EEIE-nav-960
 
Ernest Sibiril
This page first posted 13 Aug 2024 - amended 14 Aug 2024
There is very little original research in this article - it has been more a case of translating some of the work done by Breton historian Roger Huguen, and then adding what I could from other sources.
The inspiration to write about Ernest Sibiril came from Brooks Richards 1996 book “Secret Flotillas” (HMSO) but I soon noted that his main source for information about Sibiril was Roger Huguen's 1976 book “Par les nuits les plus longues” (Les Presses Bretonnes, Saint-Brieuc), which together with his 2005 book “Chantier D'Evasion Carantec 1940-1944 Réseau Sibiril - Alliance” (Coop Breizh), I have used extensively - plus of course the evasion reports of the six Allied airmen brought back.
Passenger lists have been complemented with information from the Royal Patriotic School (RPS) files of civilians arriving in the UK from abroad, held at the National Archives, Kew. Note that these are not a totally reliable source as many files seem to be missing, are deliberately nameless (for security reasons) or lacking other details.
Ernest Sibiril (born 23 June 1899) wasn't the only Frenchman organising escapes from France to England using small fishing boats but he was perhaps the most prolific. Sibiril was a boat builder, with his yard at Carantec, on the north Brittany coast, just south of Roscoff.
Richards explains that Sibiril's boatyard was “frequented by numbers of almost identical small, sloop-rigged local vessels, all painted black with a white line along their sheer strake. They were used for collecting sand and seaweed - much used in Brittany as fertiliser - or for fishing, Sibiril set out to make it as difficult as possible for the German military customs service to keep track of movements of this flock of small boats, and succeeded brilliantly.”
10 February 1942: the “Andre”
The first escape organised by Ernest Sibiril took place on 10 February 1942, when Jacques Gueguen, his son Francois, Van Ackere, a Belgian intelligence officer who had been staying with the Sibirils for three weeks waiting to leave, and Mme Bruley des Varannes, a hospital matron from Cholet, boarded a seven-meter fishing boat, the "André". The crossing took place at night, and a severe storm broke out after they had left the shelter of the Brittany coast. With the ship taking on water, the passengers had to bail for hours to avoid sinking. They landed near Plymouth and were immediately taken to the Patriotic School in London, where they handed over the secret network mail they had been entrusted with on departure.
Jacques Guegan had been organising escapes from Pont de la Corde (a few kilometres south of Carantec, at the mouth of the La Penze river) of his own, and when the engine broke down on his 8.4 metre sand-barge the “Pourquoi pas?” at the end of June 1940, he turned to his friend and neighbour Ernest Sibiril to repair it. This enabled Jacques and his son Francois to continue taking escapers to Jersey, and later to England, as well meeting up with boats sent from England by SIS to transfer intelligence information.
71-year-old Jacques Gueguen, his son Francois and Doctor Jean Le Duc from Morlaix, had been arrested on 31 January 1941. At the time of their arrest, Gueguen had been preparing to send out mail for Roman Garby-Czerniawski's Polish “Interallie” intelligence network, and had left compromising material at his house. It was the doctor's wife, Marie-Louise Le Duc, who collected and destroyed the papers. She then sent a man to the prison in Morlaix where they were being held, to shout the news to them in Breton (which the Germans didn't understand), so they could safely deny any charges. They were duly released a month later for lack of evidence.
At the beginning of 1942, Gueguen was back in prison, condemned to two months detention on suspicion of anti-German activites but was then temporarily released because of his age and (feigned) chronic rheumatism. When summoned to return to the Jacques Cartier prison in Rennes on 14 February 1942 and serve the rest of his sentence, he asked Ernest Sibiril to help him and his son escape to England.
The RPS files list Jacques Gueguen (born 4 Nov 1876), Francois Marie Gueguen (born 23 Sept 1921) and Eugene Jean Constant Van Ackere (born 18 Sept 1902) as arriving in the UK from Carantec on 13 February 1942.
20 July 1942: the “Monique”
On 20 July 1942, the “Monique”, a 5.5 metre cutter, left Carantec. Alain Beaugé, an experienced yachtsman from Morlaix, was at the helm, and the boat made an uneventful crossing, taking advantage of ideal weather conditions. Beaugé wrote in his account that they set off in a good northerly breeze, made four six-hour tacks against the current and arrived in Plymouth in exactly 24 hours". Huguen says there were five people were on board, most of them Morlaisians, all volunteers for the Free French Forces ”.
The RPS files list Alain Beauge (born 4 June 1913), Jean Francois Guegen (born 26 June 1917), Jean Abel Louis De Lafforest (born 11 May 1918), Alfred Charles Lagall (born 15 Mar 1915) and Jean Pierre Floch (born 7 Jan 1901) as leaving France on 20 July 1942, and arriving in the UK the following day.
5 February 1943: the “Yvonne”
On 5 February, 1943, a six-meter boat, the "Yvonne", set sail with Jean Rioul, a 27-year-old fisherman from Riec-sur-Belon at the helm. There were ten passengers, and for the first time, they included three Allied airmen. Two were Americans from an aircraft shot down during a raid on Lorient, who had been were taken in and cared for by Jacques Cadoret, a beekeeper from Riec-sur-Belon (about 10 kms west of Quimper), before being entrusted to his brother-in-law (also a beekeeper) Georges Coste from Morlaix. Coste drove them in an oyster truck some 65 kms through the departement with the two airmen hidden under tarpaulins, despite the Germans stopping the vehicle three times to check the driver's papers. Georges Coste knew Mme Marie-Louise Le Duc, who had moved Carantec after the bombing of Morlaix on 23 January 1943. One night, in early February, Mme Le Duc heard a call at her window - it was Georges Coste, asking for her help. As he didn't speak English, he didn't know how to explain to the airmen that some resistance fighters were going to take them to safety and send them back to England by boat. Mme Le Duc (described by Vogel in a post-war account for his family as a very pretty blonde girl who spoke English very well) and Georges Coste made them as comfortable as possible in a house rented by Jacques Cadoret, to which Georges Coste had a key. They spent two days and nights in the house, with the shutters tightly closed.
Mme Le Duc had been to the Sibiril boatyard several times, and knew that Ernest was repairing a boat bought by Rene Bollore, who also wanted to get to England. He had heard that a boat builder on the north coast of Finisterre could sell and refit a boat for him, and went to Morlaix to find out more - it was a distant cousin who pointed him in the direction of Ernest Sibiril. Bollore asked about the price of an old hull, and let Ernest guess the project he had in mind. In the village, he met his friend Georges Coste, and his brother-in-law Jacques Cadoret, who assured him that Ernest Sibiril was very discreet. Bollore returned to Paris to see a friend named Roger Esperonnier and persuaded him to go with him: that way, the expenses, which amounted to two hundred thousand francs at the time, would be shared between the two of them. It was through Esperonnier that Bollore came into contact with Paul Campinchi, who at the time was hosting the English airman Reginald Smith.
Huguen (2005) names the ten passengers as Jean-Baptiste Allard, radio officer at the Prefecture de police de Paris (and Alliance member), along with his assistant Albert Billard; Christian Binet; Claude de Laguiche, saint-cyrian (cadets from the Saint-Cyr military college, now at Coëtquidan, Morbihan, are called saint-cyriens), banker Roger Esperonnier; Georges Coste from Riec-sur-Belon; Rene Bellore from papeteries OCB, USAAF airmen Mark McDermott and Sebastien Vogel; and RAF pilot (sic) Reginald Smith.
On Friday 4 February 1943, everyone arrived at Sibiril's home on rue du Marechal Foch in Carantec. A few days earlier, Ernest Sibiril had met Maurice Gillet (aka Unicorn), head of the "Alliance" intelligence network in Brest, who asked him to pass on some network agents and a suitcase containing the mail. Sibiril also accepted Allard, from the Paris Prefecture de Police, Jean (sic) Billard, his deputy, Bolec, a stockbroker in Dijon, and a saint-cyrien named Delaguiche (sic), who brought the precious suitcase filled with secret documents. The "Yvonne" didn't leave Carantec until the following day, 5 February, and the journey was made difficult by a heavy swell. The engine, patched up as best it could at the shipyard, stalled as soon as the crossing began, and the men had a hard time standing off the English coast. (Huguen 1976 with some names and other details added)
The RPS files list Jean Rioual (born 13 Oct 1915), Jean Baptiste Allard (born 21 Apr 1904), Albert Billard (born 19 Apr 1904), Christian Billet (born 29 Oct 1921), Claude Pascal Marie Adrien De Laguiche (born 16 Apr 1922), Roger Henry Esperounier (born 4 Sept 1904), Georges Coste (born 5 Oct 1918) and Rene Guillaume Bollore (born 1 Jan 1912) as arriving in the UK betwen 5 and 7 February 1943.
A/Sgt Reginald Geoffrey Smith (1074) from Thornton Heath in Surrey, was the wireless operator of 142 Sqn Wellington BK536 (Gregory) which was returning from Turin in the early hours of 21 November 1942, and about 30 miles east of Paris when they experienced engine trouble (bomb aimer W/O William Greaves (LIB/1271) says they ran out of fuel), and W/O Gregory ordered his crew to bale out.
