Argeles-sur-Mer, Juan Carrasco

Juan Carrasco, a republican soldier, shares his story in his book La Odisea de los Españoles Republicanos en Francia.
“The living conditions in the Argelès camp were precarious; personal space was minimal and promiscuity made people irascible. One can easily imagine the space dedicated to the meeting of bodily needs: an enclosure near the beach in which refugees – men, women and children alike – came to do defecate. It was impossible to enter such a place without walking on feces. The enclosure was so small that people almost touched each other while squatting.
It is now difficult to believe that Spanish refugees lived in such conditions on the beautiful beaches of Roussillon. (In Los españoles del Winnipeg, J. Ferrer Mir, p.39)