The “Belgian mothers”

Thanks to the commitment of European socialists, who sent money through the International Solidarity Fund, by the end of 1937 the Republic had a military hospital located in the town of Ontinyent (Alicante). Popularly known as “the Belgian” because of the contributions from the Belgian Workers’ Party (POB), it became a symbol of international solidarity with the Republic at war.

Supplies and staff for the hospital were funded through solidarity campaigns and the efforts of volunteers. The story of the women popularly known - today as well as then - as the “Belgian mothers” is an outstanding example. They travelled to Ontinyent from the city of Amberes. Most were Belgian born but many had central European roots, as their families had immigrated to Belgium from countries such as Poland in the 1920s.

In the Belgian case, this was the subject of a debate in the POB executive on February 8, 1937 in which one can see the concern over the fact that, because of their attitude to the war in Spain, the Communists were gaining ground on the Socialist left. Arguing that a large number of Flemish speakers who had gone to Spain had been “brainwashed” by the Communists and were now lost to the Socialist cause, there were demands that the party appoint a political commissar for Spain. 

Nurses from other countries such as Cuba and the Netherlands also worked in the hospital, but the “Belgian mamas” stood out both for the zeal with which they carried out their duties and their commitment to Communism. This created controversy in a project that was the product of the efforts of international Socialism. In fact, daily life in the hospital reflected one of the political dynamics at the heart of support for the Republic throughout the war: the ideological competition between Socialists and Communists. 

It was the Communist cell made up of the “Belgian mamas” who contributed to this “political work” that so concerned the POB. By organizing debates and discussions and, above all, through their firm commitment to spreading Communist ideals, they fed an ideological competition that even led to accusations of espionage.