Smith landed in a wood, and had to leave his parachute in a tree before setting off. About an hour later he came to an isolated house, knocked on the door and told the woman who answered that he was “RAF”. The woman (named by Smith as Mme Chrisestome) took him inside and called her husband. Once Smith had explained in his rather poor French what had happened, he was given coffee and put to bed for the rest of the night.
Next morning, Smith was told the Germans were looking for him, and later that same day (22 Nov), he was visited by a man and a woman who arrived in a lorry. The woman spoke some English, and they gave Smith overalls and a pair of boots before putting him in their lorry and driving him to the east Paris suburb of Livry-Gargan (in one version, Smith says it was the Chrisestomes who took him). He was taken to a girl's school, named by Smith as the Pension Severigne, where the headmistress, Mlle Ficke (of 146 rue de Paris (address not found), Livry-Gargan), hid him a disused room.
Smith stayed at the school for six weeks, commenting that Mlle Fricke and her friends were very imprudent as they allowed so many other people to visit him.
On about 26 November, Mlle Marguerite Larue (of 1 rue Dante, Paris V) came to see him. She told Smith that she worked at the Prefecture in Paris, and asked him what he intended to do. When Smith said he wanted to get back to England, she told him that would be impossible without papers, and offered to put him in touch with an organisation that would help him.
The following month, another woman, who gave her name as Jacqueline, came to see Smith, and said she could arrange to get him back to England. After Smith told her about the offer he already had, Smith says that representatives of both organisations met, and a Mlle Denise (young with brown hair), who worked with Jacqueline, said she would arrange his repatriation but Smith thought she talked too much, and didn't trust her.
In January (1943), another woman from Jacqueline's organisation came and told Smith she wanted him to leave with her straight away as the Germans knew about his hiding place but Smith did not believe her, and she went away. Smith then asked Mlle Fricke to tell Denise that Marguerite Larue's organisation had taken him away, and then sent for Mlle Larue and asked her to arrange his departure immediately.
On 11 January, a man collected Smith and took him to 19 rue des Ursins on the Ile de la Citie, Paris IV, home of Paul and Therese Campinchi. Paul worked with Marguerite Larue at the Prefecture, and Campinchi's eight-year-old daughter Jeanne was sent away to friends in Normandy so Smith could use her bedroom. Smith was provided with an identity card and papers in the name of Roger Maes, along with a certificate saying that he had been in an asylum.
2 February, Therese Campinchi (dressed as a nurse and armed with a medical certificate from Campinchi's friend Dr Yves Porc'her saying that Smith was a patient from a psychiatric hospital) took him by train to Quimper (Finistere), where they were met by “Ronnie” and “Roger”. They went by car to a house at Bénodet belonging to the Bolloré family (of the OCB (Odet-Cascadec-Bolloré) cigarette paper company), and on 4 February, driven to Carantec, on the north Breton coast, Smith now in possession of a forged permit for him to enter the coastal area.
McDermott (see below) says one of the French passengers on the boat was a man who “controlled the rice paper industry” (he is referring to 31-year-old René Bolloré), and that the Englishman (Reginald Smith) had been to his house.
Huguen (2005) explains that Rene Bollore was a friend of Roger Esperonnier, a banker [and insurance adviser with his office at rue Feydeau in Paris], and member of Marie-Madeleine Fourcade's Alliance network, and it was through Esporonnier, that Bollore came into contact with Paul Campinchi at the time when he was sheltering Reginald Smith. This was why Therese Campinchi took Smith to Quimper, and a villa belonging to the Bollore family at nearby Benodet. It was then OCB employee Elie L'Helgouarc'h who drove Roger Esperonnier and Smith to Carantec.
Arrangements had been made to leave by boat that night but they were told that two Americans and some Frenchmen from the French Intelligence Service who were due to accompany him, had not yet arrived.
It might be presumed that the two Americans were McDermott and Vogel (see below) but in a signed resume of a conversation taken in shorthand at Taunton hospital on 17 February 1943, McDermott says that: “We got to this east coast town [Carantec] and they got us into this house. They said we were waiting for some other Americans to come in, and pull out Friday night [4 Feb] .. They put us up at this house in town and said they would move us to a little house on the coast. They said the reason they didn't come [earlier] was because the Americans had not shown up yet.” However, as McDermott had only high-school French (and the locals would spoken with strong Breton accents), it is quite possible he misunderstood what he was told.
They slept that night in a house near the beach, and next day, the Americans (McDermott and Vogel) and Frenchmen did arrive. At about eight o'clock that evening, the party of eleven, including two French sailors, boarded a small boat about 15 feet long. Smith reports there was an engine but it later gave them a lot of trouble. A French pilot towed them behind his sailing boat until they were clear of the harbour before casting them loose but they were then unable to start the engine, and so continued under sail. Smith reports the weather began to change, the sea got very rough, and they were all very sick.
The following morning they thought they were about half way across the Channel, and at about two in the afternoon, managed to get the engine started. At about ten o'clock that evening, they spotted a beacon light, and presumed they were somewhere off the Cornish coast. The wind changed overnight, and in the morning, they were out of sight of land, and again the engine failed. They spotted land at eleven that morning but with the tide running against them, were making slow progress until two hours later when a British patrol boat arrived and towed them to Salcombe, Devon.
2/Lt Mark L McDermott (#12) from Sioux Falls, South Dakota and S/Sgt Sebastian L Vogel (#13) from Fargo, North Dakota, were the 25-year-old co-pilot and 24-year-old radio operator of 303BG/427BS B-17 41-24584 SUSFU, and on 25 January 1943, they were returning from an operation to Lorient when they were shot down by Focke-Wolfe 190s.
McDermott says that he landed in a field close to the village of Le Cloitre-Pleyben, with two other crew landing the other side of the village. He had injured his ankle and some people carried him to a barn where he was given something to drink, and an English-speaking man came to see him (McDermott found later he was a member of an organisation). That evening, McDermott was put on a horse and taken to another barn about a mile and a half away, where he joined radio operator S/Sgt Sebastian Vogel and engineer T/Sgt Francis Sulcofski. A couple of hours later they were joined by ball-turret gunner Sgt Wilburg Hummel , who had landed some miles away.
The four airmen stayed in the barn Saturday and Sunday night (23 & 24 Jan), being brought food and civilian clothing by the maire, and on the Monday, were told that pilot 1/Lt Harry Robey had been shot and killed in his parachute. They also got a note from the local maire saying the Germans were comiing and that they should leave. McDermott says that Vogel and Sulcofski were the only ones who could move, and they were due to be taken (west) to Crozon. Meanwhile, they also learned that three other Americans (SUSFU navigator 2/Lt Charles Grice, tail gunner Sgt Edward Levering and waist gunner S/Sgt Val Hannen) were being sheltered in another house.
That Monday night (25 Jan), Vogel, Sulcofski and Hummel were taken out, and McDermott was put on a horse and taken to another barn, collecting Vogel (who McDermott says couldn't make it with the other two - he had in fact fractured his tibia on landing) along the way. Next day, McDermott and Vogel were moved into Le Cloitre-Pleyben where they were sheltered in the attic of a house belonging to an elderly couple, M et Mme Bernard Gilbert, where they stayed for the next week. The following Tuesday (2 Feb), the English-speaking man (who had spent ten years in America) came and told them they would either be taken to Crozon on the west coast, or into the country, where they could stay until the end of the war, posing as Frenchmen.
That night, the man (Jacques Cadoret) arranged for them to be taken by car to Chateauneuf-du-Faou, where they were sheltered overnight with a baker, and the following night (Wednesday, 3 Feb) were taken by truck to the north coast fishing village of Carantec.
SUSFU crewmen Charles Grice, Francis Sulcofski, Edward Levering, Val Hannen and Wilburg Hummel were sheltered by the comte and comtesse Cesaire and Genevieve de Poulpiquet de Brescanvel at their Chateau de Trefy near Quemeneven for eleven days before being passed on the Breton “Pen Called” group and taken to Paris. They, along with Louis Noveau, Suzanne Gerard and Jean Veith of the Pat Line, were captured at Saint-Pierre-des-Corps railway station in Tours on 12 February 1943 .
6 March 1943: the “S'ils te mordent”
The fourth departure took place on 6 March 1943. The “S'ils te Mordent” (the name comes from the town of Morlaix's motto of “S'ils te mordent, mords-les” - “Bite us and we bite back”, allegedly referring to an incident with an English raiding party in the 16th century), was a 6.70-meter cutter dating from 1914. Although having been abandoned on a mudflat for some time, the boat was "very healthy" according to Alain Sibiril. His father Ernest refurbished it, and raised the cockpit coamings to provide better protection for passengers during the crossing
Huguen says that she sailed with Etienne Couliou and Valentin Souflez, sailors from Riec-sur-Belon; Gwenn-Ael Bollore (named after Saint Gwenhael (various spellings), they were both born in Ergué-Gabéric), whose elder brother Rene had left on the “Yvonne” on 5 February; his cousin Marc Thube from Paris and his friend Marcel Jassaud, brother of Alfred (a radio operator in the Alliance network); Jean-Paul Martin, a young saint-cyrien and Alliance agent from the east of the country; two aviators, Michel Fourquet and Bertrand du Pouget; and finally Robert Guyader - all FFL volunteers. This was the second escape operation organized in liaison with the Alliance network, and the one that enabled the organisation's mail, entrusted to the Brest office, to be taken to England.
