Sisters Josefina and Carmen lived with their family in a small town near Bilbao. They were evacuated from Spain in May 1937 as children, almost a year after the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. They eventually lived with an English couple in north Staffordshire and have both settled permanently in Britain.
Josefina and Carmen left Spain with their older brother in May 1937, at the ages of ten and twelve. The last moments with their parents were very difficult.
Josefina; ‘Eventually the three of us, with Mama and Papa, we said goodbye and hugged and of course I wouldn’t let go of my mother’s skirt and in the end they had to drag me away.’
They travelled to Britain on the ship Habana, with nearly 4,000 other children from the Basque region. The journey on the Habana was rough and Josefina was very sick. Carmen did her best, carrying Josefina up on deck to get fresh air and bringing her food, but it was a miserable time.
When Josefina and Carmen arrived, they stayed at Stoneham camp in Eastleigh for a few uncomfortable days. They were moved to London for several months, and then spent two years at another children’s camp in Southampton.
Their brother returned to Spain in 1939. He found that their home had been destroyed and their mother was ill in hospital. He told Josefina and Carmen not to come back, so they stayed in England.
After moving again, they were eventually taken in by an English couple from North Staffordshire, where they finally began to feel at home.
‘…I was in no man’s land. But I made my home in England and I felt safe…’
Carmen
By the end of the Second World War Josefina and Carmen were young adults. England had become home and it was unlikely that they would ever return to Spain permanently.
There were still times when it was not so clear where they belonged; ‘but you knew you were a foreigner, no matter where I went I was a foreigner. When I went back home I was a foreigner too, they didn’t think I was Spanish…I was in no man’s land.’
Despite the difficulties that Josefina and Carmen faced, they believe that leaving Spain had been for the best. They still maintain strong links with their family there.
The close bond between Josefina and Carmen was very important. They believe it is the reason why they got through their experiences.
Josefina; ‘…we stuck together, and we have survived…’
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