiff was the perso ...
between 1946 and 1959. He was knighted, when made a
Knight Commander
Commander ( it, Commendatore; french: Commandeur; german: Komtur; es, Comendador; pt, Comendador), or Knight Commander, is a title of honor prevalent in chivalric orders and fraternal orders.
The title of Commander occurred in the medieval mili ...
in 1949. In 1960, he retired to
Alderney
Alderney (; french: Aurigny ; Auregnais: ) is the northernmost of the inhabited Channel Islands. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown dependency. It is long and wide.
The island's area is , making it the third-largest ...
, then later moved to Guernsey with his wife to live with his son and daughter-in-law (Rollo and Jenny Sherwill). He died at his son's home on 25 September 1968 at the age of 78.