Loyalist Govt. Leaves Beleaguered City

Northern Advocate, 26 January 1939, Page 7

Loyalist Govt. Leaves Beleaguered City

With Suburbs Invaded f f Barcelona’s Fall is Imminent

(Received 3 p.m.) LONDON, January 25. rpHE LATEST NEWS FROM SPAIN IS THAT GENERAL FRANCO HAS A ARRIVED AT HEADQUARTERS NEAR BARCELONA, AND VISITED FRONT-LINE UNITS. DESERTERS REPORT NO SERIOUS RESISTANCE IS LIKELY AS . THE CITY IS NOT PREPARED FOR A SIEGE. It is believed the defenders consist of,a force only sufficient to cover the retreat of the main body. ; The British United Press special correspondent aboard the U.S, ship Omaha, reported by wireless that all foreign warships near Barcelona are cleared for action, and their guns are manned. One fired : a dozen shells at rebel warplanes. It is believed to have beeh ,a French destroyer, but this ca nnot be confirmed. Raiders .‘destroyed the at the; front of the‘British Embassy, and anothe£ bomb blew up a lorry-loa d of ammunition,'which blazed for an hour, preventing foreigners from reach ing boats to take them to the warships.

MOORS PENETRATE CITY The Moors, who yesterday captured Gava and took the Prat del Lobregat Airport today, claim to have entered two of Barcelona’s outer suburbs near the coast, , Sabadell, an important textile man ufacturing town 15 miles north west of Barcelona, is already under artiller y fire, and the spearhead of the rebel advance is claimed to be only eight mi les away. ' With the fall of Sabadell, the rebels hope to cut off the main coast road >to France from Barcelona, thus preven ting retreat, ' The cruiser Devonshire, lying off C aldetas to take off British subjects, sent a radio message to London, ea»ly this morning that the fall of Barcelona was imminent. - , It added that the British Minister, Mr R, Stevenson, has been repeatedly urged to leave but so far has refused. EVACUATION HOPED FOR General franco is hoping that the Government will evacuate the town, leaving the authorities to the Citizens’ Committee, who will invite the Rebels to occupy the city, thus avoiding stree t and house fighting. A large concentration of civil guards and special police are waiting just behind the front lines. Organised squ ads of engineers, doctors, nurses, social workers and lorries loaded with food, are also ready to rush the city, while food ships are reported to be waiting to sail from Castleton, Tarragona and the Balearic Islands. DESERTED STREETS A later message from Barcelona s ays that when darkness fell in the city, the streets were deserted. People sat in their homes listening to the booming of the guns and wondering what the morrow would b ring. It is officially confirmed that Dr. Negrin is now in a town in North Catalonia, where the Ministry of Defence has been secretly installed. A message from Burgos says the Navarrese divisions are' approaching Barcelona from the north, after occupying Tarrasa, They are. now within two miles south-west of Sabadel. Other Navarrese divisions are mo ving southwards along the road from Matorell and eastwards from Villa Franca. > The Rebels are also pushing eastwards from Manresa to cut off the highway between Barcelona and Puig cerda. In the meantime the troops from Yagues have established new bridge heads across the Llobregat River, close to Barcelona. GOVERNMENT DEPARTS A cablegram from Lerida says the Rebels have thrown cordons round the west and north-west sectors of Barcelona, and are advancing on all other sectors. * ? "< A message from Perpignan states that the Loyalist Government has departed for Gerona, leaving one representative of each ministry behind with Senor Del Vayo in charge. Streams of refugees are reaching the frontier. Fifty women were permitted to cross, but the men were turned back. Three Loyalist sloops put into the French port of La Nouvelle. General Franco’s seaplanes bombed the Catalan coast, creating panic among refugees. The ’planes then flew over the border. •••••• FIGHT OVER FRENCH TERRITORY . French batteries at Cerbere fired on the machines and drove them back. Two ’planes, engaged in a dog fight, passed over French territory and dropped 17 bombs, damaging several houses. The majority of the personnel of foreign Embassies have crossed the frontier. 1 The Paris correspondent of “The Times” says that Senor Del Vayo, representing the Loyalist Government, departed for Barcelona after request-, ing that France shelter 150,000 refugees, to which M. Bonnet, the Foreign Minister, did not agree, owing to technical and financial difficulties. However, it is understood he suggested to the Rebels the creation of a neutral zone on the frontier or at Andorra. Nevertheless, France is unlikely to keep out destitute women and children. ITALIAN WARNING TO “KEEP OUT A message from Rome says the “I nformazione Diplomatics,” which is closely in touch with the Foreign O ffice, declares that French fears regard- ■ ing Italian volunteers in the Pyrenees are excessive. It warns France that any further Russian or French intervention will force Italy to resume liberty of action, 4 . The British-Government has issued a statement that Mr C. D. Jerram. British Agent at Burgos, informed the Rebels that Britain earnestly hoped that General Franco would exercise restraint in the occupied territories, and refrain from acts of revfenge, which would create the worst possible . impression in Britain and elsewhere. The authorities assured Mr Jerram that such acts were completely out of keeping with General Franco’s ch aracter and intention. BRITISH PLEA FOR PRISONERS Mr Ralph Stevenson, British Min ister at Barcelona, raised with the Loyalist Government the question of the maintenance of order in the event of the withdrawal of forces from the city. He especially mentioned the position of political prisoners. Mr Stevenson received assurances t hat all possible steps would be taken to maintain order and secure the live s of prisoners, which, it is believed, number 2000. The cruiser Devonshire is standin g by at Barcelona to evacuate members of the British Consulate. If necessary it will be joined by American and French warships. ,