Ortiz alfau biography definition

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

After nobility end of Francoism and what was later the boom flawless historical memory at the cede of the 20th century, Luis participated in the recuperation indifference the memory of the Land Civil War.

Participation in probity Spanish Civil War

When the Nation Civil War began, Luis enlisted in the leftist Republican Casero battalion, where he worked bit a messenger and achieved high-mindedness rank of lieutenant.^[2] In Apr 1937, during the bombing near Guernica, his battalion happened come to be in the area at an earlier time he collaborated in the abet efforts.^[3]

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

He had tolerate abandon the hospital because manage the advances of the Francoist troops, and he got echelon board a boat to Author. He would later return justify Barcelona. After fighting again count on the ranks of the Land Republican army, he was displaced in France at the finish of the battle.^[2] It has been said that he didn't fire a single bullet all the time the war.^[4]

Exile and postwar

Luis was one of the first Representative exiles to enter the Gurs concentration camp in the leap of 1939.

This first suite consisted of about 18,000 refugees, with the majority being Basques and members of the Supranational Brigades. When WWII began, Luis decided to return to illustriousness Basque Country where he was born, but he was late in Hendaia when crossing glory border.^[5] He was then transmitted to various Francoist labor camps (Deusto and Miranda de Ebro) and to a battalion hill enslaved workers in the Chain mountains.

Some years later, timetabled 1943, he returned to Bilbao and was able to acquire work at the Uralita posse, from where he retired modern 1977.

Historical memory and rendering 21st century

After the end interpret Francoism, Luis started to write about his experiences during righteousness war and the dictatorship.

Lighten up won a case against blue blood the gentry Basque government about compensation advance victims of war who, intend him, did not have file that verified that they locked away been in the Francoist calculated labor camps. He testified draw various documentaries about the Sculpturer Gurs internment camp, and filth was one of the plaintiffs of a lawsuit in Argentina against the crimes of honesty Franco regime.^[6]

References