At about eight o'clock, Ernest Sibiril gave them final instructions and led them to the beach. He told them they would leave at around eleven because that's when the ebb tide was the strongest. The seven metre boat was undecked but with benches to sit on, a mast and an auxiliary engine, and after using a small dinghy to reach the “S'ils te mordent” two men at a time, they settled in as best they could with their belongings. Before boarding, the two Jassaud brothers stepped aside for a final embrace - they would never see each other again.
One of the Leven brothers from Ile Callot (north of Carantec, and only accessible across a causeway at low tide), guided them through the Penzé channel before quietly making his way back to shore in the dinghy.
Jean-Paul Martin reports that the boat had been entrusted to two teenage (sic) Breton fishermen (Couliou and Souflez). At a safe distance from the coast, they tried to start the engine but after a few attempts, the engine stopped: a piece of rag had twisted around the motor shaft and could not be removed. They therefore had to continue the crossing under sail, hoping for a favourable wind.
At daybreak on the following morning, they were out on the open sea, not knowing exactly where they were. There was no wind and the sea was still calm but not flat. No one had eaten or drunk, and the passengers never left their seats. At noon (7 March) the wind began to blow harder and the sea to get rougher with waves a good metre high. The boat began to take on so much water they had to bail it out with two bowls. At about three o'clock, an aircraft was heard overhead, alone and at a fairly high altitude but it soon disappeared.
At about 7 o'clock that evening, a small hill could be seen a few kilometres away, obviously close to an important port because there were barrage balloons above it as protection.
“Unfortunately, night was beginning to fall and we had no way of being seen or recognised. We seem to have been spotted by a bright red light sending Morse code at full speed for several minutes, but we couldn't respond. There was no more wind and we were starting to drift slowly out to sea, there must have been a current taking us away from the coast.”
In the early hours of the morning, the mist was still present but began to lighten, and they could no longer see the coast as they had been drifting all night.
At about eight o'clock, two minesweepers approached them. They had obviously spotted the “S'ils te mordent” and fired a few bursts of machine-gun fire above them, presumably as a warning. The escapees did everything they could to identify themselves - Gwenn-Ael Bollore brandished a tricolour flag "the size of half a handkerchief" and Marcel Thube shouted a few words of English. Finally, one of the ships approached and threw them a rope ladder. "When we got on board, they gave us tea, toast and cigarettes", and the ship turned around to take them to Plymouth.
The RPS files list Etienne Couliou (born 24 Apr 1921), Valentine Marcel Souffez (born 3 Aug 1921), Marcel Thube (born 3 Mar 1919), Marcel Jassaud (born 21 Dec 1922), Jean Paul Martin (born 27 Mar 1922), Comte Bertrand Du Pouget (born 12 Dec 1902) and Robert Guiader (born 3 Mar 1920) arriving in the UK on either 6 or 8 March 1943.
29 March 1943: the “Jean”
"The "Jean", a six-and-a-half-meter goémonier (a boat for harvesting seaweed), set sail on 29 March 1943 with eighteen passengers on board, including a woman, Lucienne Cloarec from Morlaix, accompanied by an American airman; the printer of the Le Havre underground newspaper and a certain Bodolec, a French officer and son of a Quimper doctor (mentioned by Moriarty as Francois from Quimper) recommended by Maurice Gillet, to whom he had entrusted the mail of the Alliance network. The crossing was particularly dramatic. The weather was appalling: storms, rain and gusts of wind took their toll on the passengers. The ordeal lasted twenty-four hours, and they had to stay within sight of the English coast for five hours before being able to land. Lucienne Cloarec, amazed her companions with her endurance and courage.” (Huguen 1986)
“Such was the case for the departure of the “Jean”, a 6.75-meter geomonier, on 29 March 1943, with 18 passengers, an extraordinary number given the size of the boat. Sixty years after the event, and despite the information recorded in the archives meticulously gathered by Alain Sibiril, a living memory of his father Ernest's network, it has not been possible for us to accurately identify the total number of volunteers who embarked. Among them was the second woman to attempt the adventure: Lucienne Cloarec from Morlaix, whose 29-year-old brother, a Resistance fighter, had been shot in 1942. On 23 March, she had managed to convince her mother, widowed in 1916 at the age of 29, and with two children, of her necessity, in the face of threats from the German police, to continue the fight in England with de Gaulle. As you can imagine, the separation of the two women on 28 March was very emotional.
Mme Cloarec was already hosting four men who wanted to leave, three of them since 6 March: Louis Kernanec, Francois Helias and Alex Priac, friends of one of Lucienne's cousins, Fernand Quequiner, and since 13 March, an American – Ernest Moriarty.
In addition to those mentioned in the account, the following were on board: Jean Person, Marcel Roger, Marcel and Jean Donval, Francois Hemon, Jean Jourdren, Francois Prigent and an underground printer from Le Havre. ” (mostly Huguen 2005)
The RPS files list Lucienne Cloarec (born 28 Jan 1915), Francois Prigent (born 7 Mar 1920), Jean Donvil (born 2 Dec 1920), Marcel Lawrence Donvil (born 24 Dec 1915), Peter Blessing Deinboll (born 30 Nov 1882), Louis Francois Kernanec (born 14 July 1922), Alexandre Francois Priac (born 6 Apr 1922), Joseph Boulic (born 6 Sep 1922), Jean Jourdren (born 7 Oct 1922), Yves Rene Cadiou (born 19 Mar 1921), Jean Gestalin (born 18 June 1921) and Bernard Duval (born 14 June 1911) as arriving in the UK on either 30 or 31 April 1943.
Sgt Ernest Thomas Moriarty (#24) from Winchester, Massachusetts was the 21-year-old left waist-gunner of 306BG/368BS B-17 41-24514 (Buddenbaum) which was on an operation to the railway yards at Rennes on 8 March 1943. Shortly before reaching their target, they were attacked by fighters, and with three engines and the right wing on fire, the aircraft was abandoned to crash at Colline, Servon-sur-Vilaine (about 15 kms east of Rennes).
Moriarty was one of the last the leave the leave the doomed aircraft, and so landed near the crash-site, close to a field where people were working, with his parachute caught in some trees. He says he was “set upon” by the French, wondering how they could get him him some civilian clothes. They pulled his parachute down from the trees, rolled it up and hid it in some bushes and took Moriarty about a mile before taking his flying clothes and hiding them under more bushes. Then someone told him that two of his crew had been found about two miles away, and Moriarty set off in his socks (his English flying boots having been lost in the jump) but was intercepted by two Frenchmen who had seen the parachutes, and took him back to their house where they gave him bread and butter and some wine. They then directed Moriarty across some fields, and after a short rest, he spotted a haycart, and followed it, hoping to find somewhere he could stay the night. He was stopped by two more Frenchmen, this time on bicycles, who took him to a friend's farm. The farmer and his wife took Moriarty to hide in some woods, saying they would come back for him that night. That evening, they brought food, and led him to a barn where he could sleep.
Early the following morning, Moriarty was taken back to the woods, where he remained hidden until about ten o'clock, when he heard his name being called. It was two gendarmes, along with the farmer's wide and daughter, who had brought him dinner. The gendarmes said they knew where three of his crew were, and that they would bring them to him that night. Later that afternoon, the farmer's wife brought him a coat, and led him back to the farmhouse, where she gave him another meal. The gendarmes returned after dark with civilian clothes for Moriarty, and to report that the other airmen had been captured.
After another night in the barn, Moriarty was again woken early, and this time the farmer took him to the main road to Colline. Moriarty set off walking, passing through the village before approaching another farm, and asking for help. He was again put into a barn, where he slept until late the following day, when the farmer's daughter brought a friend who could speak some English. The English-speaking woman told Moriarty she was going into Rennes to try and find him some help, and when she returned in the afternoon, told him the way to get out was to go Le Val Andre (on the coast, about 20 kms NE of Saint-Brieuc). She said that he might get a boat if he went there and asked for Francois Prigent - which seems strange as Francois Prigent lived at the Gare de Henvic, which is about 120 kilometres away, NW of Morlaix. She then gave Moriarty a list of places to go through to reach Le Val Andre.
That night, the farmer and a friend, took Moriarty to Le Gouray, from where he walked on through Moncontour and at about 4am, reached Landéhen. He knocked at a farmhouse, where he was given breakfast and sheltered for the day, and after a late dinner, carried on through the following night. He avoided Lamballe, and in the early morning, approached a farmhouse at Les Pont Neufs. The farmer took him to friend's house whom he thought spoke English - in fact he didn't but the friend went to a Belgian neighbour who did. The Belgian gave Moriarty a bed, and after dinner that night, brought a friend from Saint-Brieuc. The friend was René Jean Quéré, a landscape nurseryman who lived at 5 avenue de la Croix Blanche in Saint-Brieuc, and he told Moriarty he could get a boat from Morlaix.
