Regular annual visitors to our Cornish shores between the two World Wars & for sometime afterwards were the Johnnie Onion Sellers from Brittany. In fact according to an historical trade record from Brittany it first started as early as 1300s.The hardy Bretons would make the hazardous trips across in open sail boats (many lost their lives on these journeys) with their onions to several centres along the south coast of England.
My beau-père (Father in law) Jean Le Jeune (pictured circ. 1950, standing about where Trago Mills is now) was born just outside Roscoff in Brittany in 1926. He was a Johnnie Onion Seller in the Penryn, Falmouth Helston, Penzance & Mousehole areas on his trusty bike with the onions hanging off the handle bars each string would weigh about 1 kilo.
He made his first trip to the UK as an Onion Seller in 1950 sailing for 16 hours in a 50-ton sail boat from Roscoff to Penryn (other vessels made for Plymouth or Portsmouth). The return trip to Brittany was made by ferry from Newhaven to St Malo.
On Dales Farm on Eastwood Road, Penryn there was a big store in which the onions were kept, there was also a storage point in Penzance. They used to sleep in the old sail lofts at the bottom of St Thomas street in Penryn, but not until they had strung their onions ready for the next day. There were 3 or 4 sellers in each group, the leader had a car & the others English bicycles although the last year that Jean worked selling he used his own French bike (see photo). The car driver would travel to Padstow, Newquay & Mevagissey leaving the others to cover the local area on their bikes. I once asked why we no longer see the Johnnies here anymore & he said “It’s because the youngsters didn’t want to come.”
Jean said “It was easy to sell the onions because of their high quality and longevity ”They would be able to be kept for up to 6 months if stored correctly." The rose coloured Roscoff onion is favoured by top chefs because of its mild sweet taste. French sailors would eat the pink Roscoff onions raw for weeks if not months on end.
The sellers had permits allowing them to stay in the UK for 3months only. Jean came every year & in 1953 married a Penryn girl which allowed him to stay for 12 months without renewing his permit. In 1954 he applied for a residential permit & returned to his original trade as a Mason, taught to him by German soldiers during WWII where he was conscripted to build bunkers & gun emplacements in Brest. He was working in Brest during the raid on St Nazaire when he said the Germans panicked & moved them to another camp till the next day. He worked for several local builders & Falmouth Docks working on the wall that’s in front of the dry docks.
After he retired he made several trips back to Roscoff with his wife for holidays & sometimes returned with some onions, but not to sell!
Michael Hill, not so new Gallery Volunteer
