British shopkeeper hid three stranded commandos from Nazis in her garden shed during WWII
She risked everything to shelter three stranded British soldiers in a garden shed while Nazi troops lived next door. Now, more than 40 years after her death, the extraordinary wartime courage of Guernsey shopkeeper Ada Le Poidevin has finally come to light.
A brave British shopkeeper risked her life to hide three stranded commandos from the Nazis – despite German soldiers living right next door.
Ada Le Poidevin sheltered the Allied servicemen in her garden shed on Nazi-occupied Guernsey in 1940, knowing she and her husband could face horrific consequences if they were caught. Now, more than 40 years after her death, her extraordinary story of wartime heroism has been pieced together by her niece using forgotten diaries, photographs and historical records.
In July 1940, Corporal Dennis Dumper, Private Fred Drain and Private Andrew Ross were left stranded on the island following a raid on German-occupied territory. With nowhere to turn and no food or shelter, the three British soldiers were taken in by Ada and her husband Walter. The couple hid them in their shed, but the men eventually realised they had little choice but to surrender to the Nazis and were taken prisoner.
Remarkably, all three survived the war and remained close to their rescuers, regularly returning to Guernsey to visit Ada and Walter. They even attended the couple's Golden Wedding celebrations.
Ada's bravery was not a one-off. She had already spent two years helping British troops during the First World War, working in dangerous camps in France that came under enemy fire. Her remarkable history has now been uncovered by niece Liz Walton, 79, who inherited her aunt's diaries and photographs after she died aged 88. Liz, a retired teacher from Guernsey, said: "There were huge risks because there were Germans living next door, and people were being sent off to concentration camps – they were terrified of being caught."
Born in Guernsey in 1895, Ada volunteered with the Salvation Army in France in 1917, providing refreshments, mending soldiers' clothes and writing letters for troops. She also helped bereaved families visit the graves of loved ones killed in the conflict, sometimes visiting the burial sites herself to leave flowers and send photographs home. After returning to Guernsey in 1923, she married Walter five years later and the couple ran Torteval Stores together.
Liz described her aunt as "immensely kind and caring", adding that she would help anyone in need. Military genealogist Simon Pearce, from Ancestry.com, said stories like Ada's were a powerful reminder of the courage shown by ordinary people during extraordinary times.