BASQUE CAMPAIGN

Grey River Argus, 4 May 1937, Page 5

BASQUE CAMPAIGN

REBELS REPULSED

Record Evacuation Planned

(Aus & N Z Cable Assn.) LONDON, May 2.

Tire Basques commemorated Alay Day by partly avenging Guernica. They celebrated the destruction of the Espana by an unexpectedly successful counter-offensive. “The Times’s” Bilbao correspondent says: The Basques were victorious all along the line, thg rebel attacks failing at every point, with the loss of 2500 dead and wounded. Basques report ■ an increase of this number to 3500. They intercepted rebel messages for reinforcements and ambulances. The rebels fell into a carefully-pre-pared trap. Pushing forward along, a coastal road from Guernica they met. with no resistance and entered Bermeo, the former headquarters for the evacuation of refugees. Here Carlist volunteers received reinforcements, only to find themselves encircled by Basque battalions and artillery.

Insurgents Attack

NEAR BILBAO.

REPELLED EASILY.

(Received Mav 3, 7-30 p.m.) LONDON, Alay 3

“The Times’s” correspondent at Bilbao says: “The Basques treated as a picnic, an attempted afternoon attack by insurgents along the Barmeo road. Jose Rezola, the young Secretary for Defence, took a rifle and joined a bat. talion of plain clothes soldiers. The insurgents fled, dropping rifles and abandoning material. Many insurgents were killed. Wounded were admitted to hospital at Bilbao. Rezola returned to the Alinistry with some booty won from the Italians, consisting of a trench mortar, a steel helmet, three rifles, two gas masks, and much ammunition. An Italian prisoner de crib, ed the composition of the fleeing bril gade as one Italian, and one half-Span. ish and half Italian.

On the centre front, Government troops defeated so-called Flechas Neg. ras (Black Arrows). These are iS'pani. ards, commanded by Italian officers and non-commissioned officers. Deser. lions from this corps have been numer. ous. All complain of an inability to understand the orders, .since 'the officers had learned only Castilian, which was not understood, locally.

MADRID CASUALTIES.

MADRID, April 30.

The bombardment to-day resulted in three people being killed and 25 injured.

BOMBARDMENT OF MADRID.

* CONTINUED EACH DAY.

(Received May 3, 9.45 p.m.) MADRID, May 2Tht bombardment of Madrid is being continued each day.

MADRID DEFENDERS.

PUT OUT LEAFLETS.

(Received Mav 3, 9.15 p.m.) MADRID, May 2.

Loyalists to-day dropped leafletc over the rebel line’s, with a warning as follows: —“.Spaniards serving foreign invaders, to-day is the anniversary of May 2nd, 1808, when Madrid repelled' an invasion by Napoleon’s army. Mad. rid’s defenders are in our camp. Up with your hands! We await you!”

BASQUE REFUGEES.

BRITISH CONVOYS

LONDON, May 1.

The Basque Government inquired in London whether naval protection would' be afforded to ships by which it hopes t 0 arrange for the evacuation of women, children, and old people from Bilbao.

The British Government has ascertained that there would be complete impartiality between the- parties and the supporters and opponents of the existing regime, in the choice of ie. fugees for evacuation, In these circumstances, in conformity with the policy hitherto followed of lending all possible assistance to humanitarian work on both sides in the civil war, His Majesty’s Government, has in. strueted British warships to give protection outside territorial waters to to any vessel carrying non-combataur refugees from Bilbao. The British Government confidently assumes that General Franco, for his part,, would not wish to impede this humanitarian endeavour, and it anticipates no difficulty in the departure of refugee ships.

INSURGENT VIEW.

EVACUATION AN UNFRIENDLY ACT.

LONDON, May 1.

General de Llano, the rebel leader, said' in a broadcast from Seville, that any foreign IP'ower _ helping in the evacuation of the civilian' population from Bilbao would be considered to be committing an unfriendly act against the Nationalists.

A Record Evacuation

THE BRITISH PLANS.

FRENCH LABOUR SUPPORT

(Received May 3, 7.30 p.m.) LONDON, May 3.