René Quéré took Moriarty to Morlaix in his car, and delivered him to the home of Lucienne Cloarec and her mother at 7 Quai de Leon - Moriarty commenting that the house was next to the German police barracks, and just across the canal (actually the Riviere de Morlaix) from the German Aviation Bureau. Moriarty was sheltered at Quai de Leon for fifteen days, along with three Frenchmen, Louis Kernanec, Francois Helias and Alex Priac, during which time the nearby viaduct was bombed twice.
On the afternoon of Friday 26 March, Moriarty, Lucienne Cloarec and the three Frenchmen were moved to Francois Priget's house at the Gare de Henvic, about 4 kms south of Carantec. On the evening of 28 March, they moved into Carantec, and Ernest Siiril's house - they were supposed to leave that night but there was a delay, and it was the following night, 29 March, when they finally boarded the “Jean”.
Moriarty says they left (with 18 people on board) at about eleven o'clock that night, and an hour later hoisted the sail. They had an engine but no fuel for it, and after an uneventful crossing, arrived at Salcombe in Devon at about nine o'clock on the evening of 31 March 1943.
Lucienne Cloarec says (in an already translated statement given to France Libre at Carlton Gardens) that René Quéré had come to her house on 13 March to say that he was bringing her an American parachutist, and could she help him get to England. She told him that she didn't know how to do this but did know a young girl whose fiance was also waiting to leave. She then took Quéré to the girl's house, where they met her young man, Francois Prigent. Francois promised to see a local boat-builder about her problem, and she returned home, telling René Quéré that the American could stay at her house, where she was already sheltering three Frenchmen.
On Monday 15 March, Francois Prigent told her he had seen the boat-builder, and that he would help the American. Next day, the boat-builder (Ernest Sibiril) came to her house where, she says, they came to an arrangement whereby René Quéré would supply Sibiril with 100 litres of petrol if Sibiril would also take the three Frenchmen hidden at her house. Sibiril seems to have agreed but explained that they couldn't leave before 27 March because of the moon.
On Friday 26 March, Lucienne was told to take the four men to Francois Prigent's house at Henvic. On arrival, she learned that departure had been postponed until the following Monday, and so they all stayed with Francois Prigent. On the Monday evening, they walked to Ernest Sibiril's house in Carantec only to find that departure had been put back once more. The American (Moriarty) stayed with the Sibiril's while Lucienne and the four Frenchmen returned to Henvic. Next evening, they walked back to Carantec, and although there was a storm, were assured they would be leaving anyway, which they did at midnight.
Note that a BBC radio broadcast by “Lucienne” contained enough detail for the Germans to identify her, although at first they assumed she had escaped by air. There was then an article in the Daily Express on 16 April 1943, and the French weekly newspaper “La Marseillaise” on 18 April 1943, both of which included her photograph, and revealed that “Lucienne” had left France by fishing boat.
4 April 1943: the “Jane”
On 4 April 1943, the “Jane”, a 4.90-metre boat, the smallest pilot cutter from Morlaix to have left Carantec, set sail with five passengers on board. Among them were Jean Jourdren, a pilot from the Bay of Morlaix, Maryvonne Jego (her maiden name), the third woman to volunteer for the crossing, and three unknown people from Locquenolé (sic).
They were lucky enough to be rescued 35 miles off the English coast by a Royal Navy patrol boat (which Richards identifies as RN 35) and taken to Plymouth. (Huguen 2005) Note this is an update from what Huguen originally put in his 1976 book, and that the RPS files give us the names of the other three passengers.
The RPS files list Jean Louis Jourdren (born 1 Aug 1906), Marie Yvonne Jourdren (born 25 Jan 1916), Guillaume Riqual (born 16 Aug 1923), Marcel Boulic (born 31 Oct 1919) and Georges le Doeuff (born 23 Feb 1921) as leaving Carantec on 3 April 1943.
28 April 1943: the “Red Atao”
On 29 April 1943, the “Red Atao” (which according to Huguen means “The one who's always running” or "always moving forward"), a 5.50 metre Breton langoustier (a boat used for catching lobsters), with Jean-Pierre Mercier at the helm, left Carantec with five people on board: Jean-Pierre Mercier and his brother Gerard from Cagnes-sur-Mer and Locquirec, Henri de Bivé and Jean Brouezec from Locquirec, and Yves Gourvil from Morlaix.
In March 1943, Jean-Pierre Mercier met up with a friend named Odette Guilherm, who he knew to be involved with the Resistance. She suggested that he go and see Ernest Sibiril, whom she knew and who the Merciers themselves had frequented before the war as customers. The shipyard owner offered them "a strong 5.5 metre canot Breton (a small coastal boat), with bowsprit, jib and staysail, half-decked in the traditional way". It was quite small, but given the circumstances, they couldn't be too choosy, especially as they knew that type of boat to be generally very seaworthy. They asked Ernest Sibiril to make a few alterations they considered essential for a Channel crossing at that time of year. In particular, they wanted him to raise the coaming around the cockpit by at least 15 cms, and provide a tarpaulin which could be nailed to the coaming and able to cover the whole area. The hull was to be painted dark green, the sails tanned dark brown, and the pulleys and ropes to be greased to minimise any noise.
While these preparations were taking place, the Mercier brothers decided to buy two outboard motors "so as not to be stuck in the event of a dead calm, with the second motor as a back-up". Gerard Mercier and Henri de Bive went to Paris to make the purchase and returned by bus to Locquirec. The Germans carried out an identity check on the passengers without bothering with the crates, which were quickly made to disappear.
On 26 April, Gerard and Henri cycled to the Sibiril shipyard - Carantec was in the prohibited coastal zone but on bicycles, and with Odette as their guide, they could avoid the controls. The boat wasn't quite ready, and as the sea hadn't calmed down after a recent storm, they asked Sibiril to reinforce the transom so that it would be able to take the weight of a large outboard motor.
On 28 April, the weather conditions were much better, and they decided to leave that evening. It was then that they were asked to take on board a fifth passenger, and they met Yves Gourvil from Morlaix, who wanted to join the RAF. Henri de Bive and Jean Braouezec arrived at seven-thirty, and Louise Sibiril gave them all the “ritual” dinner before their departure.
The “Red Atao” had been moored a long way out in the harbour so as to be afloat sooner. This meant they would have a good distance to cover on each trip to take on food, clothing and equipment. Ernest Sibiril had his usual four lookouts posted to warn them of the sentries who were patrolling, so they were responsible for the timing needed between each trip. The boat began to float and the final journeys were made using a dinghy, which they towed to Ile Callot.
At just past midnight on the morning of 29 April, everyone was on board with one of the Leven brothers to guide them as far as Ile Callot. Jean-Pierre Mercier recalls : "The breeze was light, we hoisted the mainsail and jib, our pilot knew every rock and we steered through this maze. This route allowed us to avoid going out through the Carantec channel and any untimely encounters. Arriving north of Callot, our pilot got into the dinghy, which was in tow. He advised us to take a course of 25 degrees for at least 3 miles to avoid the Duons plateau, which was in our path”.
The sea state was moderate and the night was very dark, and at about two o'clock, as they felt they were not making fast enough progress, they started one of the outboard motors, which made the transom vibrate violently. After three hours, the wind picked up, the sea got rougher and the petrol fumes began to take their toll but they kept on course for Plymouth. Suddenly, they realised that the "Red Atao" had just crossed the path of a German convoy that was sailing with its lights on and failed to notice them. The wind was blowing harder, the sea was getting rougher but the "Red Atao" was making good speed.
At eleven o'clock next morning, Jean-Pierre Mercier, who had taken a few moments to rest, was woken up. He noted that the sea was by then quite rough with a Force 5 wind. As a precaution, they finished nailing down the tarpaulin, leaving just the helmsman's place in the open air, as the sky suggested that the sea would only get rougher.
By midday, everyone was lying under the canvas shelter, with Jean-Pierre alone at the helm. The engine had been stopped in the choppy sea as the propeller was mostly out of the water but the "Red Ateo" was travelling "at the speed of a torpedo boat".
By three o'clock in the afternoon, the wind had freshened to Force 6-7, with "waves higher than them and often crossed". The least sick of the passengers was bailing but if they hadn't put out the tarpaulin, the boat would have been full of water. Jean-Pierre was forced to unfurl the sails and luff up from time to time to avoid being rolled by some vicious waves. By five o'clock, the water began to penetrate through the transom, which had been damaged by the vibrations of the outboard engine.
At six o'clock, the coast was finally in sight - everyone wanted to see it and the seasickness seemed to disappear - and Jean-Pierre was able to identify the Eddystone Lighthouse, located 10 nautical miles from Plymouth and correct course accordingly.
As the sea calmed, a mist began to envelop everything, and it became bitterly cold. Henri de Bivé took the helm, allowing Jean-Pierre to rest. Night had fallen when the Henri came to wake him to say he couldn't hold their course, and in fact, the boat was sailing due south. The breeze was light, and Jean-Pierre had to hoist the staysail again so he could tack the boat. At eleven o'clock, they slowly reduced sail to avoid running into any shoals off the coast, and set a sea anchor.
