Ukrainian soldier “Tom” Bokejon Akram was shielded from Nazis
An extraordinary family shared the story of Anne Frank (Britain’s Anne Frank) who ran away from Nazis at their home and kept a diary.
After escaping from his German captors, Phyliss Emily and John Le Breton kept ‘Tom’ behind trap doors.
Tom (real name Bokejon Aram) was a Ukrainian soldier, school teacher and prisoner of war taken by the Third Reich.
They sent him as a slave to Channel Island, Jersey. But he fled and was eventually taken in by Mr. and Mrs Le Breton.
The couple put their lives at risk by hiding the man in their home, where there were trap doors that could be used to escape.
The father told his five children fairy tales and kept a journal – much like Anne Frank, the teenager from Amsterdam.
He was called Tom by his family and taught English to him partly by sharing the Bible.
He survived three years with them and was returned to England in 1945.
After the war, they lost contact and now Jersey Heritage officials are trying to find out more.
Carolyn Horn, Carolyn’s 52-year-old grand-daughter and Phyliss, expressed her pride at the sacrifices made by her family to save Tom.
John and Phyliss Le Breton, the wife of Emily Le Breton, kept ‘Tom’ hidden behind trap doors until he was freed from German captors.
Ms Horn, who lives together in Cyprus with her husband, and three of their children, stated that he became part of the family.
“My aunt claimed that she named him her favorite uncle because that is how he was known, Uncle Tom.
“My grandmother would talk all day about Tom. This just goes to show how kind they were. This makes me feel proud.
“It was a crisis time and there were German soldiers who came in when they needed.
“They risked their lives and their children’s lives to save the life of someone they did not know.
“There was an understaircase in the house, with a trapdoor behind it. This is how Tom could go from one side to another.
Reports say that Mrs and Mr Le Breton told each other, “We trusted him. He was the kind of man we could trust.”
“The children loved him. When he was able to understand English, they used to listen to his fairy tales.”
Le Bretons put themselves at great risk hiding him in their house, where he was able to use trapdoor escape routes. The Le Bretons told the children fairy tales and kept a journal, just as Anne Frank did in Amsterdam.
Tom stayed with the family for three years, and in 1945 the British repatriated him to Ukraine. Above: Interior of family home
Carolyn Horn, 52-year-old grand-daughter of Phyliss, and Emily, expressed her pride in what her family did to save Tom’s life. Above: Her grandmother holding Ms Horn when she was a child.
Tom began his journey in July 1941, when he was a young soldier from Ukraine and a schoolteacher who had never been married. He defended his homeland against German invasion.
In two hours, 12,000 of his coworkers died. Tom was made a PoW along with many other Ukrainians.
German soldiers took thousands of prisoners and turned them into slave labourers for the construction and mining of stone along with coastal defenses.
Tom found himself among 2,000 others who were taken to St Malo in Jersey, July 1942.
He was forced to work hard, but he ran off and was discovered in St Mary by the Le Bretons with their four young children.
Because they were worried, the children renamed Bokejon and Tom as Tom so that their little ones wouldn’t be surprised if anything was said.
John and Phyliss said, reportedly: “We trusted him. He was the kind of man we could trust.” He loved his children and would read fairy tales to them when he understood English. Above: Le Breton Family
The Soviet government awarded Mr Le Breton a gold watch for his courage in sheltering Ukrainian and Russian escapees. Above: Mr Le Breton’s Jersey ID card
The wartime ID card of Phyliss Emily Le Breton. The Nazis wanted to limit the population and ordered that every individual living on the Channel Island occupied be registered according to the Registration and Identification of Persons Order, 1940.
Tom spent the night in the stables, behind a trapdoor and inside a car concealed behind straw bales. A shed was also available in case of an emergency.
Dulcie Le Breton is Mrs Le Breton’s daughter. She remembers Dulcie reading fairy tales and playing with the children.
Dulcie was just four years old when the Occupation started. She remembers Tom as a “favourite uncle”
Tom made a promise to stay in touch with his family and friends before he was sent to Ukraine on May 25, 1945.
Three letters from Guernsey, where Tom is last known to have been in June 1945, arrived.
German soldiers can be seen giving a lecture at Victoria College in Jersey. This is where they were stationed during the occupation of the Channel Islands.
German officers at the Alderney branch Lloyd’s Bank. They turned it into their headquarters
Later, Mr Le Breton would be one of twenty Jersey women and men who were awarded gold watches by the Soviet government in recognition for their bravery and help to rescue Ukrainian and Russian escapees.
Jersey Heritage historians are now asking for any additional information.
Chris Addy, site curator said that they were amazed at how many things they could find about them.
It’s never easy to predict the future. After 77 years, you never know what stories will emerge.
“It is always interesting to learn a new piece or research and then add it to our stories each year to remind them about this important part of Island history.”