Category: campos

Mi abuelo- sin nombre

Mi abuelo tenía solo 16 años en el gobierno de Franco, por la guerra, no tengo claros los detalles cayó en un campo de concentracion en Francia, esto es muy emocionante para mi porque el llegó a Chile gracias a Pablo Neruda y pudo tener una oportunidad, yo era pequeña y el era el abuelo más maravilloso que uno quisiera tener, dejo a sus hermanos y padres allá, nunca quiso volver, cuando hicieron un homenaje a todos los españoles que llegaron en ese barco le entregaron una medalla y un libro, que se titulaba, Winnipeg, el barco de la esperanza, a los pocos años falleció. Nunca pude saber su historia solo que sufrió mucho allá y fue difícil, siempre busco información, se como Pablo gestiono todo para poder traerlos a Chile, fue una misión de amor que le agradeceré toda mi vida.

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Erich Weinert- Quelle déception amére!

Quelle déception amère !
Erich Weinert, membre des brigades internationales, a écrit : « Autrement dit, le gouvernement français ne nous a pas accueillis comme les vétérans d’une guerre d’indépendance, mais comme des prisonniers qui seraient arrivés à Cayenne. Quelle déception amère ! » (Los Españoles del Winnipeg, J. Ferrer Mir, p.37)

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Argeles-sur-Mer, Juan Carrasco

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)

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Argeles-sur-Mer, Juan Carrasco

Argeles-sur-Mer, Juan Carrasco

Juan Carrasco, soldat républicain, partage son vécu dans son livre La Odisea de los Españoles Republicanos en Francia.
« Dans le camp d’Argelès, les conditions de vie étaient précaires, l’espace vital, minime, et la promiscuité rendait les gens irascibles. On imagine sans mal l’espace dédié à la satisfaction des besoins naturels : un enclos près de la plage dans lequel les réfugiés – hommes, femmes et enfants – venaient faire leurs besoins. Il était impossible d’entrer dans un tel endroit sans marcher sur des excréments. L’endroit était si petit que les gens accroupis se touchaient presque les uns les autres.
Il est aujourd’hui difficile de croire que des réfugiés espagnols aient pu vivre dans de telles conditions sur les belles plages du Roussillon. » (Dans Los españoles del Winnipeg, J. Ferrer Mir, p.39)

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Salvador Morenas Mas and Francisco Requena

Salvador Morenas Mas and Francisco Requena
Salvador Morenas Mas says: I also befriended an Andalusian barber called Francisco Requena. He was always in a good mood, with a smile on his face, which contrasted with the bitterness and the sadness that could be read on most faces. To fight against the monotonous life they lived in the concentration camp, and in order to earn some money, Requena had set up a parlour just by the barracks. Every day, he would give away 20 coupons for a free shave and charge whoever didn’t have one. The free shaves were completed in four strokes, and no complaints were to be made.
Boredom and idleness were our greatest enemies. We had to use our imagination to keep them at bay.
One of the men who slept in the same barracks as me kept thinking about the girlfriend he’d left in Mataró. He decided to write to her and after a while, he received a long love letter in return.
I spent close to six months in Agde. It was a life with no purpose, no routine, no expectations, locked up with thousands of republicans and democrats like me, but my youth gave me the strength to overcome hunger, cold and pain. This was where I turned nineteen. (p.46-47)

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