At midnight, the outline of the coastline could be seen through the mist, and Jean-Pierre dropped anchor, using all the anchor rope available. They were in fairly shallow water, and the length of the rope would cushion any impact, and as the wind died away, Jean-Pierre lowered the sails. The five men settled down with the inner tubes they'd packed as individual life rafts, to try and make themselves comfortable but the bottom of the boat had been transformed into a bathtub. Everything was floating but no one had the energy to bail.
Jean-Pierre checked the anchorage, and everything seemed fine - the coast was still the same distance away and all they had to do was wait for daylight but when he got up at half past five, he found the coast had disappeared - the anchor line had broken. Fortunately, the onshore breeze and ebb tide had blown them away from the reefs, and as the wind picked up, they decided to raise the sail. Jean-Pierre had three reefs hoisted, his brother Gerard took the helm, and they hoisted a huge French flag as they set course for Plymouth.
At about half past seven, a convoy passed them, and presumably reported their presence because asthey rounded a cape, they saw a Royal Navy coastguard patrol boat heading straight for them. The British stopped and waited for them, and when they reached hailing distance, asked them to approach slowly. Given the state of the sea, it was out of the question to come alongside but the English crew tossed them packets of cigarettes. Once in port, the English explained that the "Red Atao" had been in the middle of a minefield - not too much risk for a shallow-draught wooden hull but ..
They quickly decided that towing was too dangerous in the rough sea, and used their outboard motor to manoeuvre on their own. Plymouth appeared in the distance, topped by dozens of tethered balloons to deter low-level attacks by enemy aircraft. The harbour entrance was blocked by huge anti-submarine nets, with only a narrow channel allowing access.
The RPS files list Jean Pierre Marie Joseph Mercier (born 6 Apr 1919), Gerard Albert Mercier (born 1 Mar 1917) and Yves Gourvil (born 3 July 1923) as arriving in the UK between 28 and 30 April 1943.
11 May 1943: the “Tor e Benn”
Alain Beaugé (see “Monique” earlier) says that .. “The "Tor e Benn" (roughly translated as “break his head”, an ancient Breton expression of resistance) was an exceptional boat. Built by Povic in 1913 for Vincent Feat, a fisherman from Le Dourduff, the first recipient of the Ordre du Merite Maritime award, and former barber to the King of Spain, and Virginie Heriot (the pioneering sailor). The boat was famous throughout North Brittany. It was originally called the "Triple entente", could carry up to 60 square metres of sail.”
The "Tor e Benn”, a 6.8 metre cutter, left Carantec on 11 May 1943 with twelve passengers on board. They included a Belgian airman who had failed in an attempt to reach England via Spain. He had returned to Paris, where his father ran a garage, and then to Carantec. The son Le Page from Quimper was also on the trip, as were a number of French airmen. The father of one of the latter worked at the Le Page factory. Among the volunteers were Jouanjean, son of a schoolteacher from Saint-Brieuc, and a certain Krebel from Morlaix, whose parents ran a wholesale butter business. (from Huguen 1976 - note that Jouanjean is not included in Huguen 2005)
The departure was scheduled for 10 May, but was delayed by 24 hours due to unfavourable weather conditions, with winds of 40 knots.
At around 11.30pm, groups of three or four took their places aboard the “Tor e Benn”: Jean Peron, a fisherman recommended to Ernest Sibiril by Jacques Cadoret, who was to take the helm, Charles Christienne and his colleague and friend Robert Roussillat, both from Lorient, Gilles Cochard, Roger Delaye, Louis Herledan a fisherman, Louis Jourdren, Paul Krebel from Morlaix, Rene Le Boette, an aviator captain from Versailles with Jean Tricaud, Jean Le Men, cousin of Alain Beauge who left on the Monique, and Jean Le Page from Lorient.
“According to certain accounts, Charles Christienne, a young aviation lieutenant, and his friend Robert Roussillat, superstitious as aviators and Bretons could be, had refused to take on board a thirteenth man who had arrived, as was often the case, at the last minute, and who had to go by the next boat.”
The “Tor e Benn” set off at midnight, piloted by Louis Le Ven, a key member of the Sibiril organisation, who guided them out of the bay before he used a dinghy to land himself at the tip of Ile Callot. They set sail on an overcast day with a light SW breeze. For this initial part of the crossing, they only used the staysail to be less visible from the coast. Later they hoisted the mainsail under two reefs (rolling or folding a sail to reduce its effective area), as Jean Peron had judged the wind to be "too strong for this type of boat". After half an hour, they had to bring the sail in for a third reef.
With the wind still freshening, Jean Peron decided it was necessary to lower the mainsail and sail most of the crossing on the staysail alone. It was impossible to start the Citroen B2 engine. The seas became rough and the weather overcast, and on a due northerly course, the boat was taking on some very heavy seas.
At six o'clock that evening, the wind died down a little, and the mainsail was reset to two reefs. An hour later, they heard the sound of a bell-buoy. At eight o'clock, land came into view but a mist soon enveloped the entire coast. It proved impossible to make out the entrance to any port, and at ten o'clock, Jean Peron gave the order to drop anchor.
At eleven o'clock, the anchor rope broke and they were forced to hoist the staysail again, which in the strong breeze, allowed Jean Peron to tack and sail the "Tor e Benn" upwind.
They finally saw the entrance to Porthleven harbour at 6 o'clock on the morning of 13 May. They entered the fishing port, and with the help of a few Englishmen, were able to unload their suitcases before anchoring the boat.
The RPS files list Charles Leon Chistienne (born 11 Feb 1920), Robert Charles Roussillat (born 10 July 1919), Rene Jules Ghislain Delhaye (born 26 Jan 1920), Louis Jourdren (born 30 June 1917), Rene Marie Francis le Boette (born 6 Dec 1918), Jean Claude Le Men (born 3 July 1923) and Jean E P Lepage (born 30 June 1921) as (mostly) leaving Carantec on 11 May 1943 and arriving in the UK on 13 May 1943.
29 May 1943: the “Meteor” and the “Kermor”
On 29 May 1943, two boats, the 5.60 metre Kermor, and the 6 metre Meteor, quietly slipped away from Carantec with a total of 25 people on board.
Sous-lieutenants Yves Faury, Louis de Guibert, Pierre Saindrenan and Christian de Truchis de Varennes found it was not easy to leave the occupied territory as the borders were particularly closely guarded. It was Louis de Guibert, who, like his comrade Pierre Saindrenan, was living with his parents in Saint-Brieuc, who discovered the way to do this via Ernest Sibiril's escape route from Carantec. De Guibert alerted his comrade Yves Faury in Paris, who in turn contacted de Turchis and they decided to take the train to Saint-Brieuc. It was through Monsieur Quere, a landscape nurseryman from Saint-Brieuc who worked for the Germans, supplying them with trees and shrubs to camouflage their airfields, that de Guibert learned of the possibilities of escaping via Carantec. He was the Briochin nurseryman (Rene Jean Quere) who had taken Ernest Moriarty, an American aviator, to Cloarec's house when the “Jean” left (see earlier), and he provided the four volunteers with work certificates, passing them off as his employees so that they could travel in the prohibited coastal zone. They took the train from Saint-Brieuc to Morlaix before walking to Carantec and the Sibiril shipyard, arriving just before curfew. As their departure had been delayed until the following evening, they were hidden in the attic of the Sibiril house, where they soon realised that they were not the only ones who wanted to leave. (Huguen 2005)
Huguen (2005) names the thirteen people on board the "Meteor" as fisherman Emile Leon, helmsman Yvan Clech (an agent with an organisation where his uncle (SOE radio operator Marcel Clech, recently landed by Lysander for his third mission) worked in Mer near Blois (Loire-et-Cher); Raymond Kerrien, Michel Le Gouer, Yvonne Pétrement (sister of Mme Le Duc from Morlaix), Harold Tilbury ... four saint-cyriens: Louis de Guibert, Christian de Truchis de Varennes, Andre Faury, Pierre Saindrenan; Charles-Noel (sic) Guyader, Jacques Crouan, and Emile Jegou, a friend of Yvan Clech.
The "Kermor" was bought with the help of Messrs Moguerou and Le Gall (fathers of Robert and Maurice respectively), the latter then stationmaster at Plouenan, and a loan from Christophe Roue, a legume shipper at Plouvorn. The fuel for the engine came from cans abandoned by the British army stationed at Saint-Thegonnec (about 10 kms south-west of Morlaix) and recovered by the Saint-Politans during “the debacle” of June 1940.
Huguen (2005) names the twelve people on board the "Kermor" as Andre L'Hour, Jean Donnard, Adolphe Hamonou, Paul Le Dises, Maurice Le Gall, Jean Leon, Robert Madec, Robert Moguerou, Ambroise Morizur, Jean Pleyber, Emile Le Ho, a fisherman from Carantec, and a certain Chauvin.
