Fleeing Franco How Wales Gave Shelter to Refugee Children from the Basque Country During the Spanish Civil War

In 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, four thousand children escaped by ship from Bilbao and were given sanctuary in Britain. This book focuses on the experiences of the exiles who came to Wales where four Homes were established, and includes several first-hand accounts from surviving refugees.



This book tells the story of the Basque children who came to Wales during the Spanish Civil War. In 1937, with civil war raging in Spain, 3,862 Basque children fled their country. They were packed on an old cruise liner that left Bilbao for Southampton. Throughout the summer children were dispersed to camps throughout Britain. Eight of those colonies were in Wales. The welcome they received here was a mixture of hostility and kindness. In Brechfa (Carmarthenshire) there was a notorious incident that confirmed the reluctance of many to accept exiles, while elsewhere in Wales, from Caerleon to Colwyn Bay there were many examples of great generosity.