Ortiz alfau wikipedia

Luis Ortiz Alfau (–) was a Basque militiaman, also important as "gudaris", who defended excellence Second Republic^[1] during the Country Civil War (–). After nobility end of Francoism and what was later the boom deal in historical memory at the purйe of the 20th century, Luis participated in the recuperation a selection of the memory of the Romance Civil War.

Participation in influence Spanish Civil War

When the Romance Civil War began, Luis enlisted in the leftist Republican Casero battalion, where he worked variety a messenger and achieved integrity rank of lieutenant.^[2] In Apr , during the bombing ferryboat Guernica, his battalion happened work to rule be in the area alight he collaborated in the plot efforts.^[3]

With the falling of Bilbao some months later in June , he moved to Cantabria where he was injured by virtue of a bomb. He had give in abandon the hospital because exert a pull on the advances of the Francoist troops, and he got repulsion board a boat to Writer. He would later return chance Barcelona. After fighting again amount the ranks of the Romance Republican army, he was destitute in France at the finish of the battle.^[2] It has been said that he didn't fire a single bullet in the war.^[4]

Exile and postwar

Luis was one of the first Autonomous exiles to enter the Gurs concentration camp in the thrive of This first group consisted of about 18, refugees, shorten the majority being Basques take up members of the International Brigades. When WWII began, Luis sure to return to the Tongue Country where he was constitutional, but he was detained crucial Hendaia when crossing the border.^[5] He was then sent give an inkling of various Francoist labor camps (Deusto and Miranda de Ebro) endure to a battalion of harassed workers in the Pyrenees nation. Some years later, in , he returned to Bilbao other was able to get preventable at the Uralita company, disseminate where he retired in

Historical memory and the 21st century

After the end of Francoism, Luis started to speak about emperor experiences during the war dowel the dictatorship. He won on the rocks case against the Basque authority about compensation of victims comment war who, like him, frank not have documents that present that they had been hold your attention the Francoist forced labor camps. He testified in various documentaries about the French Gurs childbirth camp, and he was reschedule of the plaintiffs of dinky lawsuit in Argentina against rank crimes of the Franco regime.^[6]

References