Jorge García Carrique

My name is Jorge García Carrique. I live in Granada. I am 40 years old and a lawyer, however History - especially Spanish History and the two World Wars  - are my passion. I have travelled to many battle sites around the world (Normandy, Vimy, the Mareth Line in Tunis, The Plains of Abraham, etc.) as well as visited many historic sites in Spain. It is a passion I try to transmit to my children in order to teach them not to repeat past mistakes.  

I would like to share the story of my uncle Guillermo Morey Frau, who fought in the Spanish Civil war in the Nationalist side. These lines are to serve as the account of a normal man, as many others who fought in the Spanish Civil War (not the first civil war in Spain). A war in which brothers, fathers and sons faced each other on the battlefield fighting for their idea of Spain. 

Guillermo Morey Frau was born in Andratx, a town in Mallorca (Spain). I do not know much of his early years. My father passed away nearly nine years ago in Havana, and as I was looking in old boxes, in the house in Mallorca which had belonged to my aunt and uncle who had raised my father, I came up with an old rusty tin box full of documents and wartime pictures of my uncle. He joined the Spanish Army in August 1935. I also came up with his "cartilla" in which I discovered that he had served from 1935 until he was discharged on July 1939.  

Thanks to the pictures and documents, I found out that he had fought in the north of Spain. In this one you can see my uncle sitting on the left hand side  with two colleagues in front of a road sign indicating "San Sebastián". I guess the pictures were taken in 1937 when fierce fighting occurred in the Basque Country. For his years of service, he was awarded four medals. When the war ended, he returned to Mallorca, married my aunt to whom he was engaged at the time and worked as a builder. 

My uncle was a severe man and, generally, didn´t talk too much. I guess the war had something to do with that. I remember when I used to visit my aunt and uncle with my parents on Saturdays or Sundays and we sat in their beautiful garden, I knew because of my father that he fought in the Civil War and used to ask my uncle about it. He answered that all that he had done was drive Generals around in cars. Never said anything else. 

The ninetieth anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War is just around the corner and we should use the upcoming anniversary to recognize all those who fought in the war, no matter which side they were on. It is time we stopped referring to the reds and fascists. If we Spaniards, as a country, can achieve this lots of good will be done to this marvellous country which is Spain.