MONUMENT OF THE FREE FRENCH FORCES
The monument to the people of Sein symbolizes memory, sacrifice and solidarity.
When General de Gaulle issued the appeal of June 18, 1940, the 141 able-bodied men of the island of Sein (out of the thousand or so inhabitants) joined him in London: their numbers made the leader of Free France say "you are a quarter of France! A monument in the place called Meneï pays tribute to them. Marie-Madelaine Fourcade - a great name in the Resistance - gave a precise description of this event in the magazine La Voix de la Résistance: "The Germans are in Audierne. The island, a strategic element of the Pointe du Raz, will be invaded in a few hours. The huge family of Senans is consulting with each other. Many men were serving on the war or commercial fleets, but there were still more than 130 men who had been left out of the mobilization because of their age, their infirmity or their family responsibilities. The community's verdict was unanimous: they would not be taken. They feverishly prepared the fishing boats [...] which loaded their contingent of volunteers in the night, now without beacons or lighthouses because of the occupying forces. The oldest, Jean-Marie Menou, was nearly 54 years old and the youngest, Louis Fouquet, was only 14 and a half." The safe and sound crew was welcomed in Falsmouth on the other side of the Channel. At the same time, the Germans arrived on the island, which had not yet been invaded, and were surprised to see so many black clothes and headdresses. They were told that the women were wearing "the mourning of France."
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