Argelès-sur-Mer Days 28-41 Part Two – Unexpected history – the ‘Retirada’ and betrayal of the International Brigades and other Republican fighters (AKA, Mr B turns into a history wonk...)

One of the many things we love about travelling is the unexpected history of places we end up in. Sometimes it may be a new discovery to us, but expected in the circumstances, such as the D-Day landing beaches in Normandy. Sometimes, it’s the unexpected revelations in places we have visited for other reasons, such as the very moving Camp de Milles in Aix-en-Provence, on a previous trip.

To our complete surprise, as we discovered on one of our early exploratory bike rides, it turned out that Argelès has just such a hidden past. We chanced across a memorial/information board on our first ride into town…

...which explained that our super sunny and relaxing beach was, back in the late 30s and into the early part of WW2, a concentration camp for Spanish Republicans and International Brigadistas fleeing across the border into France, following the fall of Barcelona to Franco’s nationalist troops (the exodus was known as La Retirada). Mr B, who has read a fair bit over the years about the Spanish Civil War, was amazed to learn of the camps for the first time.

We discovered a memorial plaque further into town…

...and learned of the existence of a museum about the Retirada in Argelès old town.

We visited the museum on a bike trip and spent a sobering couple of hours there. 

We learned that there had been many Spanish refugees heading to France since the start of the war in 1936, but when Barcelona fell in January 1939, over 500,000 civilians, Republican and International troops crossed into Spain in dreadful conditions, hoping to find a sympathetic response from the French. Instead, what they encountered was a series of concentration camps, including the one at Argelès. which they were forced to build themselves. Conditions were harsh, with many deaths. 

For the 5,000+ Brigadistas, having already been let down by the Republican leadership in being disbanded in 1938 in a failed attempt to appease the Nazis, their internment was compounded when they, along with Jews and other ‘undesirables’ were sent on by Vichy officials to Nazi run camps and forced labour. Some did escape however, and played an important part in the French Resistance. We were reminded too, that both the UK and France had, in their policy of arms embargoes and non-intervention, acted against the legitimate Spanish Republic, with Franco receiving substantial support from the Nazis and Fascist Italy. 

Having crossed the Pyrenees at places the refugees entered France, and were now spending time on the same beaches many were interred at, our visit to the museum had a particular resonance. 

This picture of refugees at Bourg Madame held our attention, as we have crossed the border there a number of times…

...as did the information regarding the strong wind and floods that still affect the beaches, but which had a devastating effect on the refugees in their internment camp…

The museum also showed a film made by Catalans from Spain in collaboration with Catalan French, showing some of the brutalities of the camp life and making clear the Vichy collaboration with the Nazis…

The subject matter was haunting and included an impressive display of art created by people in the camp, featuring the work of Josep Franch Clapers in particular.

Not your average day out we reflected over lunch, but sobering, and a useful reminder in these turbulent times of the consequences of despots going unchallenged…

S&J 11.07.26