UK honour for Occupation hero who sheltered a Jew

UK honour for Occupation hero who sheltered a Jew

Dorothea Weber (née Le Brocq) was ostracised because her Austrian-born husband was fighting in the German Army, yet she gave sanctuary to Hedwig Bercu, a Jewish Austrian refugee.

Mrs Weber, who died in 1993, is one of eight Britons to be awarded a British Hero of the Holocaust medal as part of week-long commemorations for Holocaust Memorial Day, which falls on Saturday.

The award was presented by Communities Secretary Sajid Javid to a group of Mrs Weber’s relatives, led by Pierre Landick, who travelled to London for the ceremony.

‘Nazi oppression was defeated not only through military force but also through quiet acts of courage and compassion,’ Mr Javid said.

‘These eight individuals are true British heroes and a source of national pride for us all, fully deserving of our lasting respect and lifelong gratitude. Their willingness to stand up to hate with often little regard to their own personal safety is an inspiration to us all.’

Mrs Weber hid Miss Bercu at her home at 7 West Park Avenue from November 1943 until 9 May 1945. Under German Occupation law, Miss Bercu had registered as a Jew and was likely to have been deported to a concentration camp and most likely died in the gas chambers.

Mrs Weber risked sharing the same fate if they had been discovered.

Mr Landick was accompanied by his sister Marie Himsworth, her husband John and their daughters, Anne-Marie and Charlotte, and Occupation historian Dr Gilly Carr who uncovered Mrs Weber’s story.

‘It was very humbling to receive the medal on her behalf but sad that she never lived to know about this and to see her courage recognised,’ Mr Landick said.

‘It is also sad I never knew about her existence until Gilly Carr contacted me when she was trying to track down her story. I am very proud that another Jersey person has been recognised for their courage during the German Occupation.’

Mrs Weber was born in St Helier in 1911, but few details of her life are known. Her husband was presumed killed in the war and she remarried a soldier in the liberating forces. However, their marriage was revoked as her husband turned up in 1949 having been in a Russian prisoner of war camp. She died childless in 1993.

It is the second major award made to Mrs Weber. In 2016, Israeli Ambassador to the UK Mark Regev visited Jersey to confer her with one of Israel’s highest honours, Righteous Among the Nations. It is given to non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to save Jews.

In 2000, it was also conferred on Albert Bedane who also sheltered a Jewish woman during the Occupation. Mr Bedane also received a British Hero of the Holocaust medal, along with Harold Le Dreulinnec and his sisters, Louisa Gould and Ivy Forster in 2010, whose brave exploits were told in the recent film Another Mother’s Son.

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