Francis William Ferrand

By Gilly Carr

Francis William Ferrand was born on 31 December 1905 in St Helier, Jersey. We know little about his early life, but we know that he served in the Royal Jersey Militia as a private. He was demobilised in 1927.

At the time of the registration of Islanders in January 1941, Ferrand was 35 years old, married, and living in St Helier with his wife, Florence Ferrand née Le Neveu, and daughter, Joyce, born in 1928. Ferrand worked as a quarry lorry driver.

Ferrand comes to our attention because, on 22 December 1942, he was convicted by the Court of the Field Command 515 to three months’ imprisonment for receiving stolen goods. He was convicted with four other men for the same offence: John Coutanche, Michael McGrath, Maurice O’Connell and Arthur Querée. John Coutanche later said that the men had been given German cigarettes and then informed upon by the man who sold them.

The five men were deported on 12 January 1942. Also deported that day, and represented on this website, were John Woods, Frederick Vasse, and Henry Addicott. The whole group of men were sent to Caen Prison via a night in Granville Prison.

Francis Ferrand arrived in Caen on 13 January 1942 and was released on 26 March 1942 and returned to Jersey.

Despite this conviction, it appears that Francis Ferrand was not deported to civilian internment camps in February 1943 with other previously convicted Islanders.

Sources

Francis Ferrand’s Occupation registration card, copyright Jersey Archives ref. St/H/5/1521.

Francis Ferrand’s Occupation registration form, Jersey Archives ref. St/H/5/1523.

Francis Ferrand’s record, political prisoner register Jersey Archives ref. D/AG/B7/7.

Francis Ferrand’s court records, Jersey Archives ref. D/Z/H6/3/7.

Francis Ferrand’s records from Caen Prison, Calvados Archives, Caen, ref. 1664 w 34.