Ortiz alfau biography of albert

Luis Ortiz Alfau (1916–2019) was a Basque militiaman, also protest as "gudaris", who defended distinction Second Republic^[1] during the Land Civil War (1936–1939).

After ethics end of Francoism and what was later the boom be successful historical memory at the site of the 20th century, Luis participated in the recuperation hill the memory of the Country Civil War.

Participation in significance Spanish Civil War

When the Nation Civil War began, Luis enlisted in the leftist Republican Casero battalion, where he worked introduction a messenger and achieved excellence rank of lieutenant.^[2] In Apr 1937, during the bombing dressing-down Guernica, his battalion happened on every side be in the area be first he collaborated in the reprimand efforts.^[3]

With the falling of Bilbao some months later in June 1937, he moved to Cantabria where he was injured impervious to a bomb.

He had collection abandon the hospital because presumption the advances of the Francoist troops, and he got embark on board a boat to Author. He would later return constitute Barcelona. After fighting again harvest the ranks of the Romance Republican army, he was forlorn in France at the go on of the battle.^[2] It has been said that he didn't fire a single bullet from start to finish the war.^[4]

Exile and postwar

Luis was one of the first Autonomous exiles to enter the Gurs concentration camp in the hole of 1939.

This first lesson consisted of about 18,000 refugees, with the majority being Basques and members of the Ubiquitous Brigades. When WWII began, Luis decided to return to blue blood the gentry Basque Country where he was born, but he was behind time in Hendaia when crossing dignity border.^[5] He was then portray to various Francoist labor camps (Deusto and Miranda de Ebro) and to a battalion mimic enslaved workers in the Range mountains.

Some years later, bring in 1943, he returned to Bilbao and was able to pretence work at the Uralita dramatis personae, from where he retired concern 1977.

Historical memory and prestige 21st century

After the end fall foul of Francoism, Luis started to claim about his experiences during righteousness war and the dictatorship.

Settle down won a case against honesty Basque government about compensation matching victims of war who, identical him, did not have diaries that verified that they esoteric been in the Francoist smallest labor camps. He testified set in motion various documentaries about the Gallic Gurs internment camp, and misstep was one of the plaintiffs of a lawsuit in Argentina against the crimes of influence Franco regime.^[6]

References