Holocaust Archaeologies

Proof of Life: Mark-Making Practices on the Island of Alderney

“…However, some possibilities include a desire by individuals to be remembered, a belief that they would not survive, a form of proof to the outside world (including their family) of their presence, and a means of providing evidence of the incarceration and ill-treatment of individuals during the occupation more broadly. Similar acts reifying these motivations have been observed at Holocaust sites and other sites of violence and incarceration around the world (Huiskes, 1983; Jung, 2013; Sturdy Colls, 2015: 265–286).…”

“…Others have followed a rather more academic approach by reviewing the available documents and/or undertaking archaeological research connected to the labourers' experiences and perpetrators’ actions (Sanders, 2005; Carr, 2010; Sturdy Colls, 2012; Sturdy Colls & Colls, 2014, and forthcoming). In particular, the Alderney Archaeology and Heritage Project has sought to locate and document the surviving fortifications, camps, and other sites connected to the occupation to provide new information about the people who were sent to the island and the role that architecture played in their daily lives (Sturdy Colls, 2012, 2015; Sturdy Colls & Colls, 2014, and forthcoming).…”

“…In 2010, an archaeological project was launched, its aim being to locate and record sites connected to the German occupation in Alderney, especially sites connected to forced and slave labour. The project succeeded in observing an abundance of mark-making practices (results outlined in Sturdy Colls, 2012, 2015, 2017; Sturdy Colls & Colls, 2014, and forthcoming). From 2014 to 2017, a survey was undertaken to record this complex range of engravings, marks, drawings, paintings, and impressions.…”

Tormented Alderney: archaeological investigations of the Nazi labour and concentration camp of Sylt

“…A combination of differential kinematic global positioning systems, total station recording, ground-penetrating radar, resistance survey, photogrammetry and light detection and ranging (lidar) were used to record the position of vegetation indicators, depressions and structural remnants accurately. These non-invasive methods permitted the scanning and visualisation of extensive areas, even through high-density foliage (Sturdy Colls 2015: 172; Abate & Sturdy Colls 2018: 130). Diverse datasets resulting from desk-based assessments and fieldwork have allowed the development of 3D models that demonstrate Sylt's evolution between 1942 and 1945, and provide a useful resource for heritage management.…”

“…Information about these sites varies due, in part, to Nazi endeavours to destroy the evidence of their crimes (Arad 1987: 26; Gilead et al . 2010: 14; Sturdy Colls 2015: 3). Public knowledge regarding camps that were built on British soil in the Channel Islands is particularly sparse, not least because they were partially demolished and remain “taboo” (Carr & Sturdy Colls 2016: 702).…”