AEMI

54 AEMI JOURNAL 2015
Basque refugee camp in the Northern Basque Country (Donoibane Garazi) in 1937.
Photo: Irujo-Ametzaga Archive.
Also involved in the International
Commission for the Assistance of Child
Refugees in Spain 5 , Norway and Sweden
were the last countries approached with
regard to the evacuations. While at an
official level they both remained neutral
and refused to host children in their
territories, there were some individuals
who became highly involved with relief
work. Also, these countries were sympathetic
to the Republican cause and supplied
aid in a broad variety of practical
ways, usually through the hundreds of
committees created for that purpose in
both countries:
•Maintained many colonies in French
territory. 6
•Subsidized colonies on the Spanish
Mediterranean coast, in the Catalonia
and Valencia regions.
•Collaborated with expeditions to
America.
•Maintained colonies organized by the
Basque Government.
•Generally provided financial assistance,
voluntary staff, clothing and
food.
Bilbao fell in June 1937 and as soon as
the Basque Country was occupied by
the insurgents Franco initiated a politically
motivated campaign to repatriate
the children from the host countries
which had given them refuge. According
to the Francoist authorities’ and
also to the Spanish Catholic hierarchy’
propaganda there was not a better place
for the Basque children than Catholic
Spain. On March 17, 1937 the Spanish
Ministry of Justice of the Francoist
regime commended parents, guardians
or relatives of evacuated children to give
their names, addresses and general data
to the authorities. 7 In many instances,