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Ile de Sein
History Located
12 Kilometers from Pointe-du-Raz, the little Island of Sein is about
3 Km. long and barely 1 Km. wide. Approximately 1,400 people lived
there when in September of 1939, Sein entered the war. Some inhabitants
of course joined the French Navy, and at the same time a garrison
of about twenty men set up its base there.
In
June of 1940, information reached the people of Sein via the boats
that came by and the occasional mail from the TSF to the accumulators
and galenas on the Island (there was no electricity). This was how
they found out on the 19th about the takeover of Rennes, and the
evacuation of Brest. The same day, the Zénith, which was
transporting about a hundred mountain infantrymen, a few young
people from Audierne and weapons to England, stopped at the Island
and picked up a few more people from there. The news confirmed the
terrifying reputation the invaders had made for themselves. On
June 21st, the garrison left Sein and the next day, when the nervous
population dared not leave the island, someone announced that General
De Gaulle had
spoken on the radio from London and that he was due to speak again.
About 100 people from the island gathered around the Hotel
de l’Océan, where Madame Quemeneur had set up her radio on
a windowsill. At 4 p.m. they listened in silence to De Gaulle’s
second speech. Deeply impressed by the speech, they returned to
their homes as airplanes bombed cargo ships that were off the coast
of the island.
On
June 24th, the mayor posted a notice with information received by
telephone from Audierne, ordering military personnel to present
themselves to the German authorities in Audierne. In response to
this threat, Jean-Marie Porsmoguer and Prosper Couillandre took
it upon themselves to equip their boats – the Velléda and
the Rouanez-ar-Mor – with weapons. At 9 p.m. the two
ships were full of weapons and men old enough to fight. On
June 25th, an island boat went to continental France, where a poster
announced that all men 18 to 60 years old were to make themselves
available to the occupation army. The next day, more boats, including
the Rouanez-ar-Péoc’h belonging to François Fouquet
and the Maris Stella belonging to Martin Guilcher left the
island. The Corbeau des mers belonging to Pierre Couillandre
full of passengers followed close behind. So
between the 19th and the 26th of June, 114 island inhabitants that
were not called because of their age or their family responsibilities,
left the island. Later on, others made their way to England by different
means. All together 124 people left for Great Britain, the oldest
was 54 and the youngest 14. In
early July, the Germans occupied the island and put mines and barbed
wire in place. They imposed strict regulations concerning transportation
both on the island and at sea. At this point only women, children
and a few elderly people remained on the island, living under very
difficult conditions. At
the same time, the 124 people who had left the island to go to England
gathered together with another 300 volunteers at Empire Hall in
London, where General De Gaulle reviewed these new troops. He shook
everyone’s hand and asked them where they were from. Quite
surprised at the large number of people from Sein present, the head
of the Free France movement said, "It appears that island of
Sein represents a quarter of our Nation!". The volunteers from Sein were then given a
series of different assignments, depending on their age and skills.
Most of them were admitted to the Free French Navy and initially
were assigned to serve on the Courbet. Twenty of them died
for France.
On
January 1st 1946, General De Gaulle presented the Cross of the Liberation
to Ile de Sein, who, for its high merit during World War II, would
later also receive the War Cross and the Resistance Medal.
the Companion of the Liberation communities |
