Notícies Dimarts 21.01.2014 23:26

Operation Stanbrook: 75 years since the last Republican bastion sailed to exile

A civil initiative commemorates the voyage that left the port of Alacant for Algeria

On March 28, 1939, the Stanbrook, an English cargo ship, sailed from the port of Alacant with more than 3000 vanquished Republicans fleeing Francoist reprisals. It was the last group of Republicans that were able to sail to exile, even though what awaited most of them in Oran (Algeria) were forced labor camps. Now, in order to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the ship captain, Archibald Dickson's kindness, a civic and memorial initiative called Operation Stanbrook will reenact the voyage along the same route.

During that month of March in 1939, with the Francoist troops occupying all territories, the port of Alacant became the most important escape route for the Republicans, including the 3000 refugees aboard the Stanbrook. The cargo ship didn't have nearly enough room for all those people. The refugees covered every square inch of the ship. In a letter dated April 2, the captain wrote, 'The number of refugees coming aboard made it almost impossible for anyone to move on the vessel itself, as the hatches had been opened ready to load the cargo and consequently the refugees could only stand about on the deck. In spite of my appeals, I could not get the refugees to go down below in the holds thereby making more room, although later on a few did go down thus making a little more room, but their places were immediately filled by further people coming on board.'

In the letter, the captain also remembers the haste with which thousands of people boarded the ship, hurried by 'a rumour that the place was to be bombarded or a large air raid'. Shortly thereafter, when they had barely set sail, 'the rumour of bombardment proved to be true and within 10 minutes of leaving the port a most terrific bombardment of the town and port was made and the flash of the explosions could be seen quite clearly from on board my vessel and the shock of the exploding shells could almost be felt'.

Once on the open sea, the captain changed course to avoid the Francoist fighter planes. Twenty-two hours later, they arrived at the military port of Mers el-Kebir, near Oran. But there another hell awaited them. The French authorities let the women and children disembark, but the men spent months without being able to land, as described in Hèlia Gonzàlez' memoir, who was six-years-old at the time, and passenger number 2,277. When the men finally went ashore, they were sent to forced labor camps, and made to build the trans-Saharan railroad. Years later, some joined the Leclerc Division that liberated Paris during World War II.

Documentary and trip to Oran to commemorate the voyage's 75th anniversary

The Stanbrook voyage will be remembered on February 21 in the central auditorium of the University of Valencia. They will show the documentary, 'Cautivos en la arena' [Trapped in the sand], by journalist Joan Sella, who visited the most significants places in the refugee's journey. The event will also be attended by Hèlia Gonzàlez, who still lives in Elx with her sister Alícia, another of the children who traveled on the ship.

On March 28th, another ship will sail from the port of Alacant with the same destination: Oran, to commemorate the voyage to exile of those three thousands Republicans who were fleeing Franco's imminent victory and the coming postwar repression. The voyage will last four days and the participants will make a few visits on shore, to the labor camps and the neighborhoods in Oran where the refugees lived.