The 'Exodus'

SETE is one of the most interesting towns in the region for a number of reasons. It has a certain ‘down at heel’ ambiance, possibly due its dual role of  having been a working town and more recently its emphasis on tourism.

In addition ferries leave the town daily heading for North Africa. 

What isn’t widely known is the fact that sixty-three years ago an old worn out coastal steamer ‘The President Warfield’ came into harbour at Sete, changed its name to ‘Exodus’ and set sail to British-controlled Palestine, carrying 4,545 Jewish men, women and children.

These were  survivors from the Holocaust leaving France to begin a new life in what was to be the new state of Israel.

After ten days at sea the boat neared its destination only to be surrounded by boats from the  British Navy including destroyers, minesweepers and a cruiser.  

The refugees on ‘Exodus’ were soon overcome and were immediately deported back to France.

The town of Sete have commemorated the original departure by producing a plaque which can be found on the sea front wall situated on the Mole Saint Louis.

I rediscovered this memorial a few weeks ago and was relieved to note that the original plaque, which had been defaced with small swastikas, was is no longer there and has been replaced with what appears to be vandal proof one. 

Stephen Morris, one of the featured artists on this site first told me about the metal plaque. The artist/poet over the years has himself  had a special interest in the Holocaust going back to when he was commissioned by the British Medal Society to design and produce a medal on the subject. He also made a film and wrote a long poem, as well as having a touring exhibition of paintings which revealed the horror of the camps. 

In fact all the associated creative output on the subject by him were  inspired by his visit, in 1994, to the death camps at Auschwitz- Birkenau which are in Poland.

Crematorium smoke clawed to the sky

Signalling to each they would have to die

Not on some battlefield or soft death bed

But choking out life to join the pitiable dead

Chambers of gas and Zyclone B

An atrocity to shame out history

Soft words they come so easy

So good, so pure, so bland

Forked tongues to give the helpless hope

With the pledge of a promised land

But the waves of slaughter continued

Directed by a Godless hand

These two verses are from the long poem by Stephen Morris ‘To Forgive the Unforgivable’ 

The voyage of the Exodus from Sete was the subject of a best selling novel by Leon Uris which was later  made into a successful film starring Paul Newman.

Dylan Joyce