Guided by members of the Sibiril family to avoid the patrols, the twenty-five escapees made their way silently to the two boats lying on the mud. In order to reach the boats, they had to take off their shoes and boots and roll up their trousers to wade through the knee-deep water, and then using small ladders, climbed aboard and lay there without moving or making a sound. After a long wait, the tide floated the vessels at about one o'clock in the morning. Once they had been guided out of the harbour by Jean Le Ven (brother of Louis, their usual pilot), helmsmen Emile Leon and Andre L'Hour, set sail. With the sails hoisted, orders were passed from one boat to the other as "Meteor" glided slowly through the water with "Kermor" in close company, the two skippers having decided to sail together, and the two boats gradually moved away from the coast.
Heading towards Roscoff, they crossed the route of a German convoy of coasters sailing along the coast with their lights off. They were not spotted but the helmsmen altered course and passed close to the rocks of Ile de Batz. Then they had to face rough seas with breaking waves, a penetrating cold and, for many, the effects of seasickness. On board the "Meteor", they tried to start the engine. It worked for a while until a hose was ripped out and started a fire which Emile Leon quickly put out with a waterproof. Then the sail tore, and had to be repaired using what they had on board.
On the following day, they restarted the engine, which worked intermittently, and the "Kermor" was taken in tow. This meant that the two boats never lost sight of each other, despite a heavy swell and gusty wind.
At daybreak the weather improved and at around 10 o'clock, the sea calmed down. The sun dried the clothes soaked by the waves and spray and with the improved morale, it was decided to hoist the tricolour flag with the Cross of Lorraine on each boat. The one on the "Kermor" had been made by Robert Moguerou's sister.
At about seven o'clock that evening, two low-flying Focke Wulf fighters with black crosses on their wings passed to starboard. There was a certain amount of panic in the boats, and the flags were taken down but the pilots probably didn't even notice them at the speed they were flying. Nonetheless, it was deemed prudent to abandon the tack and change course for fear that one of the pilots would report their presence. The thirteen passengers on board the "Meteor" and the twelve on board the "Kermor", packed in like sardines, faced a second night at sea in difficult sailing conditions.
When dawn broke on Monday 31 May, they realised they were in the middle of a minefield, noting the presence of anti-submarine nets protecting the entrance to a port, all swept by beams of searchlights. A convoy leaving the port passed them, and presumably reported their presence as they were soon overflown by a Sunderland flying boat, and an escort ship arrived to take them in tow to Plymouth.
S/Sgt Harold Elroy Tilbury (#33) from Canby, Minnesota was the 28-year-old ball-turret gunner of 305BG/364BS B-17 42-29663 (Tuttle), which was on an operation to Lorient on 17 May 1943. Tilbury reports that they had been attacked by fighters all the way over France, setting fire to their #3 engine. After dropping their bombs (although Tilbury wasn't sure if they were actually over the target at the time), their #2 engine was hit, and with the intercom shot out, and with the aircraft circling as though on auto-pilot, Tilbury bailed out at about 5,000 feet, leaving his aircraft to crash at Moelan-sur-Mer (south-east of Quimper, Finistere).
Tilbury's fall was accelerated due to a rip in his parachute but he was saved from injury by landing in thick mud along a river bank. He had seen people approaching in a car as he came down, and so left his parachute and ran towards a wood, being joined by some Frenchmen along the way. Tilbury hid himself in a hole, and the Frenchmen covered him with brush. The men returned an hour later with civilian clothes, and took him to a house. Later, Tilbury was moved to a ravine and food was brought to him but two hours later, a boy took Tilbury down to a river where they pretended to fish. That evening, he was taken to another house, where he slept that night.
Next day (18 May), after spending some time working in the garden, Tilbury was taken back to the river, and rowed across to meet a man who arranged his journey.
Tilbury was taken to a village where a truck was waiting to take him to Carhaix, and then Morlaix, arriving there at about ten-thirty that night before going on to Carantec, where he stayed with a man called Louis for eleven days. There was also a man called Jacques who provided Tilbury with false papers and gave him 2,000 francs. On his last day at Carantec, Tilbury was joind by four French officers (assume Yves Faury, Louis de Guibert, Pierre Saindrenan and Christian de Truchis de Varennes).
At about twelve-thirty that night, Tilbury boarded the "Meteor", along with twelve others - he says there were ten people in another boat, and that they set off at about two o'clock in the morning in thick fog, initially under sail but once well clear of the harbour, they started up the engine as well. They were 30 hours at sea, finally reaching Plymouth at 0900 hrs on 31 May 1943.
The RPS files list Emil Leon (born 1 Apr 1921), Raymond Kerren (born 24 July 1922), Michel Le Goaer (born 10 June 1920), Louis De Guibert (born 13 Feb 1921), Christian Jean Gabriel de Truchis de Varennes (born 10 Sept 1922), Yves Marie Louise Andre Faury (born 18 Nov 1923), Pierre Jacques Jean Marie Saindrenan (born 23 Apr 1920), Jacques Noel Guyader (born 25 Dec 1920), Jacques Jean Ernest Crcuan (sic) (born 23 Mar 1923), Emile Jegou (born 18 Feb 1921), Andre L'Hour (born 4 Apr 1929), Maurice Joseph Le Gall (born 6 Dec 1921), Robert Yves Marie Meudec (born 7 Dec 1923) and Robert Mogerou (born 25 June 1920) as leaving Carantec on 29 May 1943, and (some of them at least) arriving in the UK on 31 May 1943.
Huguen (2005) says that of the 25 passengers on board the "Meteor" and "Kermor", 8 joined the FNFL (Forces Naval Françaises Libres), 3 joined the FAFL (Forces Aeriennes Françaises Libres), 2 joined the Commandoes, 2 joined the SAS, 2 men joined “2e DB” (Free French Second Armoured Division) and 1 man the 1 DFL (1st Division Française Libre) whilst one person joined the administrative offices of France Libre.
7 June 1943: the “Saint-Yves”
The "Saint-Yves", an 11-metre sablier (which means hour-glass, amongst other things) from the La Penzé river, left Carantec on 7 June 1943 with 23 people on board. The helmsman was Olivier Le Borgne, a 21-year-old fisherman and future member of the Coastal Command on seaplanes, who was threatened by the compulsory work service (STO - Service du travail obligatoire). The passengers included 33-year-old Doctor Bertrand de Kerautem from Morlaix, the oldest of the group and future doctor of the 1st DFL; Didier Paugam and Felix Perrin (who had left Carantec in clogs, one of which was later on display at Fowey town hall), who also joined the 1st DFL; 25-year-old Jean Kerleroux from Carantec, who would later become a sailor on the Atlantic convoys; Gervais Person from Plabennec, future RAF-FAFL mechanic; Pierre Herry, future Free French cadet; Oliver Guivarch, future Commando Kieffer; 16-year-old Ernest Leon, Francois Moguerou, Herve Quere, Jacques Jamet, Pierre Le Duc, Albert Keroule and Louis Galliou, all of whom went on to join the FNFL; Charles Meriadec, future SAS at the Dingson-Saint-Marcel base (June 1944); Rene Person, future radio and radar operator on Coastal Command seaplanes; Jacques Bataille, who joined the para SAS, and Alain Cledic .
The owner of the boat, M. Le Lez, had health problems, and when he decided to sell it, naturally turned to Ernest Sibiril to find a possible buyer. Potential buyers were quick to come forward and everyone paid their share, with Doctor de Kerautem's being the biggest.
The departure of the "Saint-Yves" was brought forward by a day because the Germans, finally fed up with the disappearance of boats, decided from 8 June, there would be a fisherman on guard at night in the port of Carantec to keep an eye on the boats anchored on the foreshore, and in the event of another departure, they threatened to shoot him.
Ten passengers boarded using a “touline system” (a sort of back and forth movement), while the "Saint-Yves" floated in front of the shipyard. The other passengers pretended they were going on a shellfishing trip to Ile Callot before hiding on the islet Le Forn, to the NW of the island, from where they were collected as the "Saint-Yves" passed in front of the rock. At eleven o'clock, Armand Leon and Etienne Le Ven having seen them safely out of the bay, returned to Ile Callot in their dinghy.
At around two o'clock in the morning, the usual German convoy travelling along the northern coast of Brittany made its presence known following a flash of light from the lighthouse on the Ile de Batz, followed by a firework display of flares. The phenomenon was so spectacular that the passengers on board the "Saint-Yves" could have read a newspaper. There was a great deal of confusion among the escapees but in the end, they opted to continue, lowering the sails but starting the engine. The helmsman, Olivier Le Borgne, headed due east, in the opposite direction to the convoy. The Germans fired another flare, which made the escapees even more nervous. It was then, on 7 June 1943, that some of those on board the "Saint-Yves" vowed to offer a statue of Saint-Yves (who was born locally in the thirteenth century) to the sailors' chapel, Chapelle Notre-Dame de Callot, which they did on 26 May 1947.
The wind began to blow harder and the sea began to get rougher, with the predictable effect on the passengers, who were soon seasick. The engine broke down but Gervais Person, the mechanic, managed to get it going again, at least for a while. At around 4 o'clock in the morning, a thick mist enveloped them. Finally, they heard the sound of a boat engine and decided to hoist the tricolor flag and head towards it. Fortunately, they were Belgian fishermen based in England, and they towed the "Saint-Yves" to the port of Fowey in Cornwall, where they anchored at the mouth of the estuary, after a 22-hour crossing.
