Wreaths were laid by French Consul David Myatt, who led the commemoration, by St Ouen Constable Michael Paddock, the Commanding Officer of a visiting French patrol vessel and the St Ouen’s sea scouts.
Also paying their respects were the Anciens Combattants, the Jersey Royal Marine cadets, who provided a guard of honour and fired a volley, as well as French standard-bearer Serge Leroy.
The service was led by Father John Lavers and a minute’s silence observed. Bugler Cathy Southwell, a member of the Band of the Island of Jersey, played The Last Post.
Others who attended included the crew from the French patrol vessel, the Seigneur of St Ouen, Philip Malet de Carteret, and his wife and family, as well as around 80 members of the public.
François Scornet was one of a group of 16 young Frenchmen who set sail from Brittany in December 1940 in the hope of reaching England.
However, bad weather destroyed some of their navigational equipment and they landed in Guernsey, thinking it was the Isle of Wight, and were arrested by German sentries.
A trial in Jersey resulted in François Scornet (21), who was considered the ringleader, being condemned to death. Others were sentenced to life imprisonment or sent to German concentration camps.
