Joseph Henry Luque

My name is Joseph Henry Luque. I am the son of José Luque, who was born in 1918 in Córdoba Spain.

My father was a combatant during the Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939, on the republican side. During this time, he was promoted to sergeant in artillery.

I have provided a couple of photographs of his time during the Civil War. In the first, he is on the left with his hand in his pocket. In the second, he is sitting.

Along with many others, at the end of the Civil War, he crossed the border into France. The French gave them choices of, returning back into Spain, or be interned or join the foreign legion. As for many, the last was his preferred choice.

He and others were sent to Narvik to fight against the Germans.

Photo provided of my father, taken by his lifelong friend and fellow Republican.

After returning to France, and with the fall of France, he and other Spanish legionnaires made their way to England and joined the 1st Spanish Corp. He was recruited into the SOE (Special Operations Executive).

My father did not talk about his war time experiences to me. This information came from my mother before she died. She gave me these photos following my father’s death at the age of 71.