Preparations are proceeding for an evacuation of women and children from Bilbao. These may result in the greatest oceanic' migration in history. A (Spanish .steamer, the Habana, 10,551 tons, now at Nervion, will carry the first batch to France on May 4th. Three thousand children, capable of m’aiintaining themselves, will participate in the first trip, with eight hun. dred to be maintained in France by the French General Labour Confederation, which has agreed to provide for a total of 2,300. Mrs Leah Manning, representing n> Relief Committee, telegraphed to Sir Walter Citrine, the secretary, asking [whether the British Trades Union

Council would be willing to do likewise. The Sota family placed' a steam yacht at. the service of the Basque Gov. eminent for humanitarian purposes. These and other ships) convoyed by the British Navy, will fly the Saint Georges Cross as a special flag, and as a compliment to Britain.

National Government

STRONG OBJECTION TO EVACUATIONS.

(Received Mav 3, 7.30 p.m.) LONDON, May 2. The British Embassy at Hendaye has informed the- Foreign Office that the Spanish Nationalists strongly object to the decision to help in an evaeua. tion of women and children from Bi - bao and also from other Basque ports.

The Nationalist protest is an un. pleasant surprise, as it. was felt, that no objection would be possible because of the humanitarian aspect of the evacuation project.

Sinking of Warship

600 LIVES LOST.

MOSTLY SCHOOL TEACHERS

AND CLERKS.

LONDON, May 1. The Bilbao -evening papers jubilant, ly displayed the news of the sinking of the Espana, and sent, cars tearing through the town placarded with the words: “Espana in Halves. Blockading Fleet Seared. Remainder Sails into the Blue.” A message from Santander says that, the Espana, the first warship in history to be sunk by aircraft, lies, m 30 fathoms of water three miles off Cape Mayor, near Santander. It is believed! that 600 of her company of 800 are lost. The whole incident was observed by crowds clustered on the seafront. The Government attacking aircraft were three bombing acropianes escorted oy fighters. Three coastal batteries opened fire, but the bombing aeroplane.-' dropped seven very powerful missiles, two of which struck the Espana’s stern. With a huge burst of smoke and an appalling explosion, the Espana slowly heaved up by the bows and sank,’ hundreds of the crew flinging themselve* into the sea. They were mostly school teachers and eleiks, who were unable, through lack of experience, to launch the boats, in spite of the calmness of the sea. The Government bombing aeroplanes, their pilots flushed with success, followed' their achievement by seeking out the Almirante Cervera and bombing her, but they failed to hit the target. The correspondent of “The Times” at Bilbao learns that the bombing aeroplanes had no difficulty in locating the Almirante- Cervera, because immediately after the latter learned of the Espana disaster she went at full speed eastwards. She was reported at 3.30 p.m. ■by an alert signailer at Cape Mayou- to be 55 miles east of Santander. The bombing aero, planes had time to drop only three bombs when the warship, remembering the fate of her consort, fired off all her “Archies” and! departed northwards

Th© Knitsley berfihed at Castro Urdiales, 30 miles east of Santander. The captain, obedient to the Admiralty's orders, was uncommunicative, but -a sailor disclosed that'hardly had the Velasco- stopped the Knitsley, with the Espana half a mile off, when the Government aeroplanes came into action.

Actually, so far, there has been no attempt by the insurgent naval forces to interfere with shipping of any kind leaving Bilbao. It is understood that the British Consul in Bilbao will be in a position to satisfy himself of the complete disregard! of political consid erations in the selection of refugees.

BEBEL STEAMER.

SEIZED BY DESTROYER

LONDON, May 1

A report states that the Governmentdestroyer Alsedo, seized a rebel steamer off Gibraltar, with a cargo of 100 aeroplane engines, and 40,000 rounds of ammunition.

REPORT ABOUT GERMANS.

LONDON, May 1

The Berlin News Agency denies a report; by “The Times’s” Bilbao eor. respondent, that 1500 German volun. teers were landed at San Sebastian, on April 24th. A false air raid alarm was sounded to keep the population underground so tjhat] the Germans might not be seen as they travelled through the streets.