Frank Tuck (left) and Kingston Bailey were caught stealing from German stores in 1942

Frank Tuck (left) and Kingston Bailey were caught stealing from German stores in 1942

The men were tried by both the German military court and Guernsey's Royal Court - effectively still a British court - and 

received sentences of up to four and a half years of hard labour.

Historian Dr Paul Sanders, who has worked on clearing the names of the men - all are now dead - said they didn't get a fair trial: "The British civilian court in 1942 acted like a kangaroo court in the worst dictatorship."

He said the men were told by the Guernsey authorities to plead guilty so the Germans would let them also be tried in the local court, where any conviction "would count for nothing after the war".

Sixteen policemen were deported to prisons and forced labour camps in Europe, where many experienced awful conditions.