The RPS files list Olivier Leborgne (born 2 June 1922), Bertrand Kermeec-Hou de Kerautem (born 9 Sep 1913), Didier Paugam (born 25 Nov 1922), Gervais Person (born 6 May 1918), Olivier Jean Guivarch (born 30 Nov 1921) and Charles Meriadec (born 13 Jan 1922) as leaving Carantec on 8 June 1943.
“In Carantec, the Germans noticed that the Saint-Yves had disappeared. The former owner, Le Lez, was questioned but he had taken the precaution of lodging a complaint about the theft of the decommissioned boat, and in the absence of any evidence of his involvement, was eventually released without further action.” (Huguen 2005)
“His (Sibiril's) audacity and success, although greatly admired in London, raised fears for his safety, and on 23 June a message was broadcast on the BBC's French Service called on him to come to England himself.” (Richards)
17 July 1943: the “Armorick”
The adventures of the "Armorick" began on 17 July 1943. Richards describes it as Sibiril's only failure but Huguen was later able to explains that it wasn't a complete failure.
After the departure of the “Saint-Yves” on 7 June, conditions for escape become extremely difficult. The multiple disappearances of young men from a well-defined coastal area, and the snippets of careless public comments gleaned by their informants, had finally alerted the Germans, and they responded with threats of hostage taking. In Carantec, the atmosphere had changed. It had become heavier, as if they sensed the approach of a catastrophe. It was in these very special conditions that the unregisterd “Armorick”, with the registration of another boat that was in Sibiril's yard for repairs, set off with 13 passengers.
Most of the passengers went to Ile Callot, supposedly to fish from the shore, where they gathered at the far end of the island. Fortunately, the weather was particularly cloudy, with a thick fog, and embarkation took place at noon without any problems. They hoisted the sail first, then used the engine once they were offshore.
Next day (Monday 18 July), they decided to stop the engine to let it cool down and use the sail in a steady breeze, and then when the wind died down, they tried to restart it. Unfortunately, the man in charge of the operation did so in such a way that, when he operated the crank, he broke the part that started the engine. They drifted in dead calm for two long days against the currents and towards the Cotentin peninsula, soon running out of food and fresh water. When the breeze finally broke, blowing fairly strongly from the east, they tried to sail upwind to reach the English coast, but the gusts eventually tore the sail. Demoralised, they decided to head for land downwind, and on 20 July, reached Ile Grande in Pleumeur-Bodour. Jean Kerrien, an experienced sailor who knew the area well, steered the "Armorick" towards a shelter where boats came to load granite blocks extracted from the quarry. The mast was lowered and ten people disembarked at low tide to walk to Trebeurden. There they were housed and fed by a grocer, a customer of Paul Fleuriot's father, himself a grocery wholesaler. Finally, they returned to Carantec and Morlaix by bus.
Jean Kerrien, Andre Mouguerou and Jean Pirou stayed on Ile Grande, hiding out with an elderly lady just long enough to repair the sails. They left their anchorage on 21 July, and early the following day, reached Ile Callot. The three men remained hidden at the home of Mme Auguste Pen, where they were able to rest and eat, and when German patrols passed by, they hid in the attic of the sailors' chapel.
Etienne Le Ven (about to depart himself) and Armand Leon repaired the engine and sails of the "Armorick", and the three fugitives set sail again on the evening of 23 July, arriving safely in Plymouth at 5 o'clock the following morning.
The RPS files list Jean Kerrien (born 3 July 1923) and Jean Joseph Pirou (born 4 September 1923) as leaving Carantec, Ile de Callot, on 24 July 1943.
23 July 1943: the “Pirate”
“The Germans must have had wind of the event (Amorick) since they ordered the Ile Callot to be evacuated by its inhabitants. The five Le Ven brothers, who lived there and had contributed much to previous escapes, decided it was time for them to leave, which they did, with two other people, on a boat called the Pirate.” (Richards)
“At noon on 23 July, the seven men took advantage of the misty weather typical of a summer month to set sail despite the lack of wind. Louis Le Ven, the fisherman owner of the “Pirate”, took the helm with no intention of returning to Ile Callot any time soon. Seated alongside him were his brothers Joseph, Etienne and Jean, all from the island, Diguer Marcel, a geomonier, and Roger Le Pretre, Louis Le Ven's deckhand. The crossing took 26 hours and the engine worked from start to finish, and they arrived in Penzance.” (Huguen 2005)
The RPS files list Louis Le Ven (born 5 Dec 1905), Joseph Le Ven (born 18 Apr 1908), Etienne Le Ven (born 17 Aug 1903) and Alexander Le Ven (born 16 July 1912), all fishermen from Carantec, as leaving France on 23 July 1943.
“His (Sibiril's) last party left Carantec on 23 July 1943. On the following Sunday (25 July), as he was leaving church with his wife, he saw three German Gestapo cars heading for his house. Having confirmed that they drew up outside his house, he took to the “maquis”, first with relations a few kilometres inland from Carantec, then for a month and a half outside Brest and finally at the village of Botsorhel (about 15 kms ESE of Morlaix), where he was able to arrange his own escape from Carantec in a newly built boat.” (M.I.19 (R.P.S.)/1877)
Knowing that the Germans were looking for them in Carantec, the Sibiril family (Ernest, Louise and son Alain) stayed with building contractor Jean-Louis Jacq and his wife (Jean-Louis was Louise Sibiril's uncle) at their Heder farm in Henvic for a few days. After their intervention on Sunday during a football match, M. Charles, mayor of Carantec, talked to the German officer leading the investigations and was told they were looking for a dangerous terrorist. It is logical to presume this was Ernest Sibiril.
Jean-Louis suggested keeping the Sibirils even further away from German searches by taking them to Brest, where the members of the Alliance network had planned to set up a hiding place at the home of brothers Pierre and Rene Guezennec, in case anything went wrong. With their agreement, “tonton Jackez” obtained a very authentic “Ausweiss”, and arranged for them to move to Brest.
While the "Armorick" and the "Pirate" were leaving Brittany on 23 July, Ernest Sibiril, his wife and son hid inside two cupboards with the doors removed and placed face to face with some chests of drawers, tables and chairs, all hidden under a tarpaulin. The lorry, driven by Eugene Saou and accompanied Jean-Louis Jacq, left Henvic at around 8.30 in the morning. They had to pass through several checks on the long journey, before arriving safely at the Guezennec house at about one o'clock, where Margot Guezennec gave them lunch. During the meal, the port of Brest was bombed.
They stayed with their hosts at Le Bot, in the Saint-Marc area of Brest, for six weeks in the special atmosphere of the intelligence networks, making their contribution while avoiding being seen. Alain still remembers the walks he and Rene Guezennec took to the flak batteries on the pretext of botanical research. These were recorded and the information transmitted immediately to London using an Alliance radio.
Ernest Sibiril had to go to Guerlesquin (about 20 kms ESE of Morlaix) to try and find a parachuting site for agents or weapons, and so he approached Jean-Francois Le Coz and his wife, who ran a sawmill in Botsorhel, and who had offered to take him in if he had any problems with the Germans. They agreed to give the Sibirils refuge, which suited Ernest perfectly because their home was only a few kilometres from Guerlesquin.
The family left Brest on 3 September 1943, again in Jean-Louis Jacq's lorry, using the same moving strategy. Apart from the Le Coz couple and their relatives, the people of Botsorhel were not to know the identity of the new inhabitants. They were passed off as refugees from Brest whose homes had been destroyed by the bombing, and eventually integrated into the life of the small commune. Under the pseudonym of Emile Tanguy, Ernest worked at the sawmill while Louise helped with the housework. Alain was enrolled as a pupil at the local school from mid-September and resumed the classes he had taken the previous year in Carantec. No one knew their true identity until after the Liberation. (from Huguen 2005)
31 October 1943: the “Requin”
In (a rather delayed) response to a message from the Intelligence Service in London, Ernest Sibiril finally decided it was time for him to go to England, and so he contacted his father Alain, then aged 70. As it was now impossible to use an existing boat to escape, with the Germans threatening to execute hostages if a boat disappeared, the decision was taken to build a new boat in complete secrecy. To do this, they salvaged as many spare parts and accessories as possible (rudder, fittings, rigging), as well as an old 10-horsepower car engine.
Alain, helped by his son Leon and shipwright Jean Caroff, along with two former shipyard workers, Francois Bernard and Francois Scouarnec, and mechanic Alain Baron, who installed the engine, built and equipped the boat in eleven days - and quite a few nights. The cutter “Requin” (Shark) was 5.60 metres long and 2.30 metres wide - Francois Leon from Ile Callot supplied a large geomonier sail, the jib came from a yacht that had been in storage since 1939, and "Requin" was ready to leave for England on 31 October 1943.
In preparation for the escape, Ernest, Louise and son Alain left Botsorhel on the afternoon of 29 October, again in Jean-Louis Jacq's lorry, this time hidden in a load of wood where a space had been made. They passed through two checkpoints during the short journey without any problems.
