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BRITISH TROOPS DESERTING

SPANISH SERVICE LOSES APPEAL BREAKDOWN OF MORALE ALLEGED (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright) (Received September 5, 8.10 p.m.) LONDON, September 4. The Sunday Dispatch reports that the London Communist Party chiefs have ordered the withdrawal “with the smallest Possible publicity” of the British “battalion from the International Brigade in Spain owing to a breakdown of morale and daily desertions which are expected to involve the breaking up of the brigade. Deserters are arriving in London in increasing numbers. All tell a story of a lack of discipline, bad food and extremely hard fighting while Spaniards are enjoying themselves in the rear. The brigade recently refused to advance because it knew the ground was infested with its opponents machine-guns. It is estimated that only 200 British participants remain from the original 1000. Frenchmen, Germans and Americans are also leaving. SURRENDER OF GIJON REPORTED LOYALISTS CLAIM ADVANCE SALAMANCA, September 5. General Quiepo de Llano, “the radio general,” broadcast a story that the authorities at Gijon, where six British refugee steamers are held up, arranged for the surrender of the 'town to the insurgents. . A Madrid message states that the insurgents were driven out from Belchite after 20 hours of the fiercest street fighting. This is the most important Republican victory since Guadalajara as it cuts communications to Saragossa and Teruel. The Republicans are advancing to Saragossa.

PRO-REBEL AIRMAN REPORTED SAFE IMPRISONED AT GIJON (Received September 4, 5.5 p.m.) SAN SEBASTIAN, September 4. Friends of Rupert Bellville, the wealthy aviator who has been missing since August 25 have been definitely informed that he is imprisoned at Gijon, is safe and well treated.

A previous message stated that British shipping in the Bay of Biscay had been asked to look out for Rupert Bellville, a wealthy English amateur airman, who had been missing since August 25, when he was ordered at the point of a revolver to fly the Basque Government leader from Santander to Gijon. Bellville arrived at Santander with a sherry shipper, Ricardo Gonzales Gordon, in order to participate in the celebrations marking the fall of the city, but the announcement of its fall was premature. Government troops arrested the airman and his passenger and put them in prison. The St. Jean de Luz correspondent of The Daily Mail says that both were very scared when they were arrested. They spent a night lying on the floor of the town hall of Santander, which was under constant air raids, expecting to be shot in the morning. One account says that they landed at Santander cheering for General Franco. Gordon, after Bellville’s forced departure, was robbed of his papers and money but was subsequently liberated and returned to San Sebastian. A message from Madrid says that Gordon was the chief of General Franco's information service. It adds that Bellville described himself as a journalist about to chronicle the entry of the Italian divisions into Santander. Bellville, who is an amateur bullfighter, served In the rebel army in 1936. He shares with his brother, Anthony Bellville. £394,397 left by his father, Frank Ashton Bellville, who died on September 22.

Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ST19370906.2.43

Bibliographic details

Southland Times, Issue 23297, 6 September 1937, Page 5

Word Count
517

BRITISH TROOPS DESERTING Southland Times, Issue 23297, 6 September 1937, Page 5

BRITISH TROOPS DESERTING Southland Times, Issue 23297, 6 September 1937, Page 5

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