CATALONIA BATTLE

Grey River Argus, 27 May 1938, Page 9

CATALONIA BATTLE

HEAVY FIGHTING Rebel Air Raid on Alicante [Aust. & N.Z. Cable Assn.] (Received May 26, 11.35 p.m.) BARCELONA, May 26. Heavy fighting continues in Catalonia over an area with substantial losses on both sides. The Republican insurgent? communiques are so conflicting that it it is impossible accurately to sum up the trend of operations on the Catalonian front. Each side is consistently denying the other’s claims. RUNNING BLOCKADE. CONTRABAND ON “STANCROFT.” GIBRALTAR, May 25. The Stancroft’s captain was detained on a charge of carrying a prohibited article to Spain. BRITISH SHIP SUNK. VALENCIA. May 25. Planes from. Majorca bombed and sank the British cargo ship, Thorpehall, anchored near Valencia harbour. An officer and a seaman were drowned. The rest were saved. LATER. It is revealed that the Thorpel was afloat for half-an-hour, enabling the crew to put off in a boat. The captain, mate, the wireless operator, and the chief steward were still aboard when she sank, and were picked up after being hours in the water. The only casualties were five slightly wounded. Wreckage in Alicante CONSULS’ PROTEST.

VALENCIA, May 25. The insurgents intensified the bombings of coastal cities. Alicante suffered the worst raid of the war, 240 being killed and a thousand injured. Four hundred bombs dropped at Sagunta caused numerous casualties. (Received May 26, 11.35 p.m.) LONDON, May 26. The Alicante air raid lasted twenty minutes, more than hundred bombs being dropped by six aircraft. Fifty buildings were uestroyed. Two bombs exploded in the market place. This was crowded with women during raid. The worst damage was done in the centre of the town. The port was also bombed. There were five British ships in the harbour. None of them was hit. The Consular Corps, representing eighteen Nations, collectively presented condolences to the Civil Governor, and decided to fly their flags at half mast for three days as a protest against the raid. The Consular Corps also telegraphed a protest to General Franco against bombing non-military objectives, pointing out that only civilians were killed. The raid was the most frightful I since that at Barcelona. The carnage | in the centre of the city was a terrible sight. Recovery of bodies will take | days. The raiders added to the terror by swooping low and machine-1 gunning the streets which were crowded. | N.Z. NURSE RETURNS, | PREDICTS GOVERNMENT DEFEAT.

WELLINGTON, May 26. Arrivals by the Awatea from Sydney this morning included Miss Milli- i cent Sharpies, one of three New Zealand nurses who were sent in Spain. She spent five months in the front line hospitals, and three months at the base. She expressed the opinion that the Spanish Government forces must ultimately be defeated through lack of ammunition which non-intervention prevented from reaching the country. She is going back to Spain as quickly as possible. She stated that she is reporting here to the Spanish medical aid committee.