WITH FRANCO’S BODYGUARD

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 236, 6 October 1938, Page 8

WITH FRANCO’S BODYGUARD

Picturesque Mountain Men from Morocco. Fiery Arab Horses

Squadron No. 1 of the Moorish cavalry acts as bodyguard to General Franco, leader of Nationlalist Spain, and follow him wherever he goes. They are picturesque in their white burnouses and are fearless fighters. Four days after writing this article Mr. Bradish Johnson was killed in Spain while carrying out his duties as a war correspondent. QOLOUR, glamour, dash and tradition—all the attributes which have made the reputations of historically famous regiments—are to be found in “La Guardia Mora” of Nationalist Spain’s Generalissimo, Francisco Franco. Of all the varied bodies of men who have been fighting in Spain during the present civil war, from General O’Duffy’s famous Irish Brigade on the Nationalist side to the International Brigade battling for the Government of Barcelona, none are so picturesque as these mounted men from Morocco, with their dashing blue ceremonial cloaks and burnouses, and their fiery Arab horses. Being offered an opportunity to go behind the scenes of the guard’s barracks in Burgos, we wasted no time in hieing ourselves to the ancient capital of Spain, and with special permission from General Martin Moreno, the chief of staff stormed the gates in a Ford V-8. At the entrance to the barracks we found a solitary sentry leaning on his rifle, hunching himself inside his cloak, trying to keep warm. Inside the gate, two or three Moors in various stages of military undress sat on chairs leaning against the wall in the sun. The climate in Burgos is not exactly that of Morocco, and the dusky soldiers take full advantage of any warmth which comes their -way. Beyond the entrance 3s a large square, around which are barracks and stables. In the centre of the square are sheds where the horses are groomed and saddled before parade. Upon entering the gate and asking for the office of the commander Captain Porres, we were directed by a tall Moor with bare legs to the guard-house on the

right. Inside in a small room, several Moors were gathered, huddled around a brazier keeping warm. When we asked again for the commander, a fellow in a red fez knocked on the inner door of what seemed to be the sanctum sanctorum, opened it and stuck his head in to whisper a few words in mingled Arabic and Spanish. Thereupon the door opened wider and a cheerful-looking, round-faced, but extremely efficient and hard-boiled gentleman came out to greet us in French. Oh, yes, the Captain knew all about our mission. Captain Porres has been in the army for nearly as long as he can remember, most of the time in Morocco. Although covered with medals, he is extremely modest and would much rather talk about his men than to tell about his past campaigns. Suffice is to say that he fought over all of Morocco during the Riff campaigns of 1925 and 1926, and that it was largely because of squadrons such as his, as well as the famous Spanish Foreign Legion, that Spanish Morocco was pacified. These colonial cavalry of Spain are similar to the famous French Spahis. They are volunteers, many of whom have seen from eighteen to twenty years of service in the Army. Wonderful soldiers, they are devoted to General Franco, who commanded them in Morocco before the present war. The present mounted guard is an ordinary squadron picked from the Moorish cavalry in Tetuan, actually Squadron No. 1 from the four squadrons in the “Grupo de Regulares.” Receiving orders to come to Spain in February, 1937, they left immediately, thinking that they were to get in some fighting as soon as they arrived. If there is anything a Moor loves, it’s warfare, and the tougher the belter. Upon arriving in Spain, however, they were told that, instead of fighting, they had been selected to be their beloved General’s bodyguard, stationed in Burgos to accompany him wherever he might go for state occasions. The Moorish cavalry of Spain was formed in 1913, yet before the present

war, none of them had ever been in Spain as a bodyguard. This particular squadron consists of 140 men. Besides Captain Porres, there are four lieutenant's—three Spanish and one Moorish—who command four sections. The non-commissioned officers are both Spaniards and Moors. The horsemanship of the Moorish cavalry is legendary. Notoriously fierce fighters, they prefer to fight on horse, but are often used on foot. Their weapons are sabres, rifles and lances, although the latter are now used largely for ornamental purposes on parade. There were days, though, when attacking Moors, galloping down on an enemy, struck as much terror with their wild cries and levelled lances as they do to-day with modern rifles and machine-guns. To this day the Moors always shriek and shout in a charge. It is said that they cry out to Allah for victory. When we visited the barracks with Captain Porres, it was in the morning just before art exercise parade. The men were going about in various uniforms attending to such - tasks as grooming and saddling horses, getting equipment, and fetching rifles, sabres and lances from the armoury. Wandering about the barracks, we came upon the cookhouse. This is a very important department in the Moorish soldier’s life. The Moorish Guard have brought all their own customs with them. They must own all their own meat, and they must do it with two knife thrusts while facing the rising sun. Three thrusts, and they can’t eat the meat. They have their own eating and council tent, equipped j with divans and vessels brought especi- | ally from Africa. Here they sit and sip tea (they don’t drink alcohol). Their tea is perfectly delicious, very sweet, with a taste of mint. In addition to observing their customs on food and drink, the horsemen from Africa observe all their religious and social customs. One may see them in the evening kneeling on mats and bowing down in the direction of Mecca. It is not unusual to see one fellow come up, effusively kiss a friend’s hand, after which both touch their foreheads and lips. The kisser is greeting a friend who has probably just returned from leave in Morocco. They get along extremely well among themselves and practically never fight. From time to time, the men are allowed leave. Meanwhile, they have a special Arab courier who returns to Morocco once a month to seek news of the men's families.