They were driven to the "Roch'ar Piguet" estate, where Francois Leon and Louis Le Ven and their wives were living in a house in the grounds following the evacuation of Ile Callot. After passing through the main entrance to the German-occupied chateau, they hid in the attic of a shed that had once been used as a garage. Mme Le Ven took responsibility for feeding them and keeping them informed of events.
After two nights in the attic, they left their hiding place at around 10pm on 31 October to head for the boatyard, some 250 metres away. Meanwhile, in the shed, relatives and friends were busy. The boat had to be taken out, trimmed and greased. The operation took place at around 7.30 that same evening, and to avoid the Germans, who were occupying the two adjoining villas, suspecting anything, Jean-Louis Jacq left the engine of his lorry running - it was normal practice to leave gazogene engines running when stationary in order to avoid the always difficult operation of starting it up again.
That evening, Ernest Sibiril boarded the "Requin" with his brother Leon and a few Morlaisians: the son of Commandant Guizien, who had already tried to join the FFL aboard the "Armorik" on 18 July; Quelquiner, son of a tax inspector and a Lancien son; Paul Daniel, a secret agent from Marseille who had come to Carantec hoping to find a boat - and RAF pilot Georges Wood, who had been shot down over the Morlaix airfield the previous month.
Wood had been taken in by a farmer close to where he landed, and where M. Marzin from Morlaix found him. He alerted Doctor Le Duc, who picked Wood up on his motorcycle. The airman was then sheltered in an empty house in Carantec rented by M. Le Ho. Wood stayed there for two and a half months as no boat was available for an escape, until he was rescued by Mme Le Duc. She had to answer a summons from the German police in Brest following an anonymous letter denouncing her for harboring allied airmen but as the Germans did not take this statement seriously, she was not questioned. However, as a precaution, it was thought preferable for Wood to be moved to Morlaix, where he stayed with the Marzins while he waited.
When the day arrived, Wood was driven to the shipyard by Mme Le Duc, accompanied by M. Guizien. With their shoes off to avoid any noise, they made their way to the embarkation point, sometimes hiding in ditches to avoid the German patrols. Near the shipyard, they met up with Docteur Le Duc, who had come directly from Morlaix, and soon heard what seemed to them to be an appalling noise: it was the "Requin" sliding down its launch ramp. (from Huguen 2005)
F/Sgt George Albert Wood (1525) from Wimbledon in south London, was the 21-year-old pilot of 263 Sqn Whirlwind P7113, and on 23 September 1943, he had taken off from RAF Bolt Head near Salcombe in Devon at about 11.20 that morning on a dive-bombing mission to Ploujean-Morlaix aerodrome. He says that he bombed his objective at about noon but was hit by flak as he released his bombs, and with his twin-engine aircraft out of control, baled out at low altitude, landing on the outskirts of the airfield.
Wood landed near a light gun position, manned by a single German soldier. Wood learned later that soldier was under orders not to leave his gun so the airman was able to make his escape, leaving his parachute tangled in a tree, and running into a field. He headed north-west, trying to put as much distance between himself and the airfield, and managing to avoid contact with anyone for the rest of the day. That evening, he tried to cross the river Dosenn to a monastery he had seen but had to give up after sinking into the thick mud. Instead, he went back to a farm at Ploujean (4 kms north of Morlaix, and now part of Morlaix) which had already been searched. He was just making himself comfortable in a barn when he was surprised by a young man, who then fetched his boss. The two men providing Wood with coffee, wine and bread as well as a civilian jacket and pullover, and helped him make a proper hiding place in a haystack.
Next morning, Doctor Jean Le Duc came to the farm to buy produce, and as he spoke some English, was introduced to Wood. The following evening, Dr Le Duc returned to the farm bringing trousers, a blue raincoat and a beret for Wood, and then took him out to his car where Wood met Loick Rault. Wood got into the car, and was driven to Rault's house in Carantec, where he met Rault's sister, Mme Rothschild, and the doctor's wife, Marie-Louise Le Duc, and was given a room at the house.
On 20 October, Mme Le Duc and Mme Rothschild were summoned to Brest by the Gestapo, accused of helping some American evaders the previous October, and although nothing could be proved, Wood was moved back to Morlaix, where he was sheltered by a baker named Lucien Marzin.
Wood reports that Dr Le Duc bought a boat to take Wood back to England on about 20 October but the scheme fell through due to the age of the boat, and bad weather. However, on 22 October, Wood was told about another boat that was being built, and would be ready by about 30 October. On 26 October, Dr Le Duc took Wood back to Carantec, where he was told the Germans had visited and taken note of the boat being built, and so would be missed if it was sailed to England. Wood was given to understand it was only through Mme Le Duc that the plan went ahead.
On 29 October, Wood was taken to the boat builder's yard and met one of the sons who was due to cross with him and that evening, another one of the passengers. The following evening, Mme Le Duc took Wood to the boat-house where all seven passengers embarked, the boat being manoeuvered by another son of the boat-builder's family.
They set off at eight o'clock that evening, and by daylight were well out to sea, where they started up the engine. Wood says he recognised Eddystone Llighthouse at five o'clock that afternoon, and that they were intercepted by the mine-sweeper “Loch Park” which towed them until they were transferred to a RN yacht, and handed over to the securty people in Plymouth.
Wood lists the passengers as Ernest Sibiril, Leon Sibiril, “Charles”, Fleurot (Christian name not known), “a Colonial” and another Frenchman.
The RPS files list Ernest Sibiril (born 23 June 1899), Lean (sic - Leon) Sibiril (born 24 Aug 1902) and Charles Guizien (born 28 Nov 1923) as leaving Carantec on 30 October 1943, and arriving in the UK next day.
Docter Jean Le Duc and his wife Marie-Louise later became members of the organisation in Morlaix that helped Typhoon pilots Waldo Mollett and Gerald Racine in early 1944 before they were taken back to England by the SOE VAR line.
14 February 1944: the “Amity”
The final departure from the Sibiril shipyard took place on 14 February 1944. It involved the “Amity”, a 6.75-metre geomonier, built under the direction of Ernest's father Alain, who took advantage of a change of personnel in the German customs surveillance service, and a few days' hesitation on the part of the local authorities, to arrange the departure on the night of 14 February. The boat was prepared at the last minute, and registration was omitted.
Alain Sibiril organised the departure, and Armand Leon took the helm. Armand was an experienced a fisherman from Callot, and after the hostilities, his regatta skills enabled him to practice them on board Edward de Rothschild's yachts all over the world. Huguen names twenty of the passengers as Andre Breton, four Daniel brothers - Paul, Ernest, Eugene and Louis, from Carantec (all future FNFL), Andre Derrien, Louis Querrien, Jules Cloitre, Robert Leon (brother of Armand), Francois and Jacques L'Hour, two brothers from Ile Callot, Jean L'Hour (brother of Andre who left on the Kermor), Marcel Merret, Yves Meudec, Francois and Jean Nicolas, Jean Pailler, Guillaume Paugam (brother of Didier, who left on the Saint-Yves), Pierre Richard and Andre Dachelet (all future FNFL except Francois and Jean Nicolas, who joined the FAFL).
Some of the would-be escapees remained hidden in Carantec waiting for a favourable wind, and once it had settled, made their way at dusk to the rendezvous point, a farm near the shore. After dinner in the farmhouse at around eight-thirty, they left in silence at nine o'clock for the harbour. The “Amity” was alongside the quay, floating on a calm sea, and the passengers boarded quietly, one by one.
They left the harbour under oars - the crew began to hoist the sail but the operation caused so much noise that it could be heard from the lookout posts. It was therefore decided to continue using oars, and only deploy the sails when actually leaving the bay. The engine was not to be started until about a nautical mile from the coast, which although shrouded in darkness, was still visible.
At around one o'clock in the morning, the staysail came loose but the repair only took about an hour while they continued with just the mainsail. The only incident of note during the crossing was at about 2 o'clock on the afternoon of 15 February, when they heard the sound of an aircraft but did not see it. The sea remained perfectly calm on an overcast day, and none of the escapees were ill, helped by the boat being quite large and everyone having enough room to move about.
They hoped to reach England around four o‘clock that afternoon, and a man was placed at the front of the boat to signal the appearance of the coast on the horizon. It was five o'clock when they spotted a beach, where they were seen by a Home Guard soldier who went to warn the local authorities. Jules Cloitre remembers asking the soldier where they could disembark, and was told there was a port about three kilometres away. They had been at sea for 22 hours.
The “Amity” entered the small fishing port of Mevagissey, about 25 kms north-east of Falmouth, on her own. Someone told them where to moor, and after two policemen had boarded the boat, about twenty people came to watch them disembark. The escapees were taken to a reception centre where they were served “an excellent meal with tea”, the latter getting a mixed reception from the Frenchmen. (from Huguen 2005)
The RPS files list Armand Leon (born 9 May 1912), Ernest Daniel (born 23 July 1900), Jean Francois Marie Pailler (born 2 July 1911) and Pierre Marie Richard (born 15 Feb 1922) as leaving Carantec on 14 February 1944 and arriving in the UK next day. The files also include Jean Marie Le Breton (born 6 Oct 1898) as leaving Carantec on 14 Feb 1944 but with no arrival date, and being interviewed in London on 22 Feb